Juneau

• Reduce government spending in agencies by over $20 million.
• Funding for frail and elderly Alaskans.
• Funding for child care programs
• Cut the number of highly paid bureaucrats in favor of rank-and-file workers.

These are some of the recommendations from the 18 House Finance Committee Budget Subcommittees, all of which have made their recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2001 State Operating Budget.

"I want to extend my most heartfelt thanks to the chairs and members of these subcommittees for all the hard work they've done this session," said Representative Eldon Mulder (R-Anchorage), Co-Chair of the House Finance Committee. "Thanks to their efforts and the legislature's commitment to results-based budgeting, the budget process is almost a month ahead of where we were this time last year. That's unprecedented."

"The key to this process has been our decision to start with the current year's budget, the last point of agreement between the Legislature and the Governor, as our baseline," said Representative Gene Therriault (R-North Pole), Co-Chair of the House Finance Committee. "With the reality of this solid footing we will be able to examine the state's most pressing needs and balance those needs against the reality of how much money we have, thereby getting the most for every dollar of public money we allocate."

The full House Finance Committee will hear public testimony Saturday. As in past years, Alaskans will be able to testify before the full committee via the State teleconferencing service this Saturday, March 4, beginning at 9:00 am.

Attachments:

• Subcommittee Recommendations Highlights
  
• Legislative Finance House Sub-Committee Close Out Documents
  

| Top | Representative Mulder's Page | Representative Therriault's Page |

Department of Administration

• Shifts funds from public broadcasting to programs for aging and frail Alaskans
• $1,441,000 in Mental Health Trust funds for essential needs of Alaska's needy elderly
• $150,000 in additional Mental Health Trust funds for assisting families with guardian representation

Department of Community and Economic Development

• Qualified Trade Association (QTA) contract eliminates 9 positions saving $350,200
• Reduced one of two Deputy Commissioner positions
• Remaining budget to be funded with interagency receipts of $316,800
• Legal Services eliminated
• No changes in general-purpose funds for Municipal Revenue Sharing
• PCE maintained at same level as FY 00.
• Fully fund "welfare to work" daycare

Department of Corrections

• Eliminate Legislative Liaison for Administrative Services, saving $76,400
• Switches $200,000 from Mental Health Trust to general Funds/Mental Health completes transfer of funding for Hiland Mountain Women's Psychiatric Unit from Mental Health Trust to GF/MH
• Fully implement the electronic monitoring program

Department of Education and Early Development

• Increased allocation for Child Care Assistance by $700,000
  (NOTE: Budget calls for spending $29,861,300 on child care services)
• Council on the Arts GF allocation modestly reduced and reallocated to direct child services

Department of Environmental Conservation

• Deleted funding for Board of Storage Tank Assistance, which terminates at end of FY 00

Department of Fish and Game

• Streamlining of Board of Fisheries hearing process to save $50,000
• Begin the process of privatizing the Crystal Lake Hatchery

Department of Labor and Workforce Development

• Support elimination of premium tax for Workers Compensation Insurance

Alaska State Legislature

• Reduced Legislature's budget by $1,000,000 (NOTE: This figure is approximately 3% below the General Fund FY 00 Management Plan and 4.3% below the FY 00 Management Plan for total funds. This compare to a proposed 0.9% reduction in general fund spending for all agencies.)

Department of Health and Social Services

• Retained incremental increases for Medicaid, Adult Public Assistance, Foster Care, and Subsidized Adoptions
• Budget increases $6,895,700 over FY 00
• Welfare-to-work success continues, resulting in reduction of $11,740,600 in Alaska Temporary Assistance Program
• Fully funds Adult Public Assistance, formula program for very needy elderly, blind, and disabled persons
• Through Hospital Pro-Share Program and other efficiencies, Medicaid funding should be sufficient and should not require supplemental funding for FY 01
• Fully Funds Catastrophic and Chronic Illness Assistance (CAMA)
• Increased funding $3,453,500 for Foster Care caseload growth
• Increased funding $1,481,700 to help get permanent placement for children in foster care

Department of Law

• Reduced General Fund allocations by $1,725,000

Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

• Recommend reallocation of funds for a Missile Defense Coordinator position, increased tuition assistance to National Guard members, and provided needee match for Federal funds to operate new facilities at Kulis AFB

Department of Natural Resources

• $100,000 approved for Agricultural Land Disposal
• $309,000 approved to provide one-stop shopping for public to interface with DNR

Department of Public Safety

• Budget recognizes the primary necessity of keeping Alaska State Troopers on the street protecting Alaskans

Department of Revenue

• Reallocate $119,100 from Tax Division to Child Support Enforcement Division to hire temporary workers to focus on decreasing backlog of cases

Department of Transportation and Public Facilities

• Approved a Marketing Director position for the Alaska Marine Highway System
• Reallocated funds from the Commissioner's Office and from Support Services to help open up rural roads in Spring, 2001
• Implement Department plans to free staff from burdensome paperwork in order that they might invest their time in a more productive manner