Because the resolution would amend the Alaska Constitution, if it is approved by two-thirds of the House and Senate, it would then be placed on the general election ballot for voters’ consideration.
Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, speaks during a floor session at the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on Jan. 21. , sponsored by Anchorage Democratic Sen. Matt Claman, aims to put on the ballot a constitutional amendment to lower the override vote threshold for a governor’s veto of revenue and appropriations bills, from three-quarters of the Legislature to two-thirds.
Alaska’s current threshold for overriding budget and appropriations vetoes is the highest in the country. While supporters in the Legislature say the current law gives the executive branch outsized control over the state’s budget, opponents argue the change could weaken an effective brake on legislative spending. Vetoes by the governor on most types of bills require a two-thirds vote of the Legislature, or 40 of 60 lawmakers, to override. But when it comes to revenue and appropriations bills, lawmakers have to muster a three-quarters vote, 45 of 60, to override a veto.Constitution, if two-thirds of both the House and Senate approve the resolution, it would go before Alaska voters on the general election ballot. The governor cannot veto a constitutional amendment.members of the Senate Finance Committee that during the drafting of the Alaska Constitution, delegates intentionally gave the executive branch strong powers. Today, he said, Alaska is older, its economy has grown and public participation has increased. “This amendment returns more power to all Alaskans and their elected representatives and senators, and it will establish a better balance between the governor and the Legislature,” Claman said before a Senate Finance meeting earlier this month.The resolution comes after several years in which Gov. Mike Dunleavy has repeatedly used the veto pen to nix aAlaska lawmakers have overridden an appropriations veto just five times since statehood, and only twice since 1987, Claman said.of more than $50 million in education spending. In what lawmakers described as a historic vote, the Legislature garnered exactly the 45 votes needed to override the veto. Former Alaska Attorney General Bruce Botelho, who served under Republican and Democratic governors, testified before Senate Finance in support of the bill, saying there is “imbalance in the respective powers of the Legislature and the Executive.”He warned that when a relative minority can block a veto override, it raises the risk of policy-driven vetoes standing in the way of what he described as the will of a supermajority. Speaking against the bill, Sen. James Kaufman, an Anchorage Republican, said the resolution should be part of a larger package that seeks to answer how spending is controlled in the Legislature. “As difficult as vetoes and the ensuing potential veto override is, it’s really about the only spending control that we have, other than those that we impose on ourselves,” Kaufman said during a Finance hearing last week. Sen. Lyman Hoffman, a Bethel Democrat, pointed to restrictions on draws from Constitutional Budget Reserve, the state’s $3 billion savings account, as a check on legislative spending. Accessing the CBR would still require a three-quarters vote.Similar proposals have surfaced before. Republican former Senate Majority Leader John Coghill, as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Democratic former Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins both put forth resolutions to lower the threshold to overturn gubernatorial spending vetoes in 2020. Both bills died before reaching a floor vote. If two-thirds of the House and Senate ultimately approve the measure, the question would go on the statewide ballot.referred from the Legislature to amend the Constitution have made it to a statewide vote: one in 2010 to add more lawmakers to both chambers, and another in 2016 to allow the state to contract debt for student loans. The bill is now awaiting a floor vote in the Senate. Kodiak Republican Rep. Louise Stutes said the House majority has not yet discussed the resolution as a caucus. Claman said the measure is a priority among the Senate majority. He said he’s expecting the resolution to reach the Senate floor for a vote in March.Cartel violence fuels concerns about FIFA World Cup games in Mexico
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