Story last updated at 3/9/2010 - 10:41 am
The House Finance Committee Monday rejected an effort to provide funding for Marine Advisory Program agents slated to be cut.
By a 7-3 vote, the committee rejected an amendment to the state's budget offered by Rep. Neal Foster, D-Nome.
Nome and Petersburg are among cities that have lost agents or are likely to because of expiring federal grants. The only committee member from Southeast, Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines, a commercial fisherman, voted "no" along with the majority.
Committee Co-chair Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, said the Legislature was not saying the program lacks value, but that it should be up to the University of Alaska to determine whether to fund it or not.
Hawker noted the strong support from around the state at last week's public hearings, but said that may have been due to misinformation about the scope and cause of the cuts.
The public seems to believe that the entire MAP program was in jeopardy, when it was not, he said. The failed amendment would have added $614,000 to the program.
"This money is not the entire MAP program; it is a portion of it," he said.
Hawker said he expected the positions in question would still get funded from other university funds without the amendment, and noted that the university currently had about 120 vacant-but- funded positions.
• Contact reporter Pat Forgey at patrick.forgey@juneauemprie.com.
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