ANCHORAGE — It’s already known that the yearly check given to nearly every single Alaskan from the state’s oil wealth fund is going to be about $1,000, but state officials plan to reveal the exact amount later this week.
Since Gov. Bill Walker is in Asia this week, his spokeswoman says the amount of this year’s Alaska Permanent Fund dividend will be revealed Friday morning on the governor’s website. The first checks should be deposited Oct. 6.
This year’s check could have been twice as much, but Walker vetoed half the money appropriated for the dividend earlier this year as the state deals with a multibillion dollar budget shortfall.
Last week, Alaska state Sen. Bill Wielechowski and two former state senators sued the state, claiming Walker illegally vetoed Alaska Permanent Fund earnings required to be transferred to dividends.
