Donna Arduin, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, right, watches as Neil Steininger, administrative services director for OMB, explains how the office performs “sweeps” of unspent money in various government accounts during a Senate Finance meeting at the Capitol on Thursday, July 18, 2019.(Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Donna Arduin, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, right, watches as Neil Steininger, administrative services director for OMB, explains how the office performs “sweeps” of unspent money in various government accounts during a Senate Finance meeting at the Capitol on Thursday, July 18, 2019.(Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Budget wonks try to explain ‘the sweep’

Senate Finance Committee spends afternoon slogging through legal and technical details

Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, had a question for Office of Management and Budget Administrative Services Director Neil Steininger.

“What does that mean in English?” he asked.

Steininger and his colleague OMB Budget Director Paloma Harbour sat before the Senate Finance Committee Thursday afternoon in a packed room.

Legislators, staff, press and spectators filled the Senate Finance Room at the capitol to hear the extensive discussion of the legal and accounting mechanism which govern “the sweep.”

The sweep is the name of the constitutional mandated emptying of appropriations accounts at the end of each fiscal year on June 30. Under normal circumstances these funds would be returned to those accounts without much notice as part of the normal work of the legislature.

But this year has not been one of normal circumstances. Not only was the legislature not able to complete its work before the end of the legislative session, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has added a number of other programs to the list of sweepable accounts.

Sen. Sen. Natasha von Imhof, R-Anchorage, asks a question as members of the Office of Management and Budget explains how the office performs “sweeps” of unspent money in various government accounts during a Senate Finance meeting at the Capitol on Thursday, July 18, 2019.(Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Sen. Sen. Natasha von Imhof, R-Anchorage, asks a question as members of the Office of Management and Budget explains how the office performs “sweeps” of unspent money in various government accounts during a Senate Finance meeting at the Capitol on Thursday, July 18, 2019.(Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Stedman made it clear that there had been language for the reverse sweep in the legislature’s capital budget at the end of the normal session, but there hadn’t been the votes to pass it.

Steininger said at the beginning of the meeting that the sweep was normally, “an academic concern.” But without the reverse sweep, its impacts have been hard to determine because this situation is unprecedented.

The language used and the details covered was quite technical, and Stedman asked the various speakers at several points to explain what was just said in much more simple language.

Steininger had a a list of potential solutions, other than simply passing a reverse sweep, the legislature could take, but no action can be taken until the full legislature has been presented with more complete information.


• Contact reporter Peter Segall at 523-2228 or psegall@juneauempire.com.


More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Nov. 3

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

West Juneau homes on Douglas Island late Thursday afternoon. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
What will Trump as president again and a more liberal Alaska Legislature mean for Juneau?

Election appears to shake up federal and state governments in different ways, leaving lots of unknowns.

Aurelie Alexander photographs a helicopter hoisting cellular equipment onto the roof of the Marine View building at midday Wednesday. As a resident of the apartment/office building, she and others were notified to leave the building during the helicopter operation. (Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire)
Hovering around downtown for better phone service

New AT&T equipment installed atop Marine View Building joins other telecom upgrades downtown.

The Columbia is scheduled to replace the Kennicott on the mainline ferry route between Southeast Alaska and Bellingham, Washington, starting in mid-December. (Alaska Marine Highway System photo)
Proposed summer ferry schedule for 2025 remains much the same, with Columbia replacing Kennicott

Public comments being accepted until Nov. 12, with virtual meetings scheduled that day.

A simulated photo shows the tailings stack and other features of Hecla Greens Creek Mine under the final notice of decision for expanding the mine announced Thursday by the U.S Forest Service. The expansion will extend the life of the mine up to 18 years. (U.S. Forest Service)
Extending Greens Creek Mine production for 12 to 18 years gets final OK from Forest Service

Agency says there will also be more habitat protection measures and mine waste disposal capacity.

A sperm whale is seen in an undated photo published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (NOAA photo)
Southeast Alaska fisher could get six months in prison after attempting to kill sperm whale

Federal prosecutors are recommending that an Alaska fisher serve six months in… Continue reading

Voters at Anchorage City Hall wait in line to cast their ballots on Nov. 4, 2024, the day before Election Day. City Hall, in downtown Anchorage, was one of the designated early voting sites in the state’s largest city. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
No leaders change as 1,500 more ballots are added to Alaska’s election count

Almost 46,000 votes cast before Election Day remain uncounted, according to absentee and early vote figures.

A weather-beaten Kamala Harris campaign sign is seen on the railing along a downtown street on Wednesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
How Juneau voted: Support for Trump varies between 55% near airport to 15.7% in downtown precinct

Voters in two local districts favor keeping ranked choice voting, while statewide residents evenly split.

Most Read