Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during a news conference in April focusing on the budget and a long-range fiscal plan for the state. He signed the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 on Sunday, but did not publicly announce the signing or line-item vetoes made — including cutting in half an increase to public education spending — until Monday. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks during a news conference in April focusing on the budget and a long-range fiscal plan for the state. He signed the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 on Sunday, but did not publicly announce the signing or line-item vetoes made — including cutting in half an increase to public education spending — until Monday. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)

Lawmakers call for override of Dunleavy’s budget cuts to education funding

Odds are “going to be very difficult,” says Juneau senator.

A handful of lawmakers in the Alaska State Legislature are calling for a special session to override vetoes by Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s of more than $200 million, mostly for education-related spending, in the state’s $6 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1.

[Dunleavy vetoes half of education increase as he signs budget]

However, the odds of a successful override are “going to be very difficult,” according to state Sen. Jesse Kiehl, a Juneau Democrat, in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

“I think the question is, do education advocates, parents and business leaders across the state tell their legislators that this is important enough to say ‘heck with politics — do what’s right for Alaska,’” he said. “If they do it’s not outside the realm of possibility, but it’s very difficult.”

According to state statute, if an override is the finish line, there are a few hurdles proponents need to overcome to cross it.

First, it would require the Legislature to call themselves into a special session. To do that, two-thirds of Alaska’s lawmakers must vote to enter one. According to Keihl, the odds of that happening are low — and that’s just the first hurdle.

”I think you’d be hard-pressed to find two-thirds of Alaska legislators to say let’s have a special session,” he said. “I think it’s very difficult to clear and I don’t see it today.”

If two-thirds do vote in favor of a special session, the vote to override the vetoes would require three-fourths — 45 votes — of the full Legislature.

In 2019, the Alaska Legislature tried and failed to override the budget, which included $390 million in state funding being vetoed by Dunleavy.

Sen. Löki Tobin, an Anchorage Democrat and the chair of the Senate Education Committee, in a tweet Monday night, said she would “fully support” an effort by the Legislature to override what she described as a “short-sighted veto” to the education finding.

“Gov Dunleavy’s decision to use his line-item veto authority to cut $87 mil in one-time funding for AK’s public education system will cause irreparable harm on our already struggling school districts,” she wrote.

Rep. Cliff Groh, an Anchorage Democrat, said in a tweet Tuesday that he was “dismayed” by the vetoes included in the budget.

“More than $200 million total, with more than half the cuts coming to education (mostly K-12),” he wrote. “These cuts to education are particularly disappointing and embarrassing for our state.”

Sen. Scott Kawasaki, a Fairbanks Democrat and chair of the Senate State Affairs Committee, said he would also support a veto override to restore education cuts.

Dunleavy can also call for a special session if he wants. He did so this year immediately after the regular session ended in a stalemate in the Legislature, which was resolved on the first day of that special session. He has also discussed calling legislators into a special session this fall to work on a long-range fiscal plan.

When asked Tuesday if the governor had plans to call another special session before the Legislature is scheduled to convene next January, a spokesperson did not say if he intended to or not.

“If the Governor calls a special session, we will announce it through a press release,” said Shannon Mason with the office of the governor.

• Contact reporter Clarise Larson at clarise.larson@juneauempire.com or (651)-528-1807.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Dec. 29

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

Rows of houses line Douglas Highway in late May of 2023. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Rules for short-term housing such as Airbnbs getting another long look from new CBJ task force

11-member group seeks to present Juneau Assembly with recommendations by March 31.

Alaska Grown-labeled salad greens are offered for sale on Jan. 14, 2025, at Natural Pantry, a health food store in Anchorage. Grocery shoppers are willing to pay a premium for locally sourced lettuce, researchers have found. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Grocery shoppers willing to pay more for Alaska Grown produce, study finds

How much are Alaskans willing to pay for produce that is homegrown?… Continue reading

Alaska U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (right) listens to Katherine George-Byrd ahead of Saturday’s bombardment apology ceremony. George-Byrd, a Kiks’adi clan mother, talked to the senator about the at.óow on the table before them. At.óow are clan items that provide a connection between current clan members and their ancestors. (Sam Pausman / Wrangell Sentinel)
U.S. Army delivers historic apology for 1869 Wrangell bombardment; three of six clans accept

Unlike Kake and Angoon apologies, some in Wrangell reject military’s words and seek further reparations.

In an undated image provided by Chris Miller, an image of the northern lights in Juneau shows what a camera with a longer exposure captures. As astrotourism booms, the northern lights get a boost from digital photography. (Chris Miller via The New York Times)
Is the aurora borealis really that mind-blowing? Or is it just your cellphone photos?

In August, over a calm Michigan lake, Karl Duesterhaus, 34, of Chicago,… Continue reading

The Juneau School District administrative office inside Thunder Mountain Middle School on Tuesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Juneau School District, after further review, says it was affected by PowerSchool data breach

Information at risk may include parents, student and staff contact information and addresses.

A map shows where five proposed totem poles would be placed at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center. (U.S. Forest Service)
Five new totem poles proposed at Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center as part of stewardship agreement

Open house Wednesday to discuss project intended to “represent several Tlingit and Haida clans.”

Kristin Garot asks a question to members of Juneau’s legislative delegation at a town hall in the Dzantik’i Heeni school commons on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Expect tighter budget, but more say in how the money is spent, local legislators say

Juneau lawmakers cite familiar issues of education, pensions as priorities at pre-session town hall

Most Read