Juneau — Today, Governor Mike Dunleavy released the approved budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, in what is always a crucial step in shaping the financial future of Alaska. The House Majority thanks the Governor for his diligence in reviewing the budget and looks forward to thoroughly assessing the details of the approved plan.
“We appreciate the Governor’s careful consideration of the budget,” said Speaker of the House Cathy Tilton (R-Wasilla). “The House Majority Caucus’s priorities aligned with the Governor’s office on the importance of education funding through a one-time $680 BSA increase as well as funding to transportation and major maintenance funding. Additionally, it is great to see funding remained for critical departments like Public Safety, Corrections, and Health.” Speaker Tilton added, “Energy remains an important issue for all Alaskans so it’s good to see that funding of $353 million for critical infrastructure and energy such as the Electrical Emergency program, upgrades to rural energy systems and electrical grid resilience and reliability systems was maintained.”
House Finance Co-Chair, Representative DeLena Johnson (R-Palmer) stated: “We worked closely with the administration throughout the budget process. I look forward to reviewing the changes to the operating budget and thank the Governor for his continued forward vision for the State of Alaska.”
The cursory review gives us confidence in the strength of this budget and the responsible funding of state government. The House Majority will offer more comment following further review over the coming days.
The release of the budget is an important annual process, and there’s a shared optimism that it will both meet the pressing needs of Alaskans while remaining fiscally conservative and pave the way for future growth.