{"id":50394,"date":"2019-07-09T05:15:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/capitol-live-senate-will-convene-to-start-suspenseful-day\/"},"modified":"2019-07-10T16:35:00","modified_gmt":"2019-07-11T00:35:00","slug":"capitol-live-senate-will-convene-to-start-suspenseful-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/capitol-live-senate-will-convene-to-start-suspenseful-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Capitol Live: Veto override vote fails"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t
Summary:<\/strong>A veto override failed by a 37-1 vote since a 45-vote super majority is needed.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Lawmakers will meet for a joint session tomorrow in hopes of rescinding today’s vote and re-voting.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Legislative leaders have been in contact with the governor but said they had not heard that there would be more representatives and senators in Juneau tomorrow.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 4:20 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t After hearing from the Senate Majority, Senate Minority and House Majority, there’s a clear plan for tomorrow.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t That would be rescinding today’s vote, which would take 45 votes, and then having another vote on a veto override.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Legislators did not say they had any specific reason to expect there to be more people at the Capitol tomorrow, but that it was there hope.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Should that fail, lawmakers said they may try to address concerns through other appropriation bills — the capital budget and PFD — but did not get into specifics.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “We lost the battle today, but the war is not over,” Begich said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 3 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The Senate Majority is holding press availability, and updates will follow shortly.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 2:50 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t A Senate recess was called until tomorrow.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 2:40 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The joint session is back underway, and a vote was taken to override vetoes on the mental health budget.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The House voted 23-1 to approve the mental health budget. Wilson was the lone vote against it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The Senate unanimously voted to override it.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t A 37-1 vote means that failed, too.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 2:30 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Things still haven’t picked up. Folks are mostly milling, taking restroom breaks and snagging water, but it seems like there might be some forward movement soon.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 2:10 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Lawmakers are heading back into the chambers. It’ll be interesting to see what else happens today.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:55 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The Senate is at ease.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:52 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The House vote. Only one member, Wilson, voted against overrides. That’s 23-1. The total is 37-1 for overrides.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The measure failed, but a gesture was made.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:50 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t All 14 senators present voted for veto overrides.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:45 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Rep. Chuck Kopp, R-Anchorage, is now speaking in favor of overrides.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t He drew a parallel between the Declaration of Independence and what the Legislature is doing today.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “We are protecting the balance of powers,” Kopp said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t He reiterated the vetoes are not about presenting a balanced budget, but rather about presenting a $3,000 PFD.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t He asked if the state taking a share of fishing revenues that would otherwise go toward municipalities, breaking the faith of voters, hurting the university, forcing elders to move and taking hospice care away from terminally ill people are worth a larger annual check.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “Is that work a $3,000 PFD?” Kopp asked.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:4o p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Rep. Gary Knopp, R-Kenai, said he’s lived on the Kenai Peninsula for more than 40 years and cares about his community.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “In these vetoes, there was no plan,” Knopp said. “Any child or anyone with a red pen could have done this….I’m proud to stand her and override these vetoes.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Knopp said he would like to acknowledge<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t the governor has effectively united the Legislature in a way he has never seen, and Knopp offered the governor kudos for that.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:35 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Rep. Tammie Wilson, R-North Pole, said she agrees that everyone should be in Juneau or in Wasilla.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I don’t really care where,” Wilson said. “What we could do with 21 on one side and 11 on the other, and we could take these vetoes and go one by one with our finance committees and talk about whether there’s a better plan, a step down approach.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t She said that could potentially be done through an appropriation bill.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Wilson said the Legislature did something similar when it initially received the governor’s proposed budget in February.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t She said she will not be voting to override the vetoes in hope of there being a line-by-line compromise.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I can’t tell you whether all 182 items are good or bad because there’s 182 items,” Wilson said.”We’re not done, we have other avenues to continue the conversation,” Wilson said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t She said she does not support all the vetoes, but math indicates an all-or-nothing vote will fail today, so she supports compromise.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:31 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t A house finance committee meeting was set for 1 p.m., but of course did not happen. There are supposed to be multiple press conferences after the conclusion of this session, so not sure if or when that will happen.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:30 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Rep. Jennifer Johnston, R-Anchorage, also spoke out against the vetoes.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, noted all the empty chairs in the chambers, before speaking about the vetoes impacting University of Alaska.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “There’s a lot I don’t know, but I do know about the university,” Stevens said. “These are devastating. This is unprecedented.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Stevens, who was once a tenured professor but retired more than 20 years ago, said the damage the vetoes would have would be irreparable.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “Even those who never set foot on a campus in Alaska will be directly affected by these cuts,” Stevens said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:25 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Rep. Steve Thompson, R-Fairbanks, is joining the fray to denounce the governor’s vetoes.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I just can’t believe that we’re heading in this direction,” Thompson said. “I got emails from France. Scientists over there that said University of Alaska is the leader in climate change research.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I had to get up to speak to these today,” Thompson said. “I have to point out how important it is what was said by our Office of Management and Budget and our governor that this is Phase 1… We have to push back and say enough is enough… We have to tell the governor that we’re made as hell and we’re not going to take it any more.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The “mad as hell” line drew applause.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Kreiss-Tomkins said he estimates that 75 percent of Alaskans support overriding vetoes.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I’m troubled because there are legislators who are not here today…that I believe represent districts that are predominantly part of that 75 percent,” Kreiss-Tomkins said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t He predicted there will be a long week and long month a head. A special session lasts only 30 calendar days.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:15 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Rep. Jonathan Kreiss Tomkins, D-Sitka, said equating the governor’s vetoes with a $3,000 PFD is a false equivalency.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Kreiss-Tomkins said the vetoes would only work out to provide funding for a $1,600 PFD.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “He has yet to present a plan that has mathematical integrity that gets you a $3,000 PFD,” Kreiss-Tomkins said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t He also read quotes from Dunleavy back when he was running for governor. In those quotes, Dunleavy said there were no plans to make cuts to the Alaska Marine Highway System or the University of Alaska.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “That’s a reconciliation I would love to see anyone make between those actions and those words,” Kreiss-Tomkins said. “I look forward today to doing candidate Dunleavy a solid.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1:05 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Rep. Harriet Drummond, D-Anchorage, set her sights on the 50-percent cut to school bond debt reimbursement created by the vetoes as well as an overall negative impact on education.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I represent the 130,000 kindergarten through high school students that this state is obligated to teach,” Drummond said. “I care about every one of those darn schools.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t 1 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “We have a chance to stop this tidal wave of destruction,” Story said.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t She is highlighted a veto that would eliminate Online with Libraries<\/a>, which she said allows people to make bank accounts, apply for jobs and reach outside their communities.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Sen. Tom Begich, D-Anchorage, said the vetoes would stand whether a $3,000 dividend was supported by the Legislature.<\/p>\n