Later in the summer Teal was called on to explain “the sweep<\/a>” — what was until then an esoteric accounting maneuver done at the last minute of the Fiscal Year. On June 30, the end of the fiscal year, the sweep takes monies from the various savings accounts and automatically moves them into the Constitutional Budget Reserve.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Under normal circumstances, the Legislature simply votes to undo this process. But in the summer’s contentious special session it was not clear if the two-thirds vote necessary to reverse the sweep would be obtained.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t David Teal, director of Legislative Finance, gives an overview of the state’s fiscal situation to the Senate Finance Committee at the Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t To add to the complications, OMB under then-Director Donna Arduin, had vastly expanded the number of accounts considered “sweepable,” including the Alaska Performance Scholarship fund, which provided money for Alaska students to attend university in state. The sweep was eventually reversed<\/a> after a marathon legislative session that went to the end of July.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Teal told lawmakers<\/a> at the time he believed that OMB’s interpretation of sweepable funds was in conflict with the state constitution.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Still, Teal doesn’t see himself as a critic of the governor or anyone else, and says he isn’t frustrated with the process.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “We just do analysis,” Teal said. “We don’t have a political agenda. It’s more of matter of ‘budgetarily, why would you want to do that?’”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t More recently, Teal spoke before lawmakers<\/a> in Anchorage on options for providing funding to the University of Alaska. In August, Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed a compact<\/a> with the regents that would cut $70 million over three years rather than the $135 million the governor originally proposed.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t He said he has a great deal of respect for the Legislature as an institution and gave high praise to his finance division colleagues, saying they would be able to provide lawmakers with quality information.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Teal said he’ll be turning 70 soon, and while he actually hates to leave, his wife insisted that he does while he still has time to enjoy his retirement.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/19276114_web1_190123Fiscal_Overview3.jpg\")
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