1995-01-30                     House Journal                      Page 0174
HB 137                                                                       
HOUSE BILL NO. 137 by the House Rules Committee by request of                  
the Governor, entitled:                                                        
                                                                               

1995-01-30                     House Journal                      Page 0175
HB 137                                                                       
"An Act making supplemental appropriations for operating                      
expenses of state government for fiscal year 1995; and providing               
for an effective date."                                                        
                                                                               
was read the first time and referred to the Finance Committee.                 
                                                                               
                                                                               
The Governor's transmittal letter, dated January 30, 1995 appears              
below:                                                                         
                                                                               
"Dear Speaker Phillips:                                                        
                                                                               
I am submitting supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 1995 to the        
Legislature in two parts.   Appropriations requiring immediate attention       
are being sent to you and Senate President Pearce today.  The rest will        
be sent within two weeks.                                                      
                                                                               
The bill I am sending today addresses five activity areas where                
expenditure authority is virtually exhausted.  The Legislature's               
immediate attention is necessary if the state is to continue operations        
within approved appropriation levels.  Due to the nature of the                
requests, I am recommending an immediate effective date for this bill          
and would appreciate your earliest possible attention to it.                   
                                                                               
The five areas are not unfamiliar to the Legislature.  The Department          
of Corrections is under court order to correct problems in the prisons.        
The mental health lands settlement which was accepted by Judge                 
Greene in December requires that we establish the Mental Health Trust          
Authority immediately.  Response to last summer's Koyukuk River                
flood requires expenditures in excess of the amounts in the disaster           
relief fund.  There are serious consequences to leaving trooper                
positions vacant, as necessitated by the funding level approved last           
spring.  Finally, the Legislature expressly funded oil and gas litigation      
for only one half of the year.  Additional information relating to these       
requests is available to the Legislature from the Office of Management         
and Budget.                                                                    
                                                                               
                                                                               

1995-01-30                     House Journal                      Page 0176
HB 137                                                                       
I urge your early consideration and passage of these supplementals.            
                                                                               
							Sincerely,                                                              
                                                                               
							/s/                                                                     
                                                                               
							Tony Knowles                                                            
							Governor"