Legislature(1995 - 1996)
1995-02-13 House Journal
Full Journal pdf1995-02-13 House Journal Page 0336 HB 178 HOUSE BILL NO. 178 by the House Rules Committee by request of the Governor, entitled: "An Act making supplemental and special appropriations for the expenses of state government; making and amending capital and operating appropriations; and providing for an effective date." was read the first time and referred to the Finance Committee. The Governor's transmittal letter, dated February 13, 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. 1995-02-13 House Journal Page 0337 HB 178 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. I urge your early consideration and passage of these supplementals. Sincerely, /s/ Tony Knowles Governor"