1995-02-01                     Senate Journal                      Page 0128
SB 57                                                                        
SENATE BILL NO. 57 BY THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE                               
BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR, entitled:                                          
                                                                               
"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.                 
                                                                               
Governor's transmittal letter dated January 30:                                
                                                                               
Dear President Pearce:                                                         
                                                                               
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 House Speaker Phillips 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 Legislatures                
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 summers                  
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.                                      
                                                                               
                                                                               

1995-02-01                     Senate Journal                      Page 0129
SB 57                                                                        
I urge your early consideration and passage of these supplementals.            
                                                                               
						Sincerely,                                                               
						/s/                                                                      
						Tony Knowles                                                             
						Governor