The Alaska Senate has passed a $9 billion state operating budget, which includes $20 million for a new revenue sharing program and keeps out funding to begin preliminary operations of the Goose Creek Correctional Center.

The budget also has $1.4 billion characterized as savings, including $1 billion in general funds that would go into the reserves and $400 million for an energy assistance program endowment. Those are supplemental spending items, with effective dates for the current fiscal year, and will need to be agreed upon by House negotiators during the upcoming conference committee.

The committee, which irons out differences between the House and Senate versions of the plan, also will have to deal with the prison funding, revenue sharing and scholarship issues.

Filed Under : Corrections & Criminal Justice