Story Created:
Apr 4, 2008 at 12:05 PM AKDT
Story Updated:
Apr 21, 2008 at 12:44 PM AKDT
After utilizing her line item veto powers, governor Sarah Palin signed the $4.3 billion supplemental budget bill into law on Thursday. The bill contains $70 million in capital projects that Palin vetoed last summer.
The governor left some 52 projects, totaling more than $12 million in the bill, which will mostly benefit rural areas where she said timing was critical for shipping in equipment and supplies. About $3.5 billion of the state's surplus will be held in the state's Constitutional Budget Reserve and Statutory Budget Reserve.
When asked if lawmakers knew beforehand which items were going to be vetoed by the governor, Palin responded by saying, "It's been very valuable, very productive to have the one on one meetings with lawmakers not just working with the leadership but working with the ranking file lawmakers representing their communities to allow us to understand the importance of the projects or projects that could wait to be funded later on. Those meetings were very productive.."
In total 16 projects, at a combined value of $22 million, were slashed from the bill. These projects were vetoed from the 2008 capital budget last summer. Lawmakers were informed by Palin's staff of her decision prior to the bill's authorization.
Recommendations made by the governor for the 2009 budget would set aside $35 million for a total of 155 projects.
The 2008 bill will also pay for revenue sharing and weatherization programs.
