Alaska Legislature Fails to Meet Constitutional Capital Budget Requirements
Big Lake, AK – In a pointed critique, Rep. Kevin McCabe highlighted alarming deficiencies in the Alaska Legislature’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget, which allocates only 19%—$2.9 billion—of its total $15.7 billion budget to capital projects, far below the mandated one-third stipulated in Article IX, Section 16 of the Alaska Constitution. This underfunding translates to a staggering shortfall of over $1.6 billion, jeopardizing essential infrastructure like roads, schools, and ferries.
McCabe argues that the focus on expanding social programs has come at the expense of critical infrastructure investment. Although education funding is necessary, he emphasizes that it cannot be prioritized over the facilities that house learning environments. "Pouring money into operating costs while letting facilities rot is not a solution," he stated.
As oil revenues decline, the Legislature’s so-called fiscal restraint has led to a continued neglect of infrastructure needs. McCabe criticized the approach of "maintenance-level budgeting," which favors short-term operating costs while neglecting unfunded community capital projects worth over $3 billion.
Recent controversies surrounding the governor’s veto of $52 million in state transportation funding have cast a shadow on fiscal management, with critics arguing it risks up to $500 million in federal dollars. McCabe contends that the Legislature had the power to fund this match adequately but chose to distribute resources thinly across various programs.
To ensure future compliance and robust infrastructure, McCabe champions adopting internal safeguards to flag when capital spending falls below constitutional requirements, calling for a shift in prioritization. "The people of Alaska deserve infrastructure that works and a legislature that obeys its own Constitution," he concluded, calling for more principled leadership and less political maneuvering.
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Photo credit mustreadalaska.com
