Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, speaks with Rep. DeLena Johnson, R-Palmer, ahead of the final meeting of the budget conference committee on May 14, 2024.
The dividend payment of roughly $1,360 represents 25% of the Legislature’s annual draw on the Permanent Fund. That’s the figure passed by the Senate as part of what Senate Finance Committee chair Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, called the “living-within-our-means budget” when itin April. But Stedman warned that the House’s budget would require a draw from savings after accounting for capital projects, bills passed this session and other expenses.
“I do think that Alaskans recognize that this is a solid dividend this year,” Johnson told reporters after House and Senate members wrapped up their work on the budget’s conference committee.