A budget update …

At the request of Daniel Hamm, the Chair of the Alaska Republican Assembly, I prepared a brief update yesterday for the Assembly’s monthly meeting on where things stand on the Alaska state budget as we prepare to head into the next Special Session.

The hi-lite (if you can call it that) is the summary of where we are on the spending line. Despite claims by others, as things currently stand FY 2017 spending disappointingly looks to be headed toward the $5.3 billion mark, down only slightly from FY 2016.

With oil and gas tax credits — the third highest spending category in the FY 2017 budget — again on the agenda, the upcoming Special Session provides the legislature with yet another opportunity to drive that number lower.  Hopefully they will take it.

The update is above, or also available here.

This week (June 14, 2016) on The Michael Dukes Show …

Each Tuesday morning at 7:20 am Alaska, I join KBYR AM750‘s The Michael Dukes Show to discuss the latest in Alaska oil and fiscal issues. This week we discuss why we don’t need to cut the #PFD to save it and the role that #AKOilCredits play in whether we can avoid it. I join Michael at 14:45 into the segment.

Listen here or at the widget below and for past episodes, go here.

This week (June 8, 2016) on The Michael Dukes Show …

Each Tuesday morning at 7:20 am Alaska, I join KBYR AM750‘s The Michael Dukes Show to discuss the latest in Alaska oil and fiscal issues. On Wednesday of this week (I was traveling Tuesday) we discussed Monday’s Senate vote to cut the #PFD, why that step is bad for the overall Alaska economy and why it wasn’t necessary in the first place. I join Michael at the start (:30) into the segment.

Listen here or at the widget below and for past episodes, go here.

This week (May 31, 2016) on The Michael Dukes Show …

Each Tuesday morning at 7:20 am Alaska, I join KBYR AM750‘s The Michael Dukes Show to discuss the latest in Alaska oil and fiscal issues. This week we discuss the fact that oil has reached $50, that most analysts think the price will continue to increase from there and why that makes a difference in the current #AKbudget debate. I join Michael at 15:30 into the segment.

Listen here or at the widget below and for past episodes, go here.

Rick Halford & Brad Keithley on protecting the PFD …

Talk of Alaska (5.24.2016)

Click here for a link to the program.

Earlier this week, former State Senate President Rick Halford and Keithley Consulting President Brad Keithley appeared on Alaska Public Media’s “Talk of Alaska” to discuss why the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) should not be changed or “replumbed” as has been proposed this session by the Walker Administration.

Their joint appearance carries with it a significant amount of irony.

Following Walker’s 2014 election as Governor, Halford was selected to serve as Co-Chair of the Walker-Mallott Transition Team based on his deep understanding of and connections throughout the state, and Keithley was selected as the opening speaker at the first meeting of the full transition team following the election.  Keithley’s role was to outline the economic situation that Alaska faced and potential ways for dealing with it.

The irony is that each bases his opposition to the Administration’s “replumbing” proposal on the very reasons they were chosen to be part of the transition effort.

Halford believes that a PFD cut will have a deep, adverse and unjustified effect on the people of the state, and Keithley believes not only that it is unnecessary in the face of ongoing developments in oil markets, but also has the worst adverse impact on the overall Alaska economy of any of the fiscal options currently under consideration.

The website for this edition of Talk of Alaska is here.  A podcast of the discussion is available by clicking on the small speaker icon half way down the page.

This week (May 24, 2016) on The Michael Dukes Show …

Each Tuesday morning at 7:20 am Alaska, I join KBYR AM750‘s The Michael Dukes Show to discuss the latest in Alaska oil and fiscal issues. This week we discuss the issues ahead in the #AKLeg special session and how Alaskans should be thinking about the oil tax debate.  I join Michael at 14:45 into the segment.

Listen here or at the widget below and for past episodes, go here.

 

This week (May 17, 2016) on The Michael Dukes Show …

Each Tuesday morning at 7:20 am Alaska, I join KBYR AM750‘s The Michael Dukes Show to discuss the latest in Alaska oil and fiscal issues. As we head into the final two days of the regular session, this week we discuss where the #AKleg is headed on the #AKbudget and the steps finally being taken by the University of Alaska to bring its budget under control.  I join Michael at 18:55 into the segment.

Listen here or at the widget below and for past episodes, go here.

This week (May 10, 2016) on The Michael Dukes Show …

Each Tuesday morning at 7:20 am Alaska, I join KBYR AM750‘s The Michael Dukes Show to discuss the latest in Alaska oil and fiscal issues. This week we discuss how the Walker Administration is using the wrong oil prices to analyze its fiscal policies & why that is leading to #PFD cuts & taxes.  I join Michael at 14:55 into the segment.

Listen here or at the widget below and for past episodes, go here.

This week (May 3, 2016) on The Michael Dukes Show …

Each Tuesday morning at 7:20 am Alaska, I join KBYR AM750‘s The Michael Dukes Show to discuss the latest in Alaska oil and fiscal issues. This week we discuss how to resolve the oil tax credit issue that confronts the #AKLeg, and calls by some so-called “conservatives” (but really just another group of those proposing to push the costs of past mistakes to Alaskans a different way) to cut the #PFD.  I join Michael at 14:50 into the segment.

Listen here or at the widget below and for past episodes, go here.

How to finish this session: the movie (I mean, the video)

At the invitation of Daniel Hamm, on Tuesday evening of this week I spoke to the regular monthly meeting of the Alaska Republican Assembly on the current status of the Alaska budget in this legislative session.  The title of my presentation was “How to Finish This Session with a Sustainable Budget (and economy).”  A more detailed introduction to the presentation is here.  

Daniel went to the effort of filming (and perhaps the much greater effort of editing and uploading) the presentation and the Q&A session after. He has my most sincere appreciation for the effort.  The full video is about an hour and a half; perhaps more importantly, the Q&A session begins at about the 53:00 minute mark.  The YouTube is below and I have provided another copy of the slidedeck I used below that if you want to follow along.