Seal of AlaskaFiscal News
An update from Legislative Finance

January 19, 2021

January Newsletter

This will be the final newsletter from the Legislative Finance Division until after the conclusion of the legislative session. You can sign up here to receive email alerts when new information is posted.

Overview, Subcommittee Books, and Reports

We released the Overview of the Governor's budget, a statutorily required publication that provides an overview of the State's fiscal situation and the Governor's budget submission. It is available on our website and paper copies are available in the legislative print shop.

Along with the Overview, we published Subcommittee Books, which provide narrative and budget data for all State agencies. They are also available on our website and the legislative print shop. Another good source of budget information is the Office of Management and Budget's budget detail books, which are available on OMB's website or the legislative print shop. These books contain detailed budget information for all agencies, including position details and line item details that are provide information beyond what LFD publishes.

Finally, we posted a suite of budget reports covering the Governor's operating, capital, and supplemental budget requests. LFD analysts can also run other reports at the request of legislators and staff, either in PDF form or as spreadsheets.

Indirect Expenditure Report

LFD published the 2021 edition of the Indirect Expenditure Report, a biennial report covering foregone revenue provisions. The 2021 Legislative Finance report covers the following departments, which were originally covered in the 2015 report:
   1. Commerce, Community and Economic Development;
   2. Fish and Game;
   3. Health and Social Services;
   4. Labor and Workforce Development; and
   5. Revenue.

This report includes information gathered by the Department of Revenue on each provision and analysis by the Legislative Finance Division. For each provision, LFD makes a recommendation for whether the legislature should continue, modify, or terminate the provision based on whether it meets legislative intent.

Informational Paper on Alaska's Retirement Systems, Fish and Game Funds

LFD and the Legislative Research Division collaborated on an informational paper on Alaska's Public Retirement Systems. This paper provides an overview of Alaska's retirement system, including the history of these systems, the unfunded liability, and a review of a few options to manage payments going forward.

Two more LFD-Leg Research collaborations are papers covering sources of federal funding in the Department of Fish and Game's budget. Pittman-Robertson Funds direct proceeds of federal taxes on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment to states to spend on wildlife management and habitat conservation efforts. Dingell-Johnson Funds are derived from federal taxes on certain fishing equipment and are used for sport fish management and habitat restoration. These papers provide information on the matching requirements and allowable uses for these funds.

Alexei Painter
Legislative Fiscal Analyst
430 Main Street
Juneau, Alaska 99801
(907) 465-3795
http://www.legfin.akleg.gov