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Alaska responses to the federal grant review process survey, 2021
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States employ a variety of processes to apply for and administer federal grants. Ballotpedia's 2021 state survey of the federal grant review process examined the general processes applied by the 50 states in order to seek and distribute federal funds.
Research from the Pew Charitable Trusts found that federal funds made up 32% (roughly $639 billion) of all state revenue in 2017, making them the second-largest source of state revenue behind state tax collections.[1] States direct federal funds to government programs related to education, healthcare, transportation, infrastructure, and other policies.[1]
This page features Alaska's responses to Ballotpedia's 2021 survey.
Background
From August 5, 2021, to September 27, 2021, Ballotpedia staff contacted the executive and legislative budget offices of all 50 states via email and/or telephone to update a publicly available 2016 survey on state approaches to the federal grant review process.
Our staff contacted state officials with the following survey questions:
- Approval processes for federal grants
- What is your state’s process for federal grant applications and the approval process?
- What is your state’s approval process when the legislature is not in session?
- How does the legislature monitor the intent of federal grants? What legislative rules allow the state greater oversight of federal funds in the budgets?
- Contingency plans for the loss or decline of federal funds
- What is your state’s contingency plan in the case of a decline or loss of federal funds?
- Quality control processes for federal grants
- What is your state’s quality control process for tracking the effectiveness of federal funds?
- Does your state attempt to estimate the cost of federal fund requirements? If so, how?
- How does your state prioritize federal funds to best meet the needs of constituents?
- If your state doesn’t appropriate key federal funds like food stamps and unemployment benefits, are your state’s federal funds off-budget? How do you track this information?
Our staff also contacted state officials with the following two new survey questions regarding federal funds made available in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic:
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic funds
- Who has decision rights over American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Fund allocations in your state?
- Who has decision rights over Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund allocations in your state?
Alaska 2021 survey responses
What is your state’s process for federal grant applications and the approval process?
“Commissioners of state agencies have authority to secure federal grant funds that enhance the State’s efforts in priority areas. Federal grant application and approval processes are agency specific. The legislature must provide authority for agencies to receive federal funds.”
What is the approval process when the legislature is not in session?
“An agency requests a budget revision to add authority to receive federal funds through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to the permanent interim committee of the legislature, called the Legislative Budget and Audit (LB&A) Committee.”
How does the legislature monitor the intent of federal grants?
“The LB&A’s Division of Legislative Audit conducts financial-compliance, performance, and special audits. Financial-Compliance audits determine if financial operations are properly conducted and if the entity complied with applicable laws, regulations, and administrative policies. Performance audits evaluate the efficient and effective administration of a program and the faithfulness to which programs are administered in accordance with promises made to the legislature. Special audits may be requested by any member of the legislature and can cover any number of things.”
What is your state’s contingency plan for state financing in the case of losses or decline in federal funds?
“Alaska does not have a formal contingency plan in the case of a decline of federal funds. In general, in the case of a decline or loss of federal funds, agencies would prioritize their services and make a case-by-case decision.”
What is your state’s quality control process for tracking the effectiveness of federal funds?
“Alaska’s statewide performance management system tracks progress on agency core services regardless of the fund source and the Division of Legislative Audit conducts periodic performance audits.”
Does your state attempt to estimate the cost of federal fund requirements? If so, how?
“Agencies scrutinize the cost-benefit of the requirements of receiving federal funds on a case-by-case basis prior to proposing to receive the funding. The legislature then further scrutinizes the requirements prior to providing authorization to receive the funding.”
How does your state prioritize federal funds to best meet the needs of constituents?
“Agencies prioritize their services to best meet the needs of constituents, then they determine how best to fund those services in priority order.” If your state does not appropriate key federal funds like food stamps and unemployment benefits, are your state’s federal funds off budget?
How do you track this information?
“Alaska does not appropriate pass through federal benefits like food stamps and unemployment benefits. However, Alaska appropriates all other federal funds. For instance, federal funds used in the administration of the unemployment insurance program are appropriated. The agencies that administer the pass through programs track their federal benefit information.”
Who has decision rights over American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Fund allocations in your state?
“The Governor had the decision authority on whether or not to secure Alaska’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Fund. The legislature must provide appropriations authorizing the use of the funding for specific purposes.”
Who has decision rights over Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund allocations in your state?
“The Governor had the decision authority on whether or not to secure Alaska’s share of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. The legislature must provide appropriations authorizing the use of the funding.”
Other state survey responses
Click on a state below to view its responses to the 2021 survey on the federal grant review process:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
See also
- State survey of the federal grant review process, 2021
- State responses to the federal grant review process survey, 2021
- State responses by question to the federal grant review process survey, 2021
- Federalism
External links
Footnotes
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