Alaska state budget (2012-2013)

Alaska state budget
Budget calendar:	Annual
Fiscal year:	2013
Date signed:	May 14, 2012
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Note: This article was last updated in 2013. Click here for more recent information on state budgets and finances.

Alaska's Gov. Sean Parnell signed Alaska's 2013 $12.1 billion operating and capital spending budgets into law on May 14, 2012. It increased spending from the fiscal year 2012 budget, which totaled $11.4 billion, marking a 3.3 percent increase in fiscal year 2013.

Alaska operates on an annual budget cycle. Its fiscal year begins on July 1.

As of August 2012, Alaska had a total state debt of approximately $22,506,229,000, when calculated by adding the total of outstanding official debt, pension and other post-employment benefits (OPEB) liabilities, Unemployment Trust Fund loans, and the then-current budget gap. That was down from the prior year's debt of $27,962,377,000.

The total Alaska state debt per capita was $31,141.09 per state resident as of 2012. The state had the third highest debt figure per capita of the 50 states.

The Operating and Capital budgets as enacted can be accessed here. A budget summary prepared by the Office of Management and Budget can be accessed here.

Education

The final budget spent $50 million more on education than what the governor had initially proposed. That amount brought total spending on K-12 education and pupil transportation to $1.2 billion for fiscal year 2013.

Although the governor vetoed $1 million in spending on pre-kindergarten programs, the state planned to increase spending to reach children before kindergarten to $14 million, an increase of 38 percent.

Capital budget

The capital budget totaled $2.9 billion, including $1.9 billion in state general funds. More than $1.6 billion was appropriated for highways, aviation, the Alaska Marine Highway, harbors, village safe water, and municipal water and sewer projects.

Governor's proposed operating budget

The governor proposed the $12.1 billion total spending package for the operating and capital budgets for fiscal year 2013, more than $800 million less than fiscal year 2012, on December 16, 2011. The governor said that under his proposal, the state would have surplus revenue of $3.7 billion. The proposed state general fund operating budget increased 4.5 percent. The proposed capital budget totaled $1.8 billion, including $882 million in state general funds.

The Governor's proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 can be accessed here.

Legislative proposed operating budget

On April 4, 2012, the Senate unanimously passed a $9.5 billion fiscal year 2013 general fund state budget, which proposed putting $2 billion into state savings and an additional $1 billion toward $11 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. It increased spending over fiscal year 2012's $9 billion budget.

The House passed its $9.5 billion state operating budget by a vote of 32-5 in March 2012.

The operating budget was then sent to a conference committee, where negotiators from both chambers agreed to the Senate's approach to funding Alaska Performance Scholarships by tying a portion of the funding to HB104. Gov. Sean Parnell had urged the conference committee members to provide the $8 million he requested for the scholarship program and not tie a portion of the funding to HB104.

Education spending

The legislature passed SB182, which provided funding for education. It provided $42 million in additional funds to education, $12 million more than Gov. Parnell called for in his budget.

Capital budget

The legislature passed the $2.9 billion capital budget and the governor said he did not anticipate making any significant vetoes. The capital budget was SB160, which can be accessed here.