by Quinn Townsend and Vance Ginn With revenue forecasts as rosy as this year’s have been, the legislature’s passage of a very large budget for fiscal year 2023 (FY 2023) comes as no […]
Irresponsible Alaska Budget: FY 2023
The Best and the Worst of the 2022 Legislative Session
As is often the case, there was no shortage of bills introduced to the 32nd Legislature (which comprises 2021 and 2022). Not counting resolutions, legislators introduced 690. Those that did not pass both […]
Testimony: Health Care Services By Telelealth
Costs & Risks of Alaska Pension Changes
Experts from Reason Foundation’s Pension Integrity Project recently joined us for a 45-minute discussion on the costs and risks of changes to Alaska’s pension systems. You can watch the recording here (begins 04:30), […]
WEBINAR: Costs and Risks of Alaska Pension Changes
In 2006, the state of Alaska moved from one type of retirement system (defined benefits pension-DBP) for state employees to a 401(k)-style defined contribution retirement plan. The reason for this switch was concerns […]
Background on Federal COVID-19 Education Relief Funds
Alaska has received hundreds of millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds, most of which have gone straight to public school districts. Collectively to date, schools have nearly $401 million in COVID-19 […]
Testimony: Retirement Benefits
Alaska’s Public Pension Health, Ranked
According to a report by our network partner, Tax Foundation, Alaska ranks 31st out of 50 states for how well-funded the public pensions are. As of 2020, one year after the Tax Foundation […]
Graphs: Analyzing Alaska’s Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Spending
Click here for the full report. For many years, the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has required one of the largest portions of state spending, second only to the Department of […]
Special Report: Analyzing Alaska’s Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Spending
Click here to view the interactive graphs (detached from the full report) For many years, the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) has required one of the largest portions of state […]
Our Take on the FY 2023 Governor’s Budget
Every December, the governor of Alaska is required to release a budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year. In this upcoming legislative session (in 2022), policymakers will be enacting the FY 2023 state […]
Alaska Fiscal Year 2022 Budget Blocks
Introduction These budget blocks are a simple, straightforward way to visualize how Alaska is spending its money and from which funds that money is coming. The size of each block corresponds to the […]
Bait & Switch: Does Anchorage School District Need 3 New Schools?
by Dave Donley This communication is from Dave Donley as an individual and not on behalf of the Anchorage School District or School Board or any appointed or military position he may hold. […]
How to Raise Alaska’s Already High Cost of Living
The cost of living in Alaska is high and Alaskans know it. In fact, in a ranking of 250 cities around the country in early 2021, four Alaskan cities are ranked in the top 25 most expensive: […]
Debunking the Myth of Alaska’s “40% Budget Cuts”
Click here to open a printable PDF of the report in a new tab. Alaska state spending, particularly the spending sustaining state government, needs to be reined in. Some argue everything that can […]
Letter of Support for SB 102 – Compact for a Balanced Budget
This is a copy of the Letter of Support APF provided to the Senate Finance Committee on May 18, 2021. Click here to open a printable PDF of the Letter in a new tab. […]