Alaska House passes budget; dividend amount unsettled

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Tuesday, May 11th, 2021 5:08am

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Juneau, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska House has passed a version of the state operating budget that leaves for later debate over how much to pay residents from the state’s oil-wealth fund for this year’s dividend.

Time to resolve that debate is running out in the legislative session set to end on May 19, unless lawmakers vote to give themselves as much as 10 extra days.

Legislative leaders have said a Permanent Fund Dividend will be paid though it has been unclear whether an amount would be included as part of the budget or handled separately.

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