Alaska Senate committee’s draft budget has a surplus — and that’s a sign of trouble

The Alaska Senate Finance Committee meets on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
On Friday, the Alaska Senate’s finance committee finished work on a draft state operating budget for the coming year and sent the draft ahead to a vote of the full Senate.
Senators are scheduled to begin debating amendments on Monday, with a vote on the draft expected later in the week.
The committee’s draft is $384 million less than a version passed by the House in April and $1.7