With no signature from Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a bill became law this week granting pay increases to thousands of state employees — including the governor’s staff members.
House Bill 226, at a cost of around $36 million per year, will give 20% pay increases to state attorneys, 15% increases to court employees and 5% increases to other state employees not represented by a union, including legislative and executive branch staffers and those working in various departments. The increases will go into effect in October.
Dunleavy, a Republican running for reelection this year, did not sign or veto the bill by the Aug. 1 deadline, which means the bill became law without his signature. In an interview Tuesday, he said he supported the bill but didn’t see a need for a bill signing ceremony.
“We saw this more as an administrative function, different than other bills, so we let it become law,” Dunleavy said.
The bill will give members of Dunleavy’s staff a 5% pay increase. Asked if that factored into his support for the bill, Dunleavy said, “not really.”
“It was the need to increase the salaries of our attorneys that haven’t had an increase in years and years,” Dunleavy said. “Given the environment that we’re in where it’s taught to get good folks to stay in a job and work, we thought it was a prudent thing to do for the state of Alaska.”
In the governor’s race this year, Dunleavy faces multiple challengers from both the left and right. State Rep. Andy Josephson, an...
Attorneys for three friends of Nolan Xavier Wells filed six more defamation lawsuits Tuesday in federal and state court, accusing social media users of making false claims about the young men in co...