Republican stripped of committee posts after defying Alaska Senate majority on budget

JUNEAU — The Alaska Senate's Republican-led majority has removed Wasilla GOP Sen. Mike Dunleavy from his key committee posts following his vote last week against the caucus's budget proposal.

The Senate Committee on Committees, chaired by Senate President Pete Kelly, R-Fairbanks, held a brief meeting Tuesday to give Dunleavy's seat on the key finance committee to Palmer Republican Sen. Shelley Hughes. The meeting was barely announced, posted a few hours beforehand on the Legislature's website, with no announcement to the news media.

Hughes, like Dunleavy, is a member of the Mat-Su delegation.

They also gave Dunleavy's gavel as chair of the Senate State Affairs Committee to Anchorage Republican Sen. Kevin Meyer, the previous Senate president. Kodiak Republican Sen. Gary Stevens, the Senate president from 2011 to 2012, will take over Hughes' old job as chair of the Senate Education Committee.

Dunleavy is also expected to be stripped of some of his six staff members, though he said he wouldn't learn how many until Wednesday morning.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/politics/alaska-legislature/2017/04/11/dunleavy-stripped-of-committee-posts-after-defying-majority-on-budget-vote/