Alaska lawmakers plot escape from 'gerbil cage,' as Gov. Walker expects to wait until November for

Alaska lawmakers plot escape from 'gerbil cage,' as Gov. Walker expects to wait until November for budget reform

JUNEAU — Alaska's two legislative branches and Gov. Bill Walker continued on divergent paths Thursday, with Walker saying for the first time that it will likely take the fall election to dislodge his budget reforms from a gridlocked Legislature.

The Legislature's current special session, convened Monday under an order by Walker, remained stalled, with the House canceling its only Thursday hearing and leaning toward adjournment Friday.

The Senate, for its part, rejected the House's request to hold votes on overriding Walker's budget vetoes — including his halving of Permanent Fund dividends — but signaled no intention of canceling a set of Senate hearings on Walker's proposed tax measures that it scheduled for next week.

Walker, meanwhile, held a news conference to warn of the dire consequences of lawmakers' inaction, and suggested he would campaign on behalf of challengers willing to "make tough decisions." But he also acknowledged that his proposals to fix the state's $3.2 billion budget gap appear dead for this special session, and likely until November.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/politics/2016/07/14/alaska-lawmakers-plot-escape-from-gerbil-cage-as-gov-walker-expects-to-wait-until-november-for-budget-reform/