AP by Dan Joling.  A federal judge (today) will consider a request by Royal Dutch Shell PLC for an injunction against illegal boarding of Arctic-bound drilling equipment by activists from Greenpeace Inc.  (We reasonably expect the judge to provide Shell with the injunction; this action would demonstrate judicial support for the rule of law and against lawless behavior disguised as 'protest'.  -dh)

Legislative Special Session Called

Posted: 28 Apr 2015 12:22 PM PDT

The Legislature adjourned yesterday, but the Governor called a special session to address Medicaid and the unresolved FY16 budget issues. Currently, the FY16 budget is short-funded, meaning there is not enough money to pay for the full year. The Senate passed a budget that relied on the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR) to make-up budget shortfalls. Using the CBR requires a ¾ vote and the House was not able to come up with the votes to make this happen. House minority members want to restore school funding that was cut from the Senate’s budget.

Many hope that the special session will result in a fully funded budget. Governor Walker has also asked that Medicaid expansion be discussed but it seems unlikely that the expansion will be approved. There will also be discussion about the new bill ‘Erin’s Law’ that will require school districts to implement sexual abuse and assault prevention programs.

The special session will be called to order in Juneau, and then adjourn to regroup in Anchorage. The capitol building will not be available to the Legislature due to planning restoration. Legislators will have a period of rest before gathering in Anchorage for the special session.