The Story:
This November, Alaskans may vote on an initiative that would disclose financial conflicts of interest of the state legislators, limit the gifts they can receive, and deny them per diem expense payments when the legislature fails to pass a budget before the constitutional end of a session.
The November Vote May be Unnecessary:
There has been some movement in the legislature in recent days to draft a law that would do much the same as the initiative, thus rendering the initiative moot and, under the Alaskan constitution, enabling its removal from the November ballot.
The Thing to Know:
Bonnie Jack, a long-time political activist, told a reporter for KTVA, a CBS affiliated television station in Anchorage, that the main engine for the petition’s success has been the per diem limit, which would punish the failure to pass a budget on time.
“If you didn’t do your job, you wouldn’t get paid. That’s what the residents, the voters of Alaska say,” said Jack.
