House Finance subcommittee moves FY26 Department of Public Safety budget after debate over VPSOs and trooper posts

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska House Finance subcommittee adopted its working document and moved its FY26 operating recommendation for the Department of Public Safety out of committee on March 4 after about 70 minutes of line‑by‑line debate over trooper posts, village public safety officers and other increments.

The action clears a subcommittee recommendation — including the Legislative Finance Division’s VA (veto/adjust) sheet adjustments — to the full committee. Chair Jimmy Jimenez opened the session and led the closeout after staff and department officials answered members’ questions.

The meeting focused most heavily on how the subcommittee would fund new village public safety officers (VPSOs) and several trooper positions. Rachel Gunn, staff director for the House Finance subcommittee, walked members through the VA sheet and described the VPSO funding items. “Item 21 was a governor request for $1,660,000 in general funds that was geographically contained to the Northwest Arctic Borough,” Gunn said. “Item 22 adds that money back but without attaching those public safety officers to a specific borough, so the VA sheet would fund 10 VPSOs total rather than five tied to a single borough.”

James Cockrell, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety, told the subcommittee the department supported the additional VPSOs but preferred flexibility on placement. “We support the additional five VPSOs, but we'd like to have flexibility where those VPSOs go to the best interest of the VPSO program,” Cockrell said.

Members pressed for numeric clarity. Representative Hollands (as identified in the record) asked about dollar differences between separate VPSO line items; Gunn said one line (line 20 in the VA sheet) is about $1,215,200 and item 22 shows $1,660,500 because it also includes housing and support in addition to officer pay. The subcommittee accepted staff clarifications that the intent was to fund a total of 10 new VPSOs across the changes in the VA sheet and that one VA line included additional housing/support costs.

The panel considered amendments 1 through 26, most of which were motions to remove individual increments (start‑up costs for troopers, equipment, overtime, crime‑lab and aircraft funds, and similar line items) citing a projected state budget shortfall and competing education funding proposals. Members debated each amendment individually; the transcript records that most of those proposed cuts failed to receive majority support or that objections were maintained during the debate process. One technical correction was adopted: language on the VA sheet about purchasing transit vans for crime‑scene response was corrected from “purchase 2 transit vans in Palmer” to a single transit van and the geographic tag “in Palmer” was removed to reflect a statewide deployment option pending a final update to the BA (budget action) sheet.

After completing amendment consideration and accepting technical corrections, the subcommittee voted to move the FY26 Department of Public Safety operating recommendation from committee with the attached Legislative Finance reports and the VA report. The motion to move the recommendation carried after members removed outstanding objections and the chair directed the Legislative Finance Division to make any necessary confirming or technical changes.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to adopt the DPS draft BA report as the working subcommittee recommendation: adopted (record reflects the chair moved the working document and objections were removed). - Adoption of the VA report and corresponding budget proposals at closeout: adopted (subcommittee approved closing the VA report as the subcommittee recommendation). - Amendments 1–26: considered individually; the transcript records that most proposed amendments to cut or reallocate specific increments failed or were not advanced (objection maintained or vote defeated). Specific outcomes recorded in the transcript include amendment 1 (failed), amendment 3 (failed), amendment 4 (failed), amendment 7 (failed), amendment 10 (failed), and many similar defeats across the bundle. - Correction to transit‑van language (change to purchase one transit van and remove “in Palmer”): adopted as a technical correction to the VA sheet. - Amendment 20: withdrawn by its sponsor during the session. - Final motion to move the FY26 Department of Public Safety operating subcommittee recommendation from committee: adopted.

Why it matters

The subcommittee’s action bundles the Department of Public Safety’s requested positions and support costs into a recommendation that will go to the full House Finance committee; the treatment of VPSO funding and trooper start‑up costs will affect where officers can be placed and how quickly the department can staff posts. Staff and the department emphasized limits on the subcommittee’s ability to dictate placements and noted some VA sheet lines included housing and support costs in addition to personnel. The Legislative Finance Division was directed to make technical corrections before materials are finalized.

What’s next

The full House Finance committee will receive the subcommittee recommendation and the Legislative Finance Division’s corrected materials. The department and legislative staff will provide any follow‑up technical clarifications requested by members before later committee rounds or floor action.