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House subcommittee advances FY26 University of Alaska operating recommendation with $3 million recruitment increment
Summary
The House Finance University of Alaska Subcommittee moved its fiscal 2026 operating budget recommendation out of committee March 3, adopting a chair amendment that adds $3 million for recruitment, retention and graduation — $500,000 of which is designated for student mental-health access.
Representative Galvin, chair of the House Finance University of Alaska Subcommittee, moved Monday to advance the subcommittee’s fiscal 2026 operating-budget recommendation for the University of Alaska out of committee, adopting a chair’s increment that adds $3,000,000 for recruitment, retention and graduation, with $500,000 earmarked for student mental-health access.
The action came after Lisa Keller, subcommittee aide, walked members through the budget action (BA) report and the chair’s single change to the governor’s proposal. Keller told the committee the BA contains 93 items and that the chair’s proposal is an increment of $3,000,000 from unrestricted general funds, representing a 0.3% increase from the governor’s budget. “The chair’s proposal does not add any positions,” Keller said, and the subcommittee recommended the university split the increment across campuses as it sees fit.
The change responds in part to a larger request from the University of Alaska Board of Regents. Representative Josephson asked whether the chair’s allocation matched the board’s ask; Keller replied that the board had sought $5,000,000 and the subcommittee’s proposal is $3,000,000 with $500,000 directed to student mental-health access.
Representative Tomaszewski questioned where the added money would come from and whether the subcommittee had cut elsewhere to finance the increment. Keller answered that the funding relies on unrestricted general funds and designated general funds and that no offsetting cuts to other items in the university budget were proposed. The chair noted the subcommittee otherwise accepted the governor’s requests without change.
A motion to move the FY26 subcommittee recommendation out of committee was made and, after an initial objection was withdrawn, the chair declared the BA adopted and moved from committee. The subcommittee directed the nonpartisan Legislative Finance Division to make any necessary conforming or technical changes.
The meeting began at 9:04 a.m. and adjourned at 9:11 a.m.
