Senate subcommittee reports FY26 judiciary budget, replaces $10.586 million in ARPA funds with general fund

The Senate Finance Subcommittee on Judiciary reported its fiscal year 2026 budget recommendation to the Senate Finance Committee on April 14, adopting a $158,351,900 total-funds package and replacing $10,586,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds with unrestricted general fund, staff told the panel.

Kelly Goode, staff to the subcommittee chair, summarized the package and funding sources, saying the recommendation includes $153,318,000 in unrestricted general funds, $518,000 in designated general funds, $2,710,000 in other funds and $1,805,000 in federal funds for a total-funds amount of $158,351,900. Goode also said the recommendation reflects 755 permanent full-time positions, 38 permanent part-time positions and 6 temporary positions, for a total of 799 positions.

The subcommittee denied requests for additional general fund increments and made no additional adds to the governor's amended budget request, Goode said. The panel accepted an item increasing interagency receipt authority by $200,000 and accepted mental health trust authority receipts. Goode said the subcommittee replaced $10,586,000 in ARPA funds with general fund in the recommendation.

Goode told members the attached budget action report incorporates agency totals for the FY25 management plan, the FY26 adjusted base and a transaction comparison between the governor's amended budget and the subcommittee recommendation. She also noted the committee included intent language asking the Alaska Court System to work with the Department of Corrections to utilize the pretrial services program "as it was originally intended when it was created." The report and worded intent language were adopted as part of the recommendation.

Senator Clayman moved "the attached final budget action and worded reports from the subcommittee and that the Legislative Finance Division is directed to make any appropriate conforming or technical changes." There was no recorded second. The chair asked for objections; hearing and seeing none, the subcommittee reported the final budget action and worded reports from the subcommittee to the Senate Finance Committee by unanimous consent.

The subcommittee meeting convened at 5:15 p.m. and adjourned at 5:20 p.m. on April 14. Present for the short session were the subcommittee chair, Senator Olson; Senators Myers and Klayman; and Kelly Goode, staff to the chair. Legislative Finance staff were available for questions but asked none were raised during the meeting.

The next procedural step is the subcommittee's recommendation being considered by the full Senate Finance Committee under the regular budget review process.