House Finance advances resolution on governor’s order to create Department of Agriculture; committee moves SSCR 1 to the floor 6–5

Juneau — The House Finance Committee on March 11 advanced a special concurrent resolution that would disapprove Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s executive order creating a Department of Agriculture, voting 6–5 to move SSCR 1 from committee to the floor.

Committee members heard a multi‑part presentation from Department of Natural Resources Commissioner John Boyle and Deputy Commissioner Brent Goodrum, who laid out the administration’s plan to establish the new department largely by reclassifying existing positions rather than creating a large number of new posts. Goodrum told the panel the governor’s amended budget reflects a “cost neutral and position neutral” approach compared with an earlier plan that had contemplated 13 new positions and roughly a $2.7 million increment.

“The most recent governor amend transmitted by OMB … reflects what we’ve developed as a cost neutral and position neutral department,” Goodrum said. He described a combination of three reclassifications within the current Division of Agriculture and two long‑vacant DNR positions transferred to the new department, and said DNR would continue to provide administrative services during the transition.

Why it matters: supporters and agency officials said a commissioner‑level office would give Alaska agriculture a louder voice with markets and federal partners, could speed emergency responses, and would help the state pursue targeted funding and programs such as micro grants for food security. Opponents and some members raised procedural and oversight concerns about the governor using an executive order to reorganize executive branch functions and asked questions about whether creating a new principal department is consistent with constitutional limits and long‑term budgeting.

Division director Brian Scoresby, appearing by phone, said the commissioner title matters when negotiating with large buyers and federal partners. “When I call as director of agriculture it means something but when a commissioner calls it means a lot, when the governor calls it means a whole lot,” Scoresby said, arguing that higher‑level engagement helped a local dairy get product into a national retailer.

Public testimony included farmers and industry representatives who urged support for the EO. John Dart of Dardan Farms told the committee the department has been a long‑standing request from Alaska farmers and said the proposal could be implemented “seamlessly” without large new costs. Amy Sites, policy director for the Alaska Farm Bureau, said a division within DNR historically left agriculture underfunded and that an agency focused on agriculture would provide a consistent voice and capacity to build markets and support local producers.

Several members pressed agency officials on details: Representative Hammond asked about apparent inconsistencies in position counts on different slides; Goodrum explained which positions would be reclassified. Other members asked whether long‑vacant positions transferred out of DNR would harm wildfire or forestry staffing; Boyle and Goodrum said the positions had been vacant for multiple years and that fire management operations have other staff to cover necessary duties.

Procedure and vote: Bridal Anderson, staff to the committee, walked members through SSCR 1 and the attached fiscal note, which the committee packet reflects as having a $0 OMB component. Counsel explained that the legislature has 60 days to act to disapprove an EO and discussed the mechanics of bringing a resolution to a joint session under uniform rules. Representative Schrage moved that the committee “review SSCR 1 and move it from the House Finance Committee with attached documents and fiscal note.” After an objection and a roll‑call, the chair announced the motion had been adopted on a vote of 6 yeas to 5 nays. The chair emphasized that a committee signature or moving the resolution to the floor does not bind any member on how they will vote in subsequent floor or joint session proceedings.

What’s next: With SSCR 1 moved from committee, the resolution can be considered by the full legislature (including in joint session if the legislature proceeds that way); if the legislature does not disapprove the executive order within 60 days, the administration’s planned effective date for the new department is July 1. The committee adjourned and scheduled three bills (HB 10, HB 31 and HB 36) and the operating budget for its next meeting at 1:30 p.m. on the following day.

Sources and caveats: This account relies on presentations and statements made on the record by DNR Commissioner John Boyle, Deputy Commissioner Brent Goodrum, Division Director Brian Scoresby, public testifiers John Dart and Amy Sites, and committee staff and counsel. Where the transcript contained inconsistent spellings or typographical errors (for example, variable spellings of agency staff names and citation formats), the article uses the form most consistently presented on the record and flags those inconsistencies in the provenance and clarifying details.