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Senate Passes FY 02 Capital Budget

(JUNEAU) - The Alaska Senate passed out the Fiscal Year 2002 capital budget today, providing funding for necessary projects across the state, including youth corrections, rural power and village safe water.

"This budget is the best one that I have seen in my time here in the Legislature," said Sen. Pete Kelly (R-Fairbanks), co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee. "It is regionally balanced and it addresses the top priorities of each state department."

"One of the top priorities for the Finance Committee this year was addressing the problems of at-risk youth and juvenile crime," said Kelly. "We did that by providing $4.6 million for the design and construction of a youth detention facility in Kenai, $3.4 million to build classrooms and a gymnasium at the youth detention facility in Fairbanks, and funding to design a much needed addition to the existing facility in Nome."

The capital budget also addressed some of the specific needs of rural Alaska, including $57 million for the Village Safe Water Program and providing increased funds for road maintenance and power upgrades.

"I am pleased that we were able to provide for some of the smaller projects that couldn't be funded as we worked toward the successful completion of the five year plan to cut the budget," said Kelly. "Items like new equipment for the Angoon police and fire departments don't stand out the way big ticket items do, but they mean so much to the communities that receive them."

Additional highlights of the FY 02 budget include:

• $4 million for the expansion of the University of Alaska Museum in Fairbanks
• $2.5 million for emergency communications upgrades and equipment across the state
• $2.4 million to complete Paxton Manor in Sitka
• $2.6 million to finish renovating 120 senior apartments at Chugach Manor in Anchorage

The total spending in the FY 02 budget is $1.3 billion, including $111 million in state general funds, $910 million in federal funds and $296 million in other funds. Spending in the capital budget by district:

Southeast Area (districts 1-6) $80,322,242
Kenai Area (districts 7-9) $33,613,896
Anchorage Area (districts 10-25) $215,663,635
Mat-Su Area (districts 26-28) $114,790,266
Fairbanks Area (districts 29-34) $81,448,916
Prince William Sound-Delta (district 35) $20,412,364
Rural Alaska (districts 36-40) $213,067,937
Alaska Statewide Projects $557,690,97

Detailed spreadsheets of the capital budget spending, as well as breakdowns by department and election district are available on the Legislative Finance Division's web site, at http://www.legfin.state.ak.us/.

Senate Bill 29, which contains the capital budget, passed the Senate with a vote of 14 - 6 and now goes to the House for consideration.

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