Dunleavy nominates Revak for open Senate seat

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Latest on Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s nomination to fill an open state senate seat (all times local):

1:15 p.m.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has nominated state Rep. Josh Revak to fill the vacancy created when state Sen. Chris Birch of Anchorage died. Senate Republicans must confirm him.

It’s the second name Dunleavy has put forward. Senate Republicans rejected his first choice, state Rep. Laddie Shaw because he favored paying out a dividend according to a formula that hasn’t been followed since 2016. Dunleavy also favors that formula, but some lawmakers say the formula is unsustainable.

Revak also supports paying out a full dividend, and was one of the House members who chose to initially meet in Wasilla instead of with the majority members in Juneau during a special session earlier this year.

Revak, a Republican, was elected last November.

House Republicans disavowed a move by Revak and Rep. David Eastman in January to have a freshman Republican lawmaker sworn in to office at the courthouse in Juneau after the lawmaker’s official swearing in was delayed by bickering over procedure. The lawmaker, Sharon Jackson, had been appointed to the seat after Nancy Dahlstrom won the November election but gave it up to take a post in Dunleavy’s administration.

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10:13 a.m.

Nearly every Alaskan will be $1,606 richer next week.

The state revenue department confirmed the amount of this year’s oil wealth check in a Friday release.

The check size doesn’t come as a surprise after lawmakers decided on that amount following drawn out regular and special legislative sessions.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy favored setting the amount according to a statutory formula that hasn’t been followed since 2016. Had that been used this year, the check would have been $2,910.

However, some lawmakers balked, saying that amount was unsustainable.

Dunleavy has scheduled a news conference later Friday, where issues related to the oil check will be among topics he will address.

Revenue officials say about 631,000 Alaskans will begin receiving their checks Thursday. The total distribution is just over $1 billion.

AP-WF-09-27-19 2120GMT