A look back at Gov. Dunleavy’s annual speeches to the Legislature

JUNEAU — Gov. Mike Dunleavy is expected to deliver his seventh State of the State address Tuesday evening. The annual speech is an opportunity for the governor to lay out his vision for Alaska, including his priorities and goals in office.

A look back at Dunleavy’s past speeches shows a mixed record: While some of the policy ideas that the governor introduced during his annual addresses have been embraced and adopted, many others have been resoundingly rejected during years of discord between the governor and lawmakers.

Dunleavy’s speech begins at 7 p.m. It can be streamed at Gavel Alaska.

2019

In a 24-minute address, Dunleavy used his inaugural State of the State speech to articulate a fiscal vision for the state that he has since all but abandoned.

Dunleavy promised to “get our spending in line with our revenue.” The promise was followed by proposed budget cuts that would have slashed many state programs to virtual non-existence. The effort led to a recall campaign, and Dunleavy walked away from most of his proposed funding cuts. In subsequent years, Dunleavy’s annual budget drafts have steered clear of significant cuts, instead leaving the work of balancing the budget to lawmakers, with little guidance.

Dunleavy also used the speech to propose three constitutional amendments: to tighten the spending limits that already exist in the Alaska Constitution; to constitutionally guarantee the Permanent Fund dividend; and to require Alaskans to approve any new taxes at the ballot box.

But amid lawmakers’ competing visions for solving the state’s structural deficit, the Legislature has not passed the amendments.

Dunleavy’s address also laid out a plan for a “war on criminals.” The latest statewide data shows a mixed bag on crime during Dunleavy’s tenure: Overall rates of reported crimes have gone down, but violent crime rates remain far above the national average.

The governor increased the number of funded public safety and prosecutor positions. But many of those positions have languished vacant during his tenure amid persistent challenges in recruiting and retaining state employees.

2020

After abandoning the previous year’s unpopular budget cuts, Dunleavy introduced a budget draft that called for a $1.5 billion deficit to pay a full statutory dividend — similar to the deficit included in Dunleavy’s proposal this year.

Though Dunleavy did not introduce overarching fiscal policy, he proposed boosting the state’s revenue by creating a state lottery that at the time was estimated could bring in roughly $10 million annually.

Lawmakers considered the idea, but it didn’t advance.

Dunleavy also proposed the creation of a state inspector general’s office to tackle waste and inefficiency. But Dunleavy didn’t follow through with legislation to create the office.

Dunleavy used the State of the State address to tout his proposal for improving the state’s reading scores. That bill was eventually adopted by lawmakers in 2022 with bipartisan support. However, school districts have said that it will be difficult to achieve the bill’s intended outcomes without additional school funding, which Dunleavy has repeatedly vetoed.

Dunleavy also introduced legislation allowing Alaskans to receive land certificates instead of cash for their Permanent Fund dividend. The theme of transferring more state land into private hands has come up repeatedly in the governor’s annual addresses, though various proposals have received only limited attention.

2021

In 2021, Dunleavy delivered a pre-recorded address from his office amid coronavirus restrictions.

It was the first year in which Dunleavy spoke about his “statehood defense” initiative — through which Dunleavy has sought to increase funding for the Department of Law to litigate against the federal government. During the ensuing four years of the Biden administration, the number of cases brought by Alaska against federal agencies skyrocketed, as lawmakers repeatedly approved Dunleavy’s funding requests.

The “statehood defense” initiative persisted throughout the entire Biden presidency, yielding mixed results for the Dunleavy administration. Attorney General Treg Taylor recently said that though much of litigation against the federal government would be rendered moot by the election of President Donald Trump, there would be no reduction in “statehood defense” lawsuits. Instead, Taylor said the state would litigate against environmental organizations that sought to block resource development efforts.

Dunleavy also said that year he would reintroduce a bill to legalize “gaming” in Alaska. But he did not specify if that meant a state lottery or another avenue — and legislation on the topic did not advance.

Amid pandemic impacts, Dunleavy used the speech to push for the state’s self-sufficiency through boosts to the agriculture sector. The land used for farming in Alaska has gone up during Dunleavy’s tenure, though most food consumed by Alaskans continues to come from outside the state.

2022

In a year that saw Dunleavy successfully run for reelection, the governor used his State of the State to celebrate Alaska’s fiscal outlook — which was driven in large part by geopolitical events, including rising tension between Russia and Ukraine, that led to higher oil prices.

During his annual address, Dunleavy called on the Legislature to change the statute used to calculate the Permanent Fund dividend. Several months earlier, Dunleavy had unveiled a plan to rewrite the formula and constitutionally guarantee the dividend.

“I will continue calling upon the Legislature to either follow the law, or change the law with the consent of the people,” he said. “Settling this issue can’t be avoided any longer.”

But lawmakers did not uniformly agree with Dunleavy’s proposal, and efforts to rewrite the dividend formula repeatedly stalled.

Budget analysts have since said that Dunleavy’s proposal, which would have reserved half the Permanent Fund earnings for covering government expenses, would be unaffordable unless lawmakers adopt other sources of revenue.

Dunleavy also used the speech to announce the creation of the food security task force. The group’s recommendations led Dunleavy to formulate his intent to create a Department of Agriculture through executive order this year.

2023

In 2023, Dunleavy declared he wanted to make Alaska the “most pro-life state” in union. In a state that protects abortion rights, Dunleavy hinted at policies that could make it easier for families to live and grow.

Dunleavy’s policy proposals included increasing sentencing minimum for drug dealers and increasing postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months — both of which were embraced and passed by lawmakers.

In the first year of Dunleavy’s second term, lawmakers saw Dunleavy’s remarks as indications that he had changed his posture. Sen. Donny Olson, a Golovin Democrat, said at the time that Dunleavy is “more in touch with reality.” Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, said the governor had experienced “a real sea change.”

But the following months were marked by friction between the governor and lawmakers, culminating in the governor’s veto of $87 million in education funding approved by lawmakers.

2024

In a 50-minute speech, Dunleavy spoke about problems that are still front-and-center for lawmakers as they convened this year: education funding and policy, and addressing a looming energy shortage in Southcentral Alaska.

Dunleavy used his speech to preview his measure to revamp Southcentral Alaska’s electrical grid — which was ultimately adopted by lawmakers.

He also used the speech to tout a package of education provisions that were intended to increase the number of charter schools and provide bonuses to teachers.

The comments foreshadowed an acrimonious effort to increase education funding in last year’s legislative session, during which Dunleavy vetoed a bipartisan education funding bill because he said it did not sufficiently address his education policy priorities.

Dunleavy’s speech returned to many of the familiar themes from previous years: enhancing the state’s agriculture industry, challenging federal regulations that limit resource development, improving public safety, and encouraging what he called “pro-life policies.”