By Dave Donaldson
In addition to his line-item vetoes in the capital budget yesterday, Governor Parnell also lined out $36-million from the operating budget.
In a surprise, he vetoed a $2.9-million dollar increased appropriation for the Denali Kid Care program that provides health services for low-income children and mothers. The legislature had increased participation in the program this year to cover families with incomes of up to double the federal poverty level. And he said during the session that he supported the increase. But Parnell said he discovered after the session adjourned that Denali Kid Care also pays for abortions — to which he is opposed. He says he rejected the increase, but was not able to eliminate the entire program.
If your governor doesn’t stand for life and liberty, or at least as he understands it in his conscience, then you don’t have a governor.
Parnell said today’s reductions – along with projected new state revenue – provided some $400-million more in state spending.
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