The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1951-03-06
EARMARkED
FUNDS Bill
IS TABLED


into the Territorial general fund,
where they would be subject to APP
preparation by the Legislature, was
tabled in the Senate this morning.
A vote of 10 to 6 sent it into
nothbalis after an amendment to
cut the heart out of it carried by
a 8 to 7 margin.
The amendment, by Sen. Frank
Bass, removed funds for aeronau-
tics. airports and schools, from the
bill. That meant the receipts from
the tobacco tax and the aviation
share of motor vehicle fuel taxes
would have remained earmarked.
The tobacco tex goes for school
construction purposes.
After the Barr amendment was
adopted, it left the highway and
the harbor funds, as about the
only earmarked funds still involved.
Table Corpse
Sen. Howard Lying then moved to
table the corpse. Even Sen. John
Butrovich, who authored the bill as
finance committee measure, voted
4 for tabling what was left of it.
Butrovich labeled the earmarking
process as "sugar-coating" to get
such measures as the cigaret tax
| bill passed. But he charged that the
legislative habit is whiting away
at the general fund until it will
become a little, inflexible fund.- OF
small consequence.
! Barr contended that the argu-
ments to eliminate the earmarked
funds were "bookkeepers' argu-
Iments." He declared earmarked
funds .are justified for construc-
ton needs. I'm not biased because
I'm on the board (aeronsutics). I'm
biased because I realize the need
! for airports. Also I'm biased be-
cause of the need for schools.
Double Crossing
IF we shifted the tobacco tax
into the general fund, we would be
double-crossing the people who ac-
cepted it without complaint when
+ it was earmarked for schools"
Both sides cited the statement Of
III. Clyde Reeves, the government
consultant from Kentucky whose
government financial reorganiza-
ton bill was scheduled for intro
duction in the house late today.
Reeves had said at joint ses-
4 sion, in response to a rundown
! question from Butrovich, that ear
marked funds are generally con-
! sidered inadvisable "in principle,
but sometimes are justified.
! BItrovich told the Senate that
tne Implication was they might be
! Justified to get bill passed.
Barr countered that Reeves re-
/ Spouse supported his thesis of just
LITIGATION for airport and. school con-
! struction.
/, Party Lines Smashed
The Senate rollcall on the Barr
amendment shattered party lines.
4 The nine yeas were Democrats
Barr, Beltz, Huntley and MacKen-
zie; Republicans Engstrom, Gar
nick, Ipalook, Snider and Enge-
breth.
The seven against were: Repub-
licans Butrovich, Coble, Lhamon
and Democrats Anderson, Lying,
McCutcheon and Nolan.
In his arguments, Butrovich citeo
! highway department financial re-
Iports to support his contention that
sthe Legislature could provide better
| for public needs out of the general
fund
Highway Patrol Upkeep
4 He said the highway engineers
report for the past biennium show
ed more spent on the highway pa
troll than on roads and trails. He
said the report showed $419,473 for
1.-THE patrol and 1922 for roads
and trails.
THE highways didn't suffer when
the Legislature did the appropriate
ing he said. By comparison. he
cited roads and trails appropriations
of 100000 for 1879 at time
when the total appropriations from
! the general fund for all purpose
were only s2,801 800.
He said in 1899 40, out of general
fund appropriations of $1,000 600
highways got 100000 although only
$3.50 GOO of it was spent.
He cited the present enlarged
school budget and declared schools
never would suffer at the Legisla-
lures hands, either.
Steve McCutcheon, Democratic
floor leader, swung over to vote
: against the Barr amendment after
declaring that his only worry was
the financing of schools in small