Alaska Senate passes bill to use permanent fund’s earnings for state budget

For the second year in a row, the Alaska Senate has passed a measure to use the Alaska permanent fund as an endowment for state services, drawing an amount from earnings that is based on a percentage of the fund’s market value.
The Senate approved a modified version of Gov. Bill Walker’s Senate Bill 26 with a vote of 12 to 8 Wednesday afternoon after hours of lengthy debate.Opposition came from Democrats and Republicans alike, with Senators Mike Dunleavy, R-Wasilla; Shelley Hugh