Sen. Lyman Hoffman of Bethel will be the lone Democrat in the Senate majority caucus. Alaska state Senate leaders announced the members of the majority caucus on Monday.
Sen. Hoffman will be a majority member of the Senate Finance Committee, though not as a co-chairman, a position he had held since 2007.
“Sen. Hoffman brings years of experience and is a strong advocate for rural Alaska,” said incoming Senate President Cathy Giessel in a press release from the Senate majority. “I am pleased to welcome this esteemed member of the Alaska Senate to our ranks.”
The Senate majority has named “passing a responsible budget, on-time,” as its top priority. To do that, the Senate is expanding its finance committee from seven to nine seats. Republican Sen. Bert Stedman of Sitka and Republican Sen. Natasha Von Imhof of Anchorage will co-chair. Senate minority caucus members will fill the two added seats.
Majority members who do not vote for the majority budget will not be automatically removed from the caucus. However, according to the press release from the Senate majority, the caucus will consider consequences for dissenting members.
