JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Minority Democrats unsuccessfully sought to force a vote on whether the Legislature should continue pursuing a challenge to Gov. Bill Walker’s authority to expand Medicaid on his own.
The Legislative Council sued last summer, arguing that Walker overstepped his authority in expanding Medicaid without legislative approval. A state court judge dismissed the case last month and entered a final judgment Tuesday.
The Legislature’s top attorney, in a memo to the council’s chair, has said that once the Legislature is in session, the council’s interim authority ends and a decision on whether to appeal requires a House and Senate vote. Minority Democrats sought to force a vote Friday but were blocked.
Some legislative leaders say the lawsuit was undertaken with the expectation it would go to the Alaska Supreme Court.
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