Alaska Senate passes budget differing from House version with roughly $1,580 payments to residents

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska residents would receive checks of around $1,580 this year under the version of the state operating budget passed by the Senate on Wednesday.

The check size — a combination of the yearly dividend paid to residents plus an energy relief payment — is one of the key differences between the Senate version of the budget and one that passed the House last month. The House package proposed checks of about $2,275 a person, including a dividend of roughly $1,650, plus energy relief payments of about $625. The Senate budget calls for a roughly $1,360 dividend and an estimated $222 energy relief payment.

Dividends are traditionally paid with earnings from the Alaska Permanent Fund, a state nest-egg seeded with oil money and grown over time through investments. People must meet residency requirements to be eligible for dividends. Debate so far over the size of the dividend has been muted compared with past years.