Editing Alaska Permanent Fund (section)

=== Wielechowski Lawsuit ===
In 2016, Alaska State [[Bill Wielechowski|Senator Bill Wielechowski]], alongside former senators Rick Halford and [[Clem Tillion]], filed a lawsuit<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mackintosh |first=Cameron |date=2016-09-16 |title=Sen. Wielechowski files lawsuit challenging governor's PFD cuts |url=https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/content/news/Wielechowski-files-lawsuit-challenging-PFD-cuts-393718301.html |website=KTUU |language=en}}</ref> against the State of Alaska, challenging [[Bill Walker (American politician)|Governor Bill Walker]]'s veto that reduced the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) payments. The plaintiffs argued that the governor's veto violated existing statutes governing the PFD, which mandated automatic transfers from the Permanent Fund's earnings reserve to the dividend fund without requiring legislative appropriation. However, the [[Alaska Supreme Court]] upheld the governor's veto, ruling that the transfer of funds for dividend payments required legislative appropriation and was subject to the governor's veto power. 

This lawsuit effectively placed the PFD in direct competition with other state budgetary items, as its funding became contingent upon annual legislative appropriations rather than automatic transfers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BILL WIELECHOWSKI RICK HALFORD CLEM TILLION v. STATE OF ALASKA ALASKA PERMANENT FUND CORPORATION (2017) |url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ak-supreme-court/1872118.html |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=Findlaw |language=en-US}}</ref>