In the same press conference today in which Gov. Palin spoke about the parental notification bill, she discussed the stimulus package. You can hear the stimulus discussion here at 26:40 into the clip.

The Juneau Empire reports on the AK lawmakers’ love of porkulus:

Some Alaska Legislators are saying they’ll likely accept federal stimulus money, even if Gov. Sarah Palin won’t.

Palin’s public opposition to the federal stimulus package, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has led to concerns among legislators that she won’t make full use of the money. Palin asked for $461 million, but many lawmakers think the state’s share should be closer to $1 billion.

Instead, some legislators say they should consider accepting stimulus money on their own.

“It’s very clear in the package that either a governor may accept the funds, or a legislature,” said Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, an influential member on budget issues. “It’s not one where a governor has a right of veto over any of this.”

Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, said it was up to Congress to decide how much stimulus the nation needed, and he didn’t share Palin’s reluctance.

“The governor has been quoted in the press as saying there are some things she might choose not to accept,” he said. “As I look at them, I’d be more willing to accept them.”

Among those items, he said, was funding for low-income school children or special education.

States that don’t accept the money, in some cases within 120 days, could see that money re-allocated to other states.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is trying to get as much federal money as possible to help his state’s huge budget deficit. House Majority Leader Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, said Alaska should do whatever it can to bring federal money to Alaska.

“I don’t want the Terminator getting Alaska’s money,” she said.

We remember Beth. Back in January, News-Miner wrote:

Driving home at night from her office at the Capitol, the leader of Alaska’s House Democrats, Rep. Beth Kerttula, often passes the governor’s white-columned mansion and wonders why there aren’t more lights on.

She assumes Gov. Sarah Palin is out of town, though Palin’s staff says so far their boss has been in the capital most of the legislative session, which began Jan. 20.

Beth, maybe she was just saving money by turning off the electricity. Or maybe she was in bed early because she has kids, and, according to People Magazine, she’s asleep by 10:30 pm.

When Beth isn’t worried about Gov. Palin’s lights, she’s frantic lest Ahnold gets some of her porkulus. (How is that possible? Seriously, how can California get what Alaska rejects? Is that how it works?)

It looks like the dingies and back-benchers in the legislature are going to do an end run around Mommy. She’s trying to keep the kiddies from gorging themselves on porkulus, but you try prying candy from a kid’s hands:

Senate President Stevens said the Senate was working to make sure Alaska got “our share, and even if a little bit more if possible. We don’t want to leave any money on the table.”

He said Senate leaders were meeting with Palin in an effort to coordinate the response, but agreed with Hawker that the Legislature could act on its own if need be.

“We have the opportunity to go around the governor,” he said. “If there are things the governor chooses not to apply for, we have the opportunity to apply for those things ourselves.”

Sen. Kim Elton, D-Juneau, said he didn’t know what Palin’s motives for declining stimulus money was.

“I can’t think of any reason that money that creates jobs and advances public services for Alaskans would be left on the table,” he said.

Palin has said she fears accepting federal money may obligate the state to continue programs even after funding ends. Stevens said he is unaware of any such requirements.

Wait a minute. According to a KTVA article, these lawmakers aren’t even clear about what’s in the porkulus:

All week long, during various news conferences, lawmaker leaders told reporters the package still confused them, and were still sorting out details.

“That’s an effort that needs to be made to understand exactly,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau.

“Trying to figure out what those hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of pages mean,” added Senate Pres. Gary Stevens, R- Kodiak.

House Finance Co-Chair Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage said, “Something that no one has our grip on and all of us are working simultaneously towards the same discovery.”

Dear Lord, Gov. Palin is right. These lawmakers “need adult supervision.”

The Senate Republican Caucus held a press availability today also. You can listen to it here. At 22:50 into the clip, Sen. Gene Therriault summed up the whole situation nicely:

It does leave me sort of scratching my head when you have people say, “Well the governor has been quoted in the press as saying there are some things she might choose not to accept. As I look at them I’d be more willing to accept them.”

Well, when we don’t know what she might turn down, how can you say you’ve looked at them and think that you’re going to accept them? Because you don’t know what it is that she might or might not turn down, and the indication from the executive is that they’re going to give us a heads up. Now, you know, some of the people… it leaves with me a thought that they’ve never met a dollar that they didn’t want to spend.

Yep, I agree.

UPDATED by Mel: KTUU has an article out now as well. From the article:

The governor said her main concern is to make sure that the money doesn’t commit the state to spending money in the future, and that Alaska meets the guidelines to receive the funds.

In some cases she says Alaska would need to pass new laws to be eligible.

[...]

But the governor said it’s important to have a knowledgeable plan before taking any action.

“Slow down and let us get as much information on those program expansion projects. Those program expansions would result in unfunded mandates that would result being dumped onto a state with the expectation that we would pick up the tab for those programs,” Palin said.

UPDATE II by Mel:From the Juneau Empire:

Gov. Sarah Palin said Thursday that while she may decline to accept some federal stimulus projects, it wouldn’t be money tied to transportation projects.

“Those are truly stimulus package-worthy projects, and we’re saying ‘Yes’ to those,” she said.

At a press conference Thursday, Palin said the only part of Alaska’s expected $845 million stimulus funding she’d oppose would be money to expand programs or services that the state would later have to pick up the tab for when federal dollars run out.

[...]

Palin said she met with Legislators Thursday, and there were no points of disagreement.

“We have to make sure that at the end of the day every dollar accepted by the state is a good dollar, and makes sense for our constituents,” she said.

She declined to say whether she’d veto federal money, but said she’d work with legislators to come to an agreement on what to accept.

“I don’t foresee the need to veto anything,” she said.