An online petition calling on the Alaska Legislature and Gov. Mike Dunleavy to restore the Permanent Fund Dividend has garnered more than 20,000 signatures in three days.
Posted to change.org on Sept. 21, the petition surfaced just weeks before Alaskans begin receiving their PFD checks of about $1,000 each. When factoring for inflation, this amounts to the smallest PFD since the program began in 1982.
FULL PETITION LANGUAGE
To the Alaska State Legislature and the Governor of Alaska:
We, the undersigned Alaskans, affirm that the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) was established to return to the people their fair share of our resource wealth. The statutory formula enacted in 1982 (AS 43.23.025) remains the law of Alaska, yet since 2016 it has been ignored and reduced against the will and best interests of the people.
Since 2016, billions of dollars that should have been distributed through the statutory dividend formula have been withheld. The law remains on the books, yet it is ignored in the annual budget process. This undermines the rule of law, erodes public trust, and denies Alaskans their rightful share of resource wealth.
Our Principles
The PFD is Ownership, Not Entitlement: Alaska’s Constitution (Art. VIII, Sec. 2) says resources are to be managed “for the maximum benefit of the people.” The Permanent Fund was created to ensure that benefit. The PFD is not welfare or a government handout — it is the citizens’ ownership share of the returns on Alaska’s natural resource wealth.
The Law Must Be Honored or Changed Honestly: The statutory formula enacted in 1982 is still the law. If leaders believe it should change, they must repeal or amend it openly through the legislative process or by constitutional amendment. Ignoring the law while passing budgets that underfund the PFD is dishonest governance.
Restore the Statutory Dividend: The Legislature must immediately return to paying the full statutory PFD as calculated by law. This is the fastest and most direct way to honor the commitment made to Alaskans.
Protect It in the Constitution: To ensure this never happens again, the Legislature must place before the people a constitutional amendment that secures the dividend against appropriation or veto. The amendment should simply state that Permanent Fund earnings dedicated to dividends shall be distributed annually to eligible Alaskans, as determined by statute, and shall not be reduced by appropriation.
Consider Restitution for Withheld Dividends: Alaskans have lost thousands of dollars each since 2016. We call on the Legislature and Governor to consider a restoration plan that pays back withheld amounts, whether through one-time appropriation or phased “catch-up” payments.
THE ARGUMENTS
I. The Constitution Protects Both the Principal and Its Income-Producing Purpose
Article IX, Section 15 explicitly restricts the use of the Permanent Fund principal to “income-producing investments.” This establishes a dual protection: the corpus of the Fund and the income it generates. Without protection of the earnings, the constitutional command is rendered meaningless.
II. The Permanent Fund Functions as a Public Trust
Article VIII, Section 2 declares that Alaska’s natural resources are to be managed “for the maximum benefit of the people.” The Permanent Fund was designed as a trust to fulfill this duty. Under trust law, beneficiaries are entitled not only to the preservation of principal but to the income it yields, unless explicitly excluded. The people of Alaska are the beneficiaries; the Fund’s earnings are therefore constitutionally theirs.
III. “Unless Otherwise Provided by Law” Creates a Binding Carve-Out
Article IX, Section 15 states that Fund income shall be deposited into the general fund “unless otherwise provided by law.” In 1982, the Legislature did “otherwise provide” by enacting AS 43.23.025. Once this statutory carve-out was established, the specified earnings for dividends became constitutionally shielded. To treat them as annually optional undermines both text and intent.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
IV. The Anti-Dedication Clause Does Not Apply
Article IX, Section 7 bars dedication of “taxes or licenses.” Permanent Fund earnings are not tax revenues; they are returns on a constitutionally created trust corpus. Extending the anti-dedication clause to PFD earnings conflates distinct categories and misapplies the Constitution.
The Wielechowski decision interpreted dividend payments as “subject to appropriation.” Respectfully, this interpretation hollows Section 15: the principal remains nominally intact, but its purpose is subverted. The framers did not amend the Constitution to protect only seed money while allowing unrestricted seizure of its harvest. The dividend statute gives legal force to the framers’ intent — direct benefit to the people — and remains binding unless lawfully repealed.
Conclusion:
The Alaska Constitution protects not only the corpus of the Permanent Fund but the earnings it exists to generate. Those earnings are not ordinary revenues; they are the fruits of a protected principal, held in trust for the people of Alaska. The statutory dividend formula enacted in 1982 represents the Legislature’s constitutionally valid allocation of those earnings. As such, Permanent Fund earnings dedicated to dividends are constitutionally protected and not subject to annual appropriation or veto.
Our Demand
We, the people of Alaska, demand that our leaders:
– Immediately pay the full statutory dividend,
– Place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to protect the PFD permanently, and
– Establish a plan to make whole the citizens whose dividends have been withheld.
Until these steps are taken, we consider the State to be breaking faith with its citizens and violating the intent of Alaska’s resource trust.
34 Comments
Ok, I’d sign it. But so what? I mean, if they cared how we felt about their mismanagement & theft, they would’ve stopped it immediately.
It’s a highlighted yellow bar at the bottom of the restore picture at the top
what’s the address TRICK?
Clearly violation of APA! And given the benefits package enacted after said theft, further reaffirms interest conflict!
Where do I sigh
Where do I sign this
Why do we keep putting up with their BS.
sign me up
Better to add “only half or full blooded Alaskan Natives or those who’ve lived in Alaska for 20+ years qualify for the annual PFD”
they aren’t changing the rules! they just need to adhere to the law.
Sounds racist to me. You kind of remind me of some folks in Kotz I ran into. If I remember correctly, it was “go home white man”. Hate to break it to you, but my family has been on this continent for over 200 years, that makes us pretty native.
You mean native alaskans, right? Not a lot from natives, that’s wrong
I totaly agree with that an eligible Alaskan should have lived here as an Alaska resident for at least 20 years, all year long, to be eligible for the PDF distribution
Correction on my previous reply:
I totaly agree that an eligible Alaskan should have lived here as an Alaska resident for at least 20 years, (all year long) to be eligible for the “Permanent Fund Dividend” Distribution.
It’s a good thing to have people like the watchman to try and give us a shot to restore the PFD or at least give us 75 to 100 percent as we Alaskans don’t get the representation as we should because the lawmakers are representing us in a closed in sanctuary only able to fly in or take a boat to the capital but 95 percent of us can’t voice our opinions because we can’t get to Juneau so they the polititions are run amuck to do as they wish not for the People but they work for the State funneling our odds to their services
Said the period to Bart, “use me.”
Why do you always try to put people down? Are you insecure!
It’s the LAW to a full PFD, nothing more to said.
How do I sign the petition? We need as many people to sign it as possible
ditto where is it to sign
What a joke.
I hope we all have a laugh when the full PFD is restored and politicians will no longer raid it and steal our money.
Follow the link to sign the petition.
And then what. No meat inspectors, no Troopers, no state parks, just a bunch cheese and crackers in the dark.
I agree and will vote out of office those who don’t or won’t follow what The PFD was set up and follow the original formula for payouts to the Alaskan shareholders!!
I Agree
Alaskan borns should only start getting PFD
they aren’t changing the rules! they just need to adhere to the law.
you’d see thousands more signatures but it doesn’t want to except village addresses..
Yes, I agree. Many of us living in remote areas do not have a physical address that is recognized by the petition app. It also does not recognize a PO Box. Someone needs to address this immediately!!!!
Sign me up! I believe our PFD should be restored to full amount and the 2016 to present should be reembursed to every man woman and child. Stealing is wrong and it is alado criminal.
Most cuts require a band-aid, this ongoing theft needs surgery from the inside out.
I signed it, and want the law to be effective for the intent and purpose. Don’t vote for any person in the Dunleavy administration who is running for governor. Not one! that includes any person in the legislative body, past and present. Narrow your voting to those who have never been a part of the Dunleavy administration. Be very selective!
I agree
Clearly violation of APA! And given the benefits package enacted after said theft, further reaffirms interest conflict!