Alaska Gov, Lawmakers' Fights Mark Session End

Legislators earlier in the week completed work on a $9.7 billion operating budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Sunday, they put the final touches on a $1.8 billion capital budget, about $500 million less than the governor proposed.

Palin praised lawmakers for their work in cutting the budget.

She said she had not decided what she would do with the stimulus money. Palin has often said "managing expectations" is a potential problem for accepting the money. She said she was not referring just to the public but also to state and local governments.

"I believe it's a big problem for bureaucracy to grasp," she said. "The nature of the beast of government is to continue programs and to grow programs," Palin said.

"We just have to make sure that everyone is cognizant of this: that the dollars that we received are one-time, temporary funds."

Lawmakers found virtually no strings attached other than the requirement to account for the dollars. Palin said they did a good job reviewing the money.

Several contentious issues took up time but did not pass into law. Hearings were held and much public testimony taken on Chenault's bill to reinstate the death penalty. The measure never made it to a floor vote.