Alaskans get a $1,312 oil dividend check this year. The political cost of the benefit is high

By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Nearly every Alaskan will receive a check for $1,312 this week, the annual dividend from the earnings of the state’s nest-egg oil-wealth fund. Some take tropical vacations and others spend it on necessities. But the dividend has become a mixed blessing in a state that for decades has ridden oil’s boom-bust cycle. The dividend now competes for funding with services like public education, health care programs and public safety. Lawmaker disagreement over the checks’ size has stymied action on other issues as Alaska struggles to attract workers and stem a trend of people leaving the state. Some residents are questioning the dividend’s role in a state with no income or statewide sales tax.