Gov. Mike Dunleavy made the announcement at the end of a press briefing on May 20 that primarily focused on education and plans for reopening the state’s schools in the fall.
Dunleavy said the state will pay Permanent Fund Dividends on July 1, three months ahead of schedule.
“We’re in extraordinary times. We need to make sure that people in Alaska have cash in their hands to help with this economy. I can’t think of a better time to do it than now,” Dunleavy said.
As of May 20, according to state data, 671,364 people had applied for dividends. The Permanent Fund Dividend Division expects to send out nearly 600,000 payments on July 1.
Last month, the Legislature set the dividend amount at $1,000.