Palin vetoed $275,000

Palin cut funding for Alaska Special Olympics

Campaigning in Colorado today, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) promised renewed attention to kids with special needs. She declared, “Ever since I took the chief executive’s job up North
I pushed for more funding for students with special needs,” and cited her own family’s experience with the issue.

It’s a stretch to say she “pushed” for any policy improvements.

Though Palin did sign a law increasing special education funding in Alaska,
“she had no role whatsoever”
in its development, according to the bill’s author, Rep. Mike Hawker (R). Moreover, as governor,
Palin vetoed $275,000 in Special Olympics Alaska funds (Page 100, SB 221 with vetoes), slashing the organization’s operating budget in half.