Dunleavy declares a paid July 6 state holiday, with public dollars

Governor Mike Dunleavy has declared Monday, July 6 a paid holiday for Alaska's executive-branch employees, stretching the nation's 250th-anniversary weekend into a four-day break. State offices will close, and most executive-branch workers will get the day off with pay — though public-safety, emergency-response, and other essential staff stay on duty.

Dunleavy framed it around the Semiquincentennial, calling the anniversary "a once in a generation opportunity for all Americans to reflect upon the founding ideals of liberty, self-government, and human dignity." The proclamation is meant to let state workers travel, attend America 250 events, and celebrate with their communities.

What the proclamation doesn't mention is the cost. A paid holiday isn't free: it means a day's wages for thousands of state employees and a day of closed executive offices, all funded by the public. It's a gesture that costs the governor nothing personally while adding to the public payroll — the kind of popular, discretionary benefit governors have long been able to grant. The closure applies only to the executive branch; the Legislature and the courts set their own schedules.