The Alaska House of Representatives voted down an amendment Tuesday that would have restricted how state departments spend money budgeted for unfilled positions.

Amendment 58 would have required departments to use the $101 million in funding for positions vacant longer than six months only for salaries, benefits, bonuses, overtime, or seasonal employee extensions. Without the restriction, departments can spend those funds on anything within their budgets. The amendment also would have required departments to report to the legislature when they use vacant-position funding for purposes other than filling the positions.

The amendment failed 19-21.

A representative who supported the measure said the intent language would help the legislature reclaim its appropriation authority. The representative said departments currently have discretion to spend vacant-position funding on items unrelated to the positions' original purpose.

"If we pass an amendment like this, we are taking back our authority on where those dollars are spent," the representative said.

Another representative who voted yes said the amendment would not add new money but would direct existing funds toward their intended use. The representative said funding for unfilled positions can currently be spent on anything in a department.

"This intent language is kind of body English, puts a spin on things," the representative said. "It is saying if there is this extra money, we would like to have it spent for employees' salaries and bonuses and not, this is not new money, this is to provide, to use the money for the intended purposes."

The amendment came during floor debate on the state operating budget. The House held the budget bill in second reading and carried it over to the next day's calendar.