00                            HOUSE BILL NO. 237                                                                          
01 "An Act relating to filling a vacancy in the office of United States senator."                                          
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
03    * Section 1.  AS 15.40.010 is amended to read:                                                                     
04            Sec. 15.40.010.  Conditions and time of filling vacancy by appointment and                                 
05       special election.  When a vacancy occurs in the office of United States senator, the                            
06       governor, within 30 days after the date of the vacancy, shall                                                     
07                 (1)  subject to (b) of this section, appoint a qualified person who, if                             
08       the predecessor in office was nominated by a political party, has been, for the six                               
09       months before the date of the vacancy and is on the date of appointment, a member of                              
10       the same political party as that which nominated the predecessor in office to fill the                            
11       vacancy temporarily until the vacancy is filled permanently by election; and                                      
12                 (2)  by proclamation and subject to this chapter, call a special primary                                
13       election and a special election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term of the                          
14       predecessor in office if the predecessor's term would expire more than 30 calendar                                
15       months after the date of the vacancy.                                                                             

01    * Sec. 2.  AS 15.40.010 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                             
02            (b)  If the predecessor in office was nominated by a political party, the                                    
03       governor shall make an appointment to fill a vacancy in the office of United States                               
04       senator from a list of at least three qualified nominees submitted by the state                                   
05       organization that represents the political party of the predecessor when the predecessor                          
06       was nominated.  The state organization shall submit the list of nominees to the                                   
07       governor within 15 days after the vacancy occurs.  If the appropriate state organization                          
08       fails to submit at least three qualified nominees within the required time period, the                            
09       governor may appoint any individual qualified under (a)(1) of this section.