SSHCR 18: Proposing an amendment to the Uniform Rules of the Alaska State Legislature relating to voting.
00 SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 18 01 Proposing an amendment to the Uniform Rules of the Alaska State Legislature relating 02 to voting. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. Rule 34(b), Uniform Rules of the Alaska State Legislature, is amended to read: 05 (b) Voting; Abstention. Every member present in the house shall vote 06 [UNLESS THE HOUSE FOR SPECIAL REASONS PERMITS A MEMBER TO 07 ABSTAIN. ALL MOTIONS EXCUSING A MEMBER FROM VOTING SHALL BE 08 MADE BEFORE THE HOUSE DIVIDES OR BEFORE THE CALL FOR THE 09 YEAS AND NAYS IS COMMENCED. A MEMBER REQUESTING TO BE 10 EXCUSED FROM VOTING MAY MAKE A BRIEF ORAL STATEMENT OF THE 11 REASONS FOR THE REQUEST AND THE QUESTION OF GRANTING 12 PERMISSION TO ABSTAIN SHALL BE TAKEN WITHOUT FURTHER 13 DEBATE]. A member may not explain a vote, may not discuss the question while the 14 yeas and nays are being called, and may not change a vote after the roll call result has 15 been announced. Upon division and count of the house of any question, a member 16 who is not within the chamber may not be counted. If a member reasonably believes
01 that by voting the member would violate a provision of AS 24.60.030 that 02 prohibits a member from voting, 03 (1) the member shall request permission to abstain from voting; 04 the member shall make the request by giving notice of the request before the 05 house divides or before the call for the yeas and nays is commenced, and shall 06 make a brief oral statement of the reason that the member requests permission to 07 abstain and the specific provision of AS 24.60.030 that the member believes 08 requires the member's abstention; 09 (2) after notice of the request is made, the leader of the majority 10 caucus and the leader of the minority caucus, if any, shall each cast a vote on the 11 question of whether AS 24.60.030 requires the member to abstain; if a caucus 12 leader is absent, or is the person who gave notice of the request to abstain, then 13 the whip for that leader's caucus shall vote on the question instead of the leader; 14 (3) if both of the persons who are required to vote under (2) of this 15 subsection vote no on the question described in (2) of this subsection, then the 16 member requesting permission may not abstain [A MEMBER MAY NOT BE 17 PERMITTED TO ABSTAIN EXCEPT UPON THE UNANIMOUS CONSENT OF 18 THE MEMBERSHIP].