03/18/2024 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

        HJR 13-CALL FED. CONSTITUTIONAL CONV:TERM LIMITS                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:47:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR VANCE announced  that the first order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE  JOINT  RESOLUTION NO.  13,  Requesting  the United  States                                                               
Congress  to  call a  convention  of  the  states to  propose  an                                                               
amendment  to the  Constitution of  the  United States  to set  a                                                               
limit on the  number of terms that  a person may be  elected as a                                                               
member of  the United  States House of  Representatives and  as a                                                               
member of the  United States Senate; and  urging the legislatures                                                               
of the other  49 states to request the United  States Congress to                                                               
call  a convention  of the  states.   [Before  the committee  was                                                               
CSHJR 13(STA).]                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:47:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TOM   MCKAY,  Alaska  State   Legislature,  prime                                                               
sponsor,  presented  CSHJR  13(STA).     He  shared  the  sponsor                                                               
statement  [included  in the  committee  packet],  which read  as                                                               
follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Americans   continue   to   raise  concerns   about   a                                                                    
     disconnection by  Washington D.C  politicians who  have                                                                    
     become less responsive to the evolving needs and concerns                                                                  
     of their constituents. By polling data, 84% of Alaskans                                                                    
     support having term limits for members of congress. The                                                                    
     power of  incumbency is clear with  members of congress                                                                    
     raising an  average of 5  times as much  money as their                                                                    
     challengers and  winning re-election 94%  of  the time.                                                                    
     Enacting term limits is a  highly popular policy and is                                                                    
     essential to encourage fresh perspectives in government,                                                                   
     address the  developing challenges of our  country, and                                                                    
     curb the ever-growing power of congress.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     HJR  13  utilizes  article  V   of  the  United  States                                                                    
     constitution and calls for a convention of the states to                                                                   
     amend the constitution by setting term limits on members                                                                   
     of  Congress  in  both   the  United  States  House  of                                                                    
     Representatives  and  the  United States  Senate.  This                                                                    
     resolution also calls for  legislatures of the other 49                                                                    
     states to join in  calling Congress for a convention of                                                                    
     the states.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     I urge my  fellow colleagues of the 33rd legislature to                                                                    
     support this legislation and help  enact term limits on                                                                    
     members of Congress.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:49:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
AZABEL  ORDAZ,  Staff,  Representative Tom  McKay,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  on behalf  Representative McKay,  prime sponsor  of                                                               
CSHJR 13(STA),  presented a PowerPoint, entitled  "HJR 13 Federal                                                               
Term Limits" [hard  copy included in the committee  packet].  She                                                               
began on slide  2, "HJR 13   Federal Term  Limits," which read as                                                               
follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
        • Calls for a convention of the states to set term                                                                      
          limits for members of Congress in both the House                                                                      
          of Representatives and the U.S Senate                                                                                 
        • 2/3 of states would need to pass a resolution for                                                                     
          a convention on federal term limits to occur                                                                          
        • The convention would propose and would be held                                                                        
         solely for an amendment on federal term limits                                                                         
        • 3/4 of states would need to ratify the amendment                                                                      
          to become part of the U.S. Constitution                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
4:50:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. ORDAZ continued to slide 3, "Why do we need term limits?"                                                                   
Slide 3 read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
        • Incumbents  in  Congress  raise an  average  of  5                                                                    
          times more money as their challengers and win                                                                         
          approx. 95% of the time                                                                                               
        • Politicians can focus on making  the most of their                                                                    
          time in office rather than constantly campaigning                                                                     
          for re-election                                                                                                       
        • Encourages fresh perspectives in government                                                                           
        • Reduces  incumbent advantage  by making  it easier                                                                    
          for newcomers to challenge them                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:52:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ORDAZ proceeded  to slide  4,  "Term Limits  on the  Federal                                                               
Level," which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
        • Up  until the  31stpresident, previous  presidents                                                                    
          had voluntarily stepped down after serving two                                                                        
          terms                                                                                                                 
        • On March 21, 1947,  Congress proposed a resolution                                                                    
          calling for a set limit of two terms and sent it                                                                      
          to the states for ratification                                                                                        
        • The 22ndamendment  was ratified on  February 27th,                                                                    
          1951, when Minnesota became the 36thstate                                                                             
          (3/4ths)to approve the proposed constitutional                                                                        
          amendment                                                                                                             
        • A president may  not be elected for  more than two                                                                    
          terms                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:53:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. ORDAZ continued to slide  5, titled "Active Calls in Alaska,"                                                               
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
        • HJR 17 passed in 1982                                                                                                 
        • HJR 22 passed in 2014                                                                                                 
        • CSHJR 14(STA) passed in 2016                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:54:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ORDAZ concluded  on  slide  6, which  featured  data from  a                                                               
survey of  514 likely Alaskan  voters on  U.S. term limits.   She                                                               
reported  that  60  percent strongly  approved  of  federal  term                                                               
limits, while 30  percent strongly disapproved.   In closing, Ms.                                                               
Ordaz stated that term limits  would encourage an influx of fresh                                                               
talent   and   ideas   reflecting  the   diverse   and   changing                                                               
demographics of the American populous.   It would help maintain a                                                               
government that is more aligned with  the needs and wishes of its                                                               
citizens, she said.  She emphasized  that the change was not just                                                               
about   preventing  over-consolidation   of   power,  but   about                                                               
preserving  the  vibrancy  and effectiveness  of  the  democratic                                                               
system.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR VANCE opened invited testimony.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:56:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CONSTANTIN  QUERARD,  Regional  Director, US  Term  Limits,  gave                                                               
invited  testimony  during the  hearing  on  CSHJR 13(STA).    He                                                               
asserted  that federal  term limits  are supported  by a  diverse                                                               
demographic, cutting  across race, age, gender,  education level,                                                               
and partisan  background.   He explained  that that  amending the                                                               
U.S.  Constitution is  the only  way  to institute  congressional                                                               
term  limits.   Furthermore,  he assured  the  committee that  if                                                               
states  were to  insist,  congress would  act  without calling  a                                                               
constitutional convention.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:00:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
FRITZ PETTYJOHN,  former member of the  Alaska State Legislature,                                                               
gave invited testimony  during the hearing on CSHJR  13(STA).  He                                                               
said state legislatures are effectively  acting pursuant to their                                                               
constitutional duty under Article 5  of the U.S. Constitution, as                                                               
a check on  congress.  He shared his belief  that there had never                                                               
been a convention,  nor would there ever be  one because congress                                                               
does not want  to share its power to propose  amendments with the                                                               
states.   He  argued  that congress  as  an institution  requires                                                               
reform, which  speaks to  the need  for the  proposed resolution.                                                               
He added  that [federal term limits]  is one of the  few subjects                                                               
with full bipartisan support.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
5:06:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR VANCE sought questions from committee members.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
5:06:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRAY  questioned  how to  navigate  the  proposed                                                               
resolution as not being an "anti-Don Young resolution."                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
5:07:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TREVOR  JEPSEN, Staff,  Representative  Tom McKay,  on behalf  of                                                               
Representative  McKay, prime  sponsor,  shared his  understanding                                                               
that there  would be  some type of  "grandfathering in"  for term                                                               
limits.  He  clarified that CSHJR 13(STA) had nothing  to do with                                                               
being anti-Don Young.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
5:08:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY  noted that  the language referring  to Kevin                                                               
McCarthy on  page 2, line 23  of the resolution would  need to be                                                               
amended,  as  he is  no  longer  speaker  of  the U.S.  House  of                                                               
Representatives.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. JEPSEN agreed.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
5:08:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR VANCE announced that CSHJR13 13(STA) would be held over.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
5:09:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.