04/15/1998 01:12 PM House JUD

HJR  1 - LIMIT LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO 90 DAYS                                  
                                                                               
Number 0422                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN GREEN announced the next bill to come before the committee            
was HJR 1, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State             
of Alaska relating to the duration of a regular session.  He asked             
Representative Rokeberg, prime sponsor, to introduce HJR 1.                    
                                                                               
Number 0467                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG, Prime Sponsor, said HJR 1 is a                        
straightforward resolution which limits the length of a legislative            
session to 90 days.  He directed the committee's attention to the              
attached fiscal note which indicates a savings of as much as $1.5              
million in staffing and other areas.  He pointed out the                       
information contained in committee members' packets indicates the              
vast majority of other legislatures meet for less than 120 days.               
He suggested this issue is important from his view of legislative              
reform and believes people of the state deserve a chance to vote on            
the issue.  He is of the opinion the vast majority of the citizens             
of the state of Alaska would approve this measure.  Among the                  
reasons for this resolution is what he considers the myth of a                 
citizen legislator and he believes this bill would help overcome               
that myth.                                                                     
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN GREEN said his concern was the legislature would still                
begin in January during the bad weather and he would almost prefer             
to move it another month to avoid the problem of getting in and out            
of Juneau.                                                                     
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG noted the constitution states the                      
legislature shall convene in regular session on the fourth Monday              
in January, but allows for the month and day to be changed by law.             
The start date was indeed changed to an earlier date so that                   
legislators could get home in time for harvesting and to plan for              
summer activities.   However, he was of the opinion the fourth                 
Monday should be re-examined and the legislature would be more                 
readily able to convene on the fourth Monday with passage of this              
resolution.                                                                    
                                                                               
Number 0705                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ noted that Representative Rokeberg had                
indicated while testifying in the State Affairs Committee that he              
would be supportive of 100 days instead of 90.                                 
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG commented he prefers 90 days, but he                   
doesn't have any strong feelings about 100 days.                               
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN GREEN noted this bill allows the regular session to be                
extended one time for up to ten days and wondered if that was a                
result of a prior committee hearing.                                           
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG said that language currently exists in the             
constitution.                                                                  
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN GREEN said he interprets this language as a regular                   
session being 90 days and with a two-thirds vote an extension of 10            
days.                                                                          
                                                                               
Number 0791                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE CROFT noted that some of the accompanying material              
discussed establishing a shorter session every other year and                  
asked if that was done in some states.                                         
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG said some states meet biennially, like                 
Oregon and others like Washington that designates one year as a                
budget year and the other year in which bills can be introduced.               
He noted, however, that a number of the states that do meet for                
abbreviated sessions have interim activity.                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE CROFT pointed out the Oregon legislature meets from             
January to late June which is essentially one month longer than                
Alaska's session, but Oregon meets every other year.  He said that             
meeting once for a longer period makes as much sense to him as                 
having two shorter sessions.                                                   
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN GREEN remarked that another legislative bill had been                 
introduced which called for a biennial budget, which sort of fits              
in with what Representative Croft was discussing.                              
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG expressed skepticism about having a                    
biennial budget because of oil prices and the forecasting that                 
occurs in the spring.  In his opinion, the budget needs to be                  
looked at every year.                                                          
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN GREEN asked Rick Urion to come before the committee to                
present his comments at this time.                                             
                                                                               
Number 0908                                                                    
                                                                               
RICK URION, testifying on behalf of himself, said he is a firm                 
believer this is one of the best things that could be done to                  
improve the legislative arena.  He recalled when the 120-day limit             
was first proposed, many individuals said it couldn't be done and              
those same people say that about a 90-day session.  There is no                
doubt the legislative process will occupy whatever period of time              
allowed.  He stated as a person who believes in a citizen                      
legislature, HJR 1  will return this body back to a citizen                    
legislature.  He expressed confidence this issue would pass                    
overwhelmingly if it was put before the voters of the state.                   
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN GREEN inquired if, based on Mr. Urion's past experience as            
a legislator and now as a private businessman, he thought the                  
passage of HJR 1 with the shorter session would broaden the field              
of legislative candidates.                                                     
                                                                               
MR. URION said there was no doubt in his mind it would broaden the             
field.  Legislators now have year-round staff in offices in their              
home districts which takes away a lot of the argument for not                  
shortening the session.                                                        
                                                                               
Number 1064                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ said, "On that though, don't you think                
that because it's not just permanent staff, but permanent                      
bureaucracy, permanent administration, that we put ourselves as a              
legislature at a little bit of a disadvantage by now being around              
for that extra month?"                                                         
                                                                               
MR. URION replied that's been one of the arguments over the years.             
He commented there are three branches of government and the other              
two branches will always be around for a longer period of time,                
regardless of what the time period is for the legislative session.             
The legislature has time during the interim to hold committee                  
meetings, meet with their constituents, et cetera.                             
                                                                               
Number 1113                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ asked if there was anything magical about             
90 days.                                                                       
                                                                               
MR. URION replied it's three months; it's better than 100 days                 
because then legislators would have to pay four months rent.                   
                                                                               
Number 1155                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER made a motion to move HJR 1 from committee               
with individual recommendations and the attached fiscal note.                  
                                                                               
Number 1168                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE BUNDE objected.  He said committee members are                  
kidding themselves.  The difference between taking time off from a             
real job for three months or four months is inconsequential.  He               
has had discussions with legislators in other states that have                 
shorter sessions and what it means is that a person is a full time             
legislator when not in session because all the committee work must             
be done prior to coming into session.  With that in mind, he didn't            
see that Alaska would gain much with its geographic challenge in               
that a lot of money would be expended for legislators to travel to             
committee meetings during the interim instead of holding the                   
meetings when all committee members are convened in one location.              
He agreed the public would vote for it, but the public will not be             
happy when there is no recognizable savings.                                   
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER said he didn't disagree there would be an                
increase in committee work during the interim with a 90-day                    
session.  However, he felt there would be a substantial amount of              
savings when comparing the cost of per diem for 60 legislators and             
keeping staff for an additional 30 days as opposed to no travel to             
any great extent except to a Legislative Information Office because            
during the interim the committee can't pass legislation from                   
committee anyway and amendments can be done by teleconference.                 
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE BUNDE said this may be premature, because he felt               
that within five years legislators wouldn't be meeting much face-to-face, but r
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ expressed concern that it may be difficult            
to recruit quality staff for a three-month time period.                        
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE BUNDE suggested eliminating all interim staff if the            
committee is interested in saving money.                                       
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG referred to the fiscal note prepared by the            
Legislative Affairs Agency which reflected the savings in per diem             
and staff for a 30-day period.  He took strong exception to the                
statement there would be no savings.                                           
                                                                               
Number 1430                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN GREEN asked if there was further discussion.  Hearing                 
none, he asked for a roll call vote.  Representatives Croft,                   
Porter, Rokeberg and Green voted in favor of moving the bill from              
committee.  Representatives Bunde and Berkowitz voted against it.              
Therefore, HJR 1 moved from the House Judiciary Standing Committee             
by a vote of 4-2.