04/23/2007 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

HJR 7 - CONST AM: GENDER-NEUTRAL REFERENCES                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:32:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SAMUELS  moved  to  report CSHJR  7(STA)  out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal notes.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SAMUELS then withdrew his motion.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR RAMRAS announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE  JOINT  RESOLUTION  NO.  7,  Proposing  amendments  to  the                                                               
Constitution of the State of Alaska  to avoid the use of personal                                                               
pronouns  and   similar  references  that  denote   masculine  or                                                               
feminine  gender in  that document.   [Before  the committee  was                                                               
CSHJR 7(STA).]                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:33:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SANDRA WILSON, Intern to Representative  Carl Gatto, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, sponsor,  relayed on behalf of  Representative Gatto                                                               
that bringing HJR 7 before  the committee recognizes the election                                                               
of Alaska's first  female governor, as well as the  fact that the                                                               
state  now  has  [several]  female legislators,  a  female  chief                                                               
justice, and  [several] female commissioners.   Six  other states                                                               
have  [recently] amended  their state  constitution in  a similar                                                               
fashion.  House Joint Resolution  7, she offered, would not alter                                                               
the rights, powers, or privileges  afforded Alaska's citizens via                                                               
the  Alaska State  Constitution.   In conclusion,  she asked  the                                                               
committee  to support  HJR 7.   In  response to  a question,  she                                                               
confirmed  that  if  HJR  7  were to  pass  both  bodies  of  the                                                               
legislature, the  resolution's proposed  constitutional amendment                                                               
would be placed on the ballot for approval by the voters.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  RAMRAS, after  ascertaining  that no  one  else wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on HJR 7.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SAMUELS again moved to  report CSHJR 7(STA) out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.    There  being no  objection,  CSHJR  7(STA)  was                                                               
reported from the House Judiciary Standing Committee.