03/19/2008 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

HJR 37 - CONST AM: SEC. OF STATE REFERENCES                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:12:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR RAMRAS announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE  JOINT  RESOLUTION  NO. 37,  Proposing  amendments  to  the                                                               
Constitution  of   the  State  of  Alaska   to  correct  obsolete                                                               
references to  the office of  secretary of state  by substituting                                                               
references to the office of  lieutenant governor and to eliminate                                                               
personal  pronoun  references  in  the sections  proposed  to  be                                                               
amended.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:13:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DAHLSTROM  moved to  adopt the  proposed committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)  for  HJR 37,  Version  25-LS1527\E,  Chenoweth,                                                               
3/18/08, as the work draft.   There being no objection, Version E                                                               
was before the committee.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG, speaking  as  the sponsor  of HJR  37,                                                               
relayed that the  resolution cures an oversight  that occurred in                                                               
1970,  when the  legislature changed  the name  of the  office of                                                               
secretary  of state  to the  office of  lieutenant governor.   At                                                               
that time, two sections were  missed and so this resolution would                                                               
conform those sections.  Version  E also removes the provision in                                                               
the   original   resolution   to   eliminate   personal   pronoun                                                               
references, he  explained, because gender neutral  references are                                                               
instead being addressed by HJR 7.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR RAMRAS, after  ascertaining that no one  wished to testify,                                                               
closed public testimony on HJR 37.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:14:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG, in  response  to questions,  indicated                                                               
that his attention was drawn to  this matter by an identical bill                                                               
that died in committee during a prior legislature.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   COGHILL   pointed    out   that   the   proposed                                                               
constitutional  amendment must  be approved  by the  voters.   He                                                               
then  asked about  the purpose  of the  change from  secretary of                                                               
state to lieutenant governor.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG  surmised that  it  was  a more  modern                                                               
term.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  COGHILL  observed  that   the  governor  has  the                                                               
authority to assign broad duties to the lieutenant governor.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:16:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   DAHLSTROM   moved   to  report   the   committee                                                               
substitute  for  HJR  37,  25-LS1527\E,  out  of  committee  with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
There being no  objection, CSHJR 37(JUD) was reported  out of the                                                               
House Judiciary Standing Committee.