04/03/2009 01:00 PM House JUDICIARY

HJR 13 - CONST AM: SEC. OF STATE REFERENCES                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:41:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR RAMRAS announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE  JOINT  RESOLUTION  NO. 13,  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.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:42:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DENEEN TUCK,  Staff, Representative  Max Gruenberg,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of the  sponsor, the House  State Affairs                                                               
Standing  Committee,  of  which  Representative  Gruenberg  is  a                                                               
member, explained that  HJR 13 proposes amendments  to the Alaska                                                               
State  Constitution such  that  if approved  by  the voters,  the                                                               
references  to  "secretary  of  state"  would  be  replaced  with                                                               
references  to  the  "lieutenant  governor".    In  1970,  voters                                                               
approved  amendments to  the Alaska  State Constitution  changing                                                               
the name of "secretary of  state" to "lieutenant governor", but a                                                               
couple of  references to  "secretary of  state" were  missed, and                                                               
HJR 13 would correct this.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG, in response  to a question, offered his                                                               
belief  that there  have been  conversations with  the lieutenant                                                               
governor on this matter.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. TUCK concurred.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  COGHILL  indicated  that he  is  proposing  other                                                               
legislation that would "empower a secretary of state."                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   DAHLSTROM   pointed   out  that   the   outdated                                                               
references  would still  need to  be corrected  regardless, since                                                               
any new  position of secretary of  state would not have  the same                                                               
duties as the lieutenant governor.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL mentioned that  he's voted for legislation                                                               
similar to HJR 13 before.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:44:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DAHLSTROM moved to report  HJR 13 out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.   There being no objection,  HJR 13 was reported  from the                                                               
House Judiciary Standing Committee.