03/22/2001 08:05 AM House STA

HJR  3-CONST AM: SESSION LIMIT/INTERIM COMMITTEE                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Number 2763                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COGHILL  indicated that the  next order of  business before                                                               
the committee  would be HOUSE  JOINT RESOLUTION NO.  3, Proposing                                                               
amendments to  the Constitution of  the State of  Alaska relating                                                               
to terms  of legislators, to meetings  of legislative committees,                                                               
and to the length of regular sessions of the legislature.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Number 2788                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
KEVIN HAND,  Staff to Representative Andrew  Halcro, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, came forward to testify  on behalf of Representative                                                               
Halcro,  sponsor  of  HJR 3.    He  explained  that  HJR 3  is  a                                                               
constitutional  amendment  that would  limit  the  length of  the                                                               
legislative  session to  90 days.    Under HJR  3, newly  elected                                                               
members  would  be  sworn  in  in  mid-December  (as  opposed  to                                                               
January),  and the  session would  begin  in the  second week  of                                                               
February (instead of in January).   One of the main provisions is                                                               
the  authorization of  interim committees,  so after  members are                                                               
sworn in, committees could meet on pre-filed legislation.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR.  HAND   said  HJR  3   would  bring  committee   meetings  to                                                               
legislators' home  districts so  there could be  more constituent                                                               
contact.  It  also would allow hearings in the  areas affected by                                                               
particular legislation.  The greater  access provided to citizens                                                               
would be  very beneficial,  he said.   There  is no  question but                                                               
what it would bring greater  efficiency to the legislature in the                                                               
use of  time in Juneau, he  continued.  "The legislature  is much                                                               
like water," he said.  "It will  fill the space that it is given,                                                               
so  there  is  definitely  efficiency to  be  garnered  from  our                                                               
legislative session."                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR.  HAND  said   HJR  3  would  foster   a  so-called  citizens'                                                               
legislature because uprooting family and  careers to come down to                                                               
Juneau for  120 days every year  has an effect on  people's lives                                                               
and  acts  as  a  deterrent  to  running  for  political  office.                                                               
Projected  savings from  HJR  are about  $1.5  million, or  about                                                               
$30,000 a  day for every day  the legislature is not  in session.                                                               
Other  states with  much larger  populations and  budgets can  do                                                               
their legislative work in consistently  shorter sessions, some of                                                               
them as short as 60 days.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. HAND commented on the  "proliferation of ideas" with a number                                                               
of bills  on related topics.   He said he thinks  the legislature                                                               
"may be turning a  corner on a time in which  some of these ideas                                                               
might become feasible."