Legislature(2007 - 2008)CAPITOL 106
04/03/2007 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB179 | |
| HB210 | |
| HJR7 | |
| HB45 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 193 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 210 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HJR 7 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 52 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 45 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 179 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HJR 7-CONST AM: GENDER-NEUTRAL REFERENCES 9:05:34 AM CHAIR LYNN announced that the next order of business was 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. 9:05:51 AM SANDRA WILSON, Intern to Representative Carl Gatto, Alaska State Legislature, introduced HJR 7 on behalf of Representative Gatto, prime sponsor. She paraphrased the sponsor statement, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: HJR 7 removes all masculine or feminine terms from the Constitution of the State of Alaska. This resolution deletes the terms "his," "him," and "himself" and replaces them with terms as "oneself," "Governor," "Governor-elect," "Lieutenant Governor," "Legislator," "members," "executive," "justice or judge," "voter," "person's," "auditor," and "accused." Other changes that occur make the sentences grammatically correct. Some of our oldest and youngest states in the union such as New York and Hawaii have amended their constitutions to reflect gender neutrality. The framers of our constitution went to great lengths in the construction of the Constitution to recognize gender equality and it is in that spirit and as a continuation of their leadership that we seek to modify our constitution in recognition of the progress in our society and culture. This resolution is before us now because it is time for us to recognize a significant moment in Alaska history, a time when we elected our first female Governor. The administration fully supports this effort. I ask for your support. 9:07:16 AM CHAIR LYNN noted that there is also an effort being made by some to change the Holy Bible to gender neutral language. He pointed out, "'Man' is generic for 'mankind' or even 'humankind.'" He asked Ms. Wilson if the resolution is addressing a problem with language or the way the language is interpreted. 9:07:52 AM MS. WILSON said the sponsor wants to give significance to having a female governor, because currently everything reads "he" or "himself" or "his." CHAIR LYNN concluded that it is just the pronouns that are being changed. 9:08:27 AM REPRESENTATIVE ROSES said he understands the intent of the [resolution] and will not vote against it, even though he sees it as unnecessary. He explained that back when he was in high school, "he" meant either gender. Most language, including the state constitution and Masons Rules, for example, follows Standard English. He said, "I don't think when this language was written it ever, in any way, shape, or form excluded females from having those positions." 9:10:07 AM REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said he is okay with saying "all mankind," but he thinks of this as a matter of courtesy. He said he thinks those representatives who are female would prefer the proposed language, and he pointed out that it does no harm. 9:11:01 AM REPRESENTATIVE DOLL said she thinks the resolution is wonderful and timely. 9:11:26 AM REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said he strongly supports the resolution. He recollected that somewhere - either in the constitution or in statute - the lieutenant governor is still referred to as the secretary of state. He indicated that that issue may have been "cleaned up" but he is just mentioning it. He stated that he would like to cosponsor HJR 7. 9:12:14 AM REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL said he would be asking for a legal opinion regarding HJR 7 and revision of the constitution to find possible ramifications. He said he would prefer that the resolution stay in the House State Affairs Standing Committee until that information has been reviewed; however, he noted that he sits on the House Judiciary Standing Committee, which is the next committee of referral for HJR 7. He emphasized how many different articles of the Constitution of the State of Alaska this proposed legislation would affect. 9:14:27 AM REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said his staff just informed him that "secretary of state" is found in the proposed resolution on page 2, line 16, and on page 5, line 26. He indicated that there had been a prior constitutional amendment a number of years ago, but those two references were overlooked. He said he would like to offer an amendment to address this issue. 9:15:52 AM HEATH HILYARD, Staff to Representative Gatto, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Gatto, prime sponsor of HJR 7, informed Representative Gruenberg that according to Legislative Legal and Research Services, it is not allowable to address "two separate subject areas" in one constitutional amendment. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said he would hold off on addressing the matter. CHAIR LYNN said it is a subject that needs to be addressed. 9:17:03 AM REPRESENTATIVE DOLL asked if the committee would like a motion on the resolution. 9:17:15 AM REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON said he would like to hold the resolution in order to get answers to the legal questions. 9:17:45 AM REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN said he likes the thought behind the bill. He stated that he has three daughters, and his youngest is learning how to read and questions the slant toward the male gender in literature. He said he thinks moving to gender neutral references is the right thing to do; however, he said he would like hold the bill in committee for one more hearing, out of respect for Representative Coghill's wishes. 9:18:30 AM REPRESENTATIVE ROSES concurred. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG concurred. 9:18:45 AM CHAIR LYNN recognized that the year is 2007, but he said it is possible to go overboard in an attempt to be politically correct. He said it's a balancing act. He stated, "If this is written correctly where we don't get silly with it, where we just refer to officers rather than all these pronouns, I probably won't have that large a problem with it." 9:19:34 AM REPRESENTATIVE DOLL indicated that she would [not make a motion today]. 9:19:49 AM CHAIR LYNN announced that HJR 7 was heard and held.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|