02/19/2009 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

HJR 13-CONST AM: SEC. OF STATE REFERENCES                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:05:08 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  announced that the  only order of business  was 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.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
8:05:42 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  introduced HJR  13, which  is sponsored                                                               
by the House  State Affairs Standing Committee.   He relayed that                                                               
20-30 years ago,  the title of secretary of state  was changed to                                                               
lieutenant governor, but  the change was omitted in  two areas of                                                               
the  constitution,  and  HJR  13  would  serve  as  a  conforming                                                               
amendment.  He noted that  the same legislation was introduced as                                                               
House  Joint  Resolution  7 in  the  Twenty-Fourth  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, but  did not pass.   He said  he does not  know why.                                                               
The legislation  was introduced again  as House  Joint Resolution                                                               
37 in  Twenty-Fifth Alaska State  Legislature, but was  not heard                                                               
in time by both bodies.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:07:20 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTO  said  the  House  State  Affairs  Standing                                                               
Committee  will be  hearing  a bill  he  is sponsoring  regarding                                                               
gender  neutrality, and  he asked  for committee  feedback as  to                                                               
whether or not  it should be combined  with HJR 13.   He said his                                                               
recommendation would  be to  keep the  two pieces  of legislation                                                               
separate.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  LYNN  noted  that  combining  the  two  resolutions  would                                                               
require a title change.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:09:37 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG  said  he strongly  favors  the  gender                                                               
neutrality bill and would have no  problem combining the two.  He                                                               
recommended  that  Legislative  Legal and  Research  Services  be                                                               
consulted  regarding   the  issue   of  combining   two  separate                                                               
constitutional  amendments  and  what  the effects  might  be  in                                                               
considering "this omnibus constitutional  amendment - a revision,                                                               
which  under the  best case  is  unconstitutional."   He said  he                                                               
wants to avoid legal complications.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
8:12:30 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON  noted that  both resolutions  would change                                                               
references, which  would be appropriate.   He predicted  that the                                                               
electorate  would not  take issue  with gender  neutrality, since                                                               
the  majority  voted  for  a   female  governor.    He  suggested                                                               
combining the resolutions and holding  them until a legal opinion                                                               
was obtained.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:16:38 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG  said he  would  like  to see  the  two                                                               
resolutions  remain separate,  but said  he would  not ask  for a                                                               
hearing  on HJR  13  in the  House  Judiciary Standing  Committee                                                               
until the  gender equality legislation  had been introduced.   He                                                               
said it  would give the  next committee of referral  options, and                                                               
would not delay HJR 13.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:17:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTO,  in  response  to  Chair  Lynn,  said  the                                                               
legislation regarding  gender neutrality  has been  scheduled for                                                               
hearing in the House State Affairs Standing Committee.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:17:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PETERSEN said  he does not think there  would be a                                                               
problem  combining the  two  resolutions,  because neither  would                                                               
profoundly change the constitution.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
8:18:25 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG suggested sending  a letter of intent to                                                               
the House Judiciary Standing Committee.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO concurred.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  said, in general, he  is reluctant to join  two bills                                                               
together, because it complicates the issue.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
8:19:42 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JESSICA  SRADER,  Assistant  Attorney General  (AAG),  Labor  and                                                               
State  Affairs Section,  Civil Division,  Department  of Law,  in                                                               
response  Chair Lynn,  said  she would  research  answers to  the                                                               
committee's aforementioned  questions and concerns before  HJR 13                                                               
is heard by the House Judiciary Standing Committee.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
8:20:43 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  LYNN, after  ascertaining that  there was  no one  else to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:21:04 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON  moved to  report HJR  13 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.   There being no  objection, HJR 13  was moved out  of the                                                               
House State Affairs Standing Committee.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO  observed in the  fiscal note that  it costs                                                               
the state $1,500  to list something in an  election pamphlet, but                                                               
it costs $22,000 to "make a ballot."                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PETERSEN  said he interpreted that  information to                                                               
mean that if  the language is concise enough to  fit on one page,                                                               
then the cost would be $1,500 instead of $22,000.