01/19/1996 01:30 PM Senate JUD

         HJR 30 AMEND US CONSTIT. TO LIMIT FED. COURTS                        
                                                                              
  CHAIRMAN ROBIN TAYLOR  called the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting         
 to order at 1:25 p.m.  The first matter of business before the                
 committee was HJR 30.                                                         
                                                                               
 RYNNIVEA MOSS, legislative aide to Representative Al Vezey, prime             
 sponsor of HJR 30, read a sponsor statement to committee members.             
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE VEZEY gave the following testimony.  HJR 30 is about           
 an issue that is key to democracy.  The court has granted itself              
 power to assess taxes, an issue that was pertinent to the founding            
 of this country.  Whenever a group of persons, who are appointed to           
 a job for life, has the authority to assess taxes, the whole                  
 concept of democracy is changed.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on             
 this case in 1989, yet since 1992, there have been 246 other                  
 judicial examples of taxation that have been appealed to the                  
 various appeals courts.  This issue demands attention to preserve             
 the concept of democracy.                                                     
                                                                               
 Number 103                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR ADAMS asked if this issue has ever come up in the State of            
 Alaska.  REPRESENTATIVE VEZEY replied he was not aware of any cases           
 in which the court systems in Alaska or the federal court system              
 with jurisdiction over Alaska ever mandated that a local government           
 or the state government assess a tax.                                         
                                                                               
 SENATOR TAYLOR asked Representative Vezey if he had spoken to                 
 Alaska's Congressional delegation about HJR 30 since the resolution           
 requests Congress to make changes.  REPRESENTATIVE VEZEY replied he           
 had not.  SENATOR TAYLOR suggested Representative Vezey do so.                
                                                                               
 Number 115                                                                    
                                                                               
 There being no further testimony on HJR 30, SENATOR MILLER moved              
 HJR 30 out of committee with individual recommendations.  SENATOR             
 ADAMS objected.  The motion carried with Senators Taylor, Green and           
 Miller voting "yea," and Senators Adams and Ellis voting "nay."