02/03/2016 01:30 PM Senate JUDICIARY

            SCR 4-US COUNTERMAND CONVENTION DELEGATES                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:24:05 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MCGUIRE announced the consideration of 4.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:24:16 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BILL  STOLTZE, Alaska  State Legislature, Juneau,  Alaska,                                                              
sponsor  of  SCR  4,  deferred to  Mr.  George  to  introduce  the                                                              
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DANIEL  GEORGE,   Staff,  Senator   Bill  Stoltze,  Alaska   State                                                              
Legislature,  Juneau,  Alaska, stated  that  SCR  4 lays  out  the                                                              
implementation process  for the Countermand  Amendment Convention.                                                              
He related that  this issue was brought by a constituent  and is a                                                              
grassroots  effort.  Other  states  interested  in  or  that  have                                                              
passed  similar legislation  include  New Mexico,  New  Hampshire,                                                              
Louisiana,  North Carolina,  North Dakota,  Utah and Oklahoma.  He                                                              
clarified that  the purpose  of this process  is to countermand  a                                                              
federal  decision  or law,  not  to create  new  law  that may  be                                                              
discriminatory. "We're  talking about a decision  that's been made                                                              
at the federal  level that you can  get a pretty high  majority of                                                              
states  to  agree that  it's  an  overreach  or  is in  excess  of                                                              
federal  power."  Whether or  not  the bar  is  high  enough is  a                                                              
question for the body to decide, he said.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR   STOLTZE   thanked   the  committee   for   hearing   the                                                              
resolutions. He  concluded that this is  a modest first  step in a                                                              
process that  is more  deliberative by leaps  and bounds  than the                                                              
Supreme Court process.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCGUIRE opened public testimony.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:29:55 PM                                                                                                                    
MIKE   COONS,    National   Legislative   Director    of   Citizen                                                              
Initiatives, Palmer,  Alaska, stated support  for both SJR  15 and                                                              
SCR 4 and  expressed disappointment that the  resolutions wouldn't                                                              
be   passed   from   committee  today.   He   related   that   the                                                              
representative  from Pennsylvania  did a  good job  of laying  out                                                              
how the countermand  amendment could be used effectively.  He also                                                              
mentioned the  comment by  the governor of  Texas, related  to the                                                              
marriage ruling,  that five justices can change  the Constitution.                                                              
He recalled a  conversation with Senator Coghill,  and opined that                                                              
even  if  30  states don't  coalesce  around  a  specific  federal                                                              
action  within  the 18  month  timeframe,  it will  still  provide                                                              
impetus for  Congress to "do what  should have been done  to begin                                                              
with."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
He offered  his belief that the  entire process could  be complete                                                              
in six  months, because  "we have 38  energy producing  states, we                                                              
have 40  states with  concealed carry  shall-issue, [and]  we have                                                              
29 states  that have  filed suit against  Obama Care.  He referred                                                              
to Senator  Coghill's comment  about a "hair  on fire  moment, and                                                              
offered his  belief that the  country is  at that point.  He cited                                                              
Donald Trump  as an  example saying that  the anger nationwide  is                                                              
palatable.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
He encouraged the  committee to pass the legislation  today. "As a                                                              
point of  pride as an  Alaskan and as  an American, I  really want                                                              
to see Alaska leading the way on this," he said.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:37:26 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MCGUIRE  stated that she would  hold SCR 4 in  committee and                                                              
bring it up for a vote next week.