01/27/2011 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

        SB  18-DURATION OF REGULAR LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:06:00 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced consideration of SB 18.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GARY  STEVENS, sponsor  of  SB  18, explained  that  the                                                               
length of  sessions was  changed from  120 days to  90 by  a very                                                               
close vote of  the public. The problem he saw  last year was that                                                               
a lot  of bills died  that didn't have  time to be  fully vetted.                                                               
While  the bills  that passed  after  the ninety  day limit  were                                                               
determined  to  be  legal,  many were  passed  with  very  little                                                               
consideration,  and  no  opportunity  for  public  input.  He  is                                                               
concerned that the  legislature has been weakened  by this change                                                               
in session length.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
TIM  LAMKIN, staff  to Senator  Gary  Stevens, noted  that SB  18                                                               
strikes a compromise  between 90 and 120 days.  Until 1984, there                                                               
no limit on length of session: and  in 1984 the 120 day limit was                                                               
established. In 2006,  with the passage of ballot  measure 1, the                                                               
length of  sessions was changed to  90 days. That was  a very low                                                               
turnout  election year,  with  the turnout  being  the lowest  in                                                               
several  years. Following  the first  90-day session,  there were                                                               
two back-to-back  special sessions.  The arguments in  support of                                                               
passing the  ballot measure are  not proving to be  valid. Actual                                                               
cost of the legislature has increased.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:19:05 AM                                                                                                                    
MR. LAMKIN also noted that  currently, exactly half of the states                                                               
(twenty-five)  do  not  limit the  length  of  their  legislative                                                               
sessions,  and  that  Alaska  ranks  twenty-ninth  in  length  of                                                               
sessions. He  added that every  state is  unique and has  its own                                                               
set of  circumstances. SB  18 moves  us closer  to the  middle in                                                               
terms of session length. He  also pointed out that legislation to                                                               
shorten the  length of legislative  sessions has  been introduced                                                               
24 times since 1990, with no  success, and said that just because                                                               
a bill  doesn't pass,  that doesn't  mean it needs  to go  to the                                                               
ballot box.  Lots of bills that  don't get as much  attention are                                                               
not passed, but don't end up as ballot initiatives.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:22:04 AM                                                                                                                    
MR. LAMKIN stated  that since 2006 the candidate  pool has shrunk                                                               
by 20 percent, negating the  argument of shorter sessions leading                                                               
to greater  participation and more  candidates. In 2009,  a House                                                               
subcommittee concluded that strong  majority of those surveyed in                                                               
the House (both legislators and  staff) wanted to restore 120 day                                                               
sessions. He  also emphasized that, with  shorter sessions, power                                                               
shifts to the executive branch.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:25:02 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MEYER stated  that he is biased on this  issue, and would                                                               
prefer  to stay  with  90 day  sessions. He  said  he takes  very                                                               
seriously what  the voters said  they wanted, and noted  that the                                                               
legislature can always go to 120 days legally.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. LAMKIN noted that the initiative  passed by a very close vote                                                               
(50.8 percent  to 49.2 percent).  He agreed that  the legislature                                                               
has the right  to ignore statutes if it wants  to, and can always                                                               
extend by ten  days if it wants  to. He said that this  bill is a                                                               
compromise,  with a  90-day first  session and  a 120-day  second                                                               
session.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MEYER said that legislators are  paid a per diem, and the                                                               
per  diem is  for  90 days.  Therefore, he  asked,  why not  have                                                               
meetings on  Saturdays, since  they are paid  for seven  days per                                                               
week? He questioned whether other  state legislatures meet six or                                                               
seven  days per  week.  He  also noted  that,  compared to  other                                                               
states of similar population, Alaska  meets much more frequently.                                                               
But, he added, we are a newer  state and have more issues to deal                                                               
with, including complex oil and gas issues.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:30:42 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR PASKVAN  stated he used  to think  90 days was  more than                                                               
enough, but once  he was in the legislature  his opinion changed.                                                               
He noted  that, due  to time  constraints, often  legislators are                                                               
just skimming  the surface  of issues, and  not getting  into the                                                               
substance of  what is  really needed to  provide the  citizens of                                                               
Alaska with  the most efficient government  possible. This raises                                                               
a constitutional  issue, because  the legislature is  the policy-                                                               
making body.  He feels that,  for a young  state, 90 days  is not                                                               
adequate time.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:33:04 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  KOOKESH admitted  that he  is also  biased, and  that he                                                               
wants 120 days in both sessions.  He believes that ninety days is                                                               
not enough time  to meet constituents, but he does  like the idea                                                               
of a  compromise, with 90  days in the  first session and  120 in                                                               
the second.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GIESSEL asked why the bill had a zero fiscal note.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. LAMKIN  responded that the Legislative  Affairs Agency should                                                               
probably speak to the fiscal note,  but money is in the budget in                                                               
case of  special sessions,  meaning that the  extra costs  can be                                                               
absorbed within existing budget.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MENARD joined the meeting.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
PAM  VARNI,  Executive   Director,  Legislative  Affairs  Agency,                                                               
explained that in  2006, when the fiscal note  was done, $800,000                                                               
was set  aside for special  sessions, which could  be transferred                                                               
back into  personal services to  pay the  per diem for  a regular                                                               
session if the 120 day sessions were re-instituted.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR. LAMKIN  noted that,  with 120 day  sessions, the  decision to                                                               
call  a special  session  would require  asking for  supplemental                                                               
funds,  which  could be  an  incentive  not  to ask  for  special                                                               
sessions beyond the 120 day limit.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:37:03 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI  called for public  testimony. Seeing  that no                                                               
members of  the public wanted  to testify, he announced  he would                                                               
hold SB 18 in committee to allow public testimony.