04/09/2022 10:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB161 | |
| HB412 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | SB 161 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 412 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
April 9, 2022
2:05 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Chair
Representative Geran Tarr
Representative Andi Story
Representative Sarah Vance
Representative James Kaufman
Representative David Eastman
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Matt Claman, Vice Chair
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 161(JUD)
"An Act relating to the definition of 'political party'; and
providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 412
"An Act relating to the confirmation of appointees to the Board
of Trustees of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation; relating
to the appointment of public members of the Alaska Industrial
Development and Export Authority; and providing for an effective
date."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 161
SHORT TITLE: POLITICAL PARTY DEFINITION
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) WIELECHOWSKI
01/18/22 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/22 (S) STA, JUD
02/17/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
02/17/22 (S) Heard & Held
02/17/22 (S) MINUTE(STA)
03/01/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/01/22 (S) -- MEETING CANCELED --
03/03/22 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/03/22 (S) Moved SB 161 Out of Committee
03/03/22 (S) MINUTE(STA)
03/04/22 (S) STA RPT 4NR 1DP
03/04/22 (S) NR: SHOWER, COSTELLO, REINBOLD, HOLLAND
03/04/22 (S) DP: KAWASAKI
03/14/22 (S) JUD AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/14/22 (S) Heard & Held
03/14/22 (S) MINUTE(JUD)
03/16/22 (S) JUD AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
03/16/22 (S) Moved CSSB 161(JUD) Out of Committee
03/16/22 (S) MINUTE(JUD)
03/18/22 (S) JUD RPT CS 1AM 3DP SAME TITLE
03/18/22 (S) AM: HOLLAND
03/18/22 (S) DP: MYERS, HUGHES, KIEHL
03/25/22 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)
03/25/22 (S) VERSION: CSSB 161(JUD)
04/04/22 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/04/22 (H) STA, JUD
04/05/22 (H) STA AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
04/05/22 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
04/09/22 (H) STA AT 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120
BILL: HB 412
SHORT TITLE: PERM FUND CORP & AIDEA BD CONFIRMATION
SPONSOR(s): STATE AFFAIRS
04/04/22 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/04/22 (H) STA, FIN
04/09/22 (H) STA AT 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120
WITNESS REGISTER
SENATOR BILL WIELECHOWSKI
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced CSSB 161(JUD), as the prime
sponsor.
DAVID DUNSMORE, Staff
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the hearing on
CSSB 161(JUD), on behalf of Senator Wielechowski, prime sponsor.
XANNIE BORSETH, Staff
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the sectional analysis for HB
412, on behalf of Representative Kreiss-Tomkins, prime sponsor.
EMILY NAUMAN, Deputy Director
Legislative Legal Services
Legislative Affairs Agency
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the hearing on HB
412.
ACTION NARRATIVE
2:05:02 PM
CHAIR JONATHAN KREISS-TOMKINS called the House State Affairs
Standing Committee meeting to order at 2:05 p.m.
Representatives Tarr, Kaufman, Eastman, Story, and Kreiss-
Tomkins were present at the call to order. Representative Vance
arrived as the meeting was in progress.
SB 161-POLITICAL PARTY DEFINITION
2:07:12 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that the first order of business
would be CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 161(JUD), "An Act relating to
the definition of 'political party'; and providing for an
effective date."
2:07:24 PM
SENATOR BILL WIELECHOWSKI, Alaska State Legislature, prime
sponsor, introduced CSSB 161(JUD). He paraphrased the sponsor
statement [included in the committee packet], which read in its
entirety as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Senate Bill 161 simplifies the process for political
parties gaining official recognition by recognizing
any party with at least 5,000 registered voters. This
bill would replace the current variable threshold with
a standard that is simple and consistent. The 5,000
threshold would be adjusted for population changes
after every 10 year census, and rounded to the nearest
500.
Currently political parties gain or maintain official
recognition by having registered voters equal to at
least 3% of the total votes cast for governor, U.S.
Senate, or U.S. House of Representatives in the last
election depending on which office was on the ballot
that year. This threshold can vary wildly from
election to election and after the 2020 election it
increased by 27% because of record voter turnout.
With the passage of Ballot Measure 2, official party
status will no longer be used to determine ballot
access for candidates for governor and lieutenant
governor, U.S. Congress, or Alaska State Legislature.
The only offices for which officially recognized
parties will have automatic ballot access are U.S.
president and vice president. Parties with much fewer
than 5,000 registered voter routinely secure ballot
access by petition and SB 161 will save the Division
of Elections the time and expense of reviewing
petitions for parties that have already demonstrated a
significant amount of support.
Officially recognized parties have the right to
purchase two pages in the Official Election Pamphlet,
to nominate poll workers and election board members,
and to have observers present at polling places and
counting centers. In addition, there are different
campaign finance limits and reporting requirements for
recognized parties and unrecognized parties. SB 161
ensures that this status is determined by a simple,
consistent, and easy to understand threshold.
Thank you for your consideration.
2:09:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether the bill sponsor had received
any feedback from the Division of Elections (DOE), Office of the
Lieutenant Governor.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI indicated that the division had not
commented on the proposed legislation.
2:10:48 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN asked why the legislature wouldn't afford
these benefits to groups of any size that wanted to participate
as a recognized party. He questioned why the threshold was set
at 5,000 registered voters.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said it was a policy call. He explained
that 5,000 was requested by a constituent. He addressed the
benefits of being a recognized party, including presidential
ballot access; the right to purchase two pages in the official
election pamphlet; the right to nominate poll workers and
election board members; and the right to have observers present
at polling places and counting centers. Additionally, campaign
finance limits and reporting limits were different for
recognized parties. For those reasons, he argued that
establishing a threshold was necessary to avoid logistical
problems, such as the size of the election pamphlet or a large
number of poll workers or election board members.
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN asked how many political groups were
competing to become an official party.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI deferred to Mr. Dunsmore.
2:13:10 PM
DAVID DUNSMORE, Staff, Senator Bill Wielechowski, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Senator Wielechowski, prime sponsor of
CSSB 161(JUD), estimated that the number of groups was between
8-12.
2:13:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked whether a sunset provision was
considered to account for population growth.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI noted that a change was made in the Senate
Judiciary Standing Committee to include an adjustment of the
5,000-voter threshold every 10 years to account for population
growth or decline.
2:14:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN suggested that registered voters was not
an appropriate metric.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI pointed out that prior to Ballot Measure 2,
political parties could attain status via registered voters or
securing a 3 percent threshold in the "top of the ticket"
election. After Ballot Measure 2, however, voters elected to
make registered voters the only qualification for achieving
recognized status.
2:17:23 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that CSSB 226(JUD) was held over.
HB 412-PERM FUND CORP & AIDEA BD CONFIRMATION
2:17:54 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that the final order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 412, "An Act relating to the
confirmation of appointees to the Board of Trustees of the
Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation; relating to the appointment
of public members of the Alaska Industrial Development and
Export Authority; and providing for an effective date."
2:18:31 PM
XANNIE BORSETH, Staff, Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins,
Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Kreiss-
Tomkins, prime sponsor, provided a sectional analysis of HB 412
[included in the committee packet], which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
Section 1 adds language to statute requiring the
public members of the Board of Trustees of the Alaska
Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC) to be separately
subject to confirmation by a majority of the members
of the legislature in a joint session.
Section 2 states that public members of the Board of
Trustees of APFC who are reappointed are subject to
confirmation by a majority of the members of the
legislature in a joint session.
Section 3 deals with vacancies of the Board of
Trustees of APFC and asserts that (1) a vacancy on the
board which has been filled by appointment by the
governor will then be subject to confirmation by a
majority of the members of the legislature in a joint
session; and (2) if a vacancy occurs while the
legislature is not in session, the governor may
appoint an interim board member who shall exercise the
powers of the board member until the next session of
the legislature, at which time the name of the interim
board member shall be presented to the legislature for
appointment.
Section 4 adds language to statute asserting the
membership of the authority consists of the five
public members of the board of the Alaska Industrial
Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) appointed by
the governor and confirmed by a majority of the
members of the legislature in a joint session.
Section 5 amends uncodified law by adding this section
which addresses applicability of the bill:
(a) this act does not apply to members of the Board of
Trustees of APFC who are serving on the effective date
of this Act; (b) on or after the effective date of
this Act, members of the board who are reappointed
shall be confirmed by a majority of the members of the
legislature in joint session; (c) this Act does not
apply to members of AIDEA who are serving on the
effective date of this Act; and (d) in this section,
"board" means, "the Board of Trustees of the Alaska
Permanent Fund Corporation."
Section 6 establishes an effective date of January 1,
2023.
2:20:43 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS said he would be drafting an amendment that
adjusted the effective date to make it prior to the ending of
the current gubernatorial term.
2:21:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE directed attention to Section 3, which
provided that the governor "may" appoint an interim board member
to fill a vacancy on the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation
(APFC) Board of Trustees. She opined that additional
clarification would be helpful, suggesting that the appointment
should be made within 30 days [of the vacancy] to avoid
ambiguity and an empty seat on the board.
2:22:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN asked whether the word "promptly" on page
2, line 8 of the bill applied to the legislative confirmation
process in addition to the governor's appointments. He
suggested "nudging" the legislature to conduct its confirmations
expeditiously.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS questioned what "nudges" would affect
change in that regard.
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN asked whether the reappointment process
was followed by both the Alaska Industrial Development and
Export Authority (AIDEA) and APFC.
MS. BORSETH explained that three sections in statute applied to
APFC, one of which directly addressed reappointment. She
indicated that if the bill were to pass, the provision regarding
reappointment would apply to AIDEA in addition to APFC.
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN asked whether the current process was
broad enough to "encompass some of the same actions that we're
looking at with regard to the permanent fund board, or do they
just have a different way of doing things?"
MS. BORSETH deferred to Ms. Nauman.
2:25:56 PM
EMILY NAUMAN, Deputy Director, Legislative Legal Services,
Legislative Affairs Agency, reiterated that the AIDEA statutes
were silent as to reappointment; however, no statute prohibited
a member of AIDEA from being reappointed. She said the process
would work the same way for AIDEA as it did for APFC.
2:26:49 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMPKINS announced HB 412 would be held over.
2:27:16 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
State Affairs Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 2:27
p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 412 Sectional Analysis.pdf |
HSTA 4/9/2022 10:00:00 AM |
HB 412 |
| HB 412 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HSTA 4/9/2022 10:00:00 AM |
HB 412 |
| HB 412 Version B.PDF |
HSTA 4/9/2022 10:00:00 AM |
HB 412 |
| SB 161 Version B.PDF |
HSTA 4/9/2022 10:00:00 AM |
SB 161 |
| SB 161 Supporting Document - Research Parties on Presidential Ballots 1.24.2022.pdf |
HJUD 4/27/2022 1:00:00 PM HSTA 4/9/2022 10:00:00 AM |
SB 161 |
| SB 161 Supporting Document - Research Graph 1.24.2022.pdf |
HJUD 4/27/2022 1:00:00 PM HSTA 4/9/2022 10:00:00 AM |
SB 161 |
| SB 161 Hearing Request 03.28.22.pdf |
HSTA 4/9/2022 10:00:00 AM |
SB 161 |
| SB 161 Fiscal Note OOG-DOE-2-12-22.PDF |
HSTA 4/9/2022 10:00:00 AM |
SB 161 |
| SB 161 Sponsor Statement Version B.pdf |
HSTA 4/9/2022 10:00:00 AM |
SB 161 |
| SB 161 Response to House State Affairs Questions.pdf |
HSTA 4/9/2022 10:00:00 AM |
SB 161 |