HB 274-HEARINGS ON REFERENDA  [Contains discussion of SB 21.] 9:43:05 AM CHAIR LYNN announced that the next order of business was HOUSE BILL NO. 274, "An Act relating to public hearings on initiatives and referenda scheduled to appear on the ballot; and providing for an effective date." 9:43:42 AM REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT introduced HB 274 on behalf of the House Rules Standing Committee, sponsor. She said about four years ago the legislature passed House Bill 36, also called "the Open and Transparent Initiative Act," which made four changes to Alaska's initiative laws, but did not include referendums. She explained that referendums had not been used in several years, but now there is one on the books; therefore, HB 274 would add referendums, so that they have "the force of law" that initiatives have. REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT covered the portion of the Sectional Summary of HB 274 [included in the committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Section 1. Requires the lieutenant governor, if a referendum is scheduled to appear on the ballot, to hold at least two public hearings concerning the referendum in each judicial district of the state at least 30 days before the election. Establishes notice requirements and guidelines for the conduct of the hearings. Section 2. Requires a standing committee of the legislature to hold at least one hearing on each referendum that is scheduled to appear on the statewide ballot. Section 3. Specifies what must be included in a hearing held under AS 24.05.186 on an initiative or a referendum. Section 4. Applies the new requirements in section 1 of the bill to initiatives and referenda appearing on the ballot after the effective date of the Act. Applies sections 2 and 3 to initiatives and referenda on a ballot after the August 2014 primary. Section 5. Makes the bill's provisions effective immediately. 9:47:13 AM REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT, in response to the chair, indicated that the proposed legislation would apply to the primary election and General Election. REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said there was an onslaught of initiatives, addressing subjects including cruise ships and coastal zone management. She said although there is a single issue requirement for an initiative, the cruise ship initiative became very broad; it contained six different subjects. She said, "So, there were some changes made legislatively after two years, because a referendum and initiative can't be changed for two years." She said the proposed legislation would provide the public with the opportunity to know the purpose, intended effect, and cost to the state of a referendum. She offered her understanding that when House Bill 36 passed four years ago, it had the support of both bodies, with the exception of one person. REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said HB 274 has a zero fiscal note; the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, which will conduct the hearings around the state, has relayed it can absorb the cost of travel. She talked about an exception under law for those who cannot make it to a meeting place to participate telephonically and for a proxy to deliver testimony. 9:52:02 AM REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT said as sponsor of the initiative bill, she had attended three of the coastal zone management meetings with the lieutenant governor and was impressed by the amount of public involvement. She noted that there was a letter from the Alaska Municipal League (AML), in support of HB 274, in the committee packet. She suggested that [a representative of] AML could speak about the organization's appreciation of the opportunity to speak about initiatives that will affect municipalities. She expressed her hope that the proposed legislation would be moved through both bodies so that the current lieutenant governor could "start on the road to the current referendum that's out, which is SB 21." 9:53:31 AM CHAIR LYNN announced that HB 274 was held over.