00 SENATE BILL NO. 161 01 "An Act relating to the withholding of salary of justices, judges, and magistrates; 02 relating to requiring prompt decisions by justices, judges, and magistrates; and relating 03 to judicial retention elections for judicial officers." 04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05  * Section 1. AS 15.58.020 is amended to read: 06 Sec. 15.58.020. Contents of pamphlet. Each election pamphlet must contain 07 (1) photographs and campaign statements submitted by eligible 08 candidates for elective office in the region and the following explanation concerning  09 AS 15.58.050(2) for each judicial officer who has not been issued a salary  10 warrant:  11 This judicial officer was not issued one or more salary warrants. In order  12 for each judicial officer to receive a salary, state law requires the judicial officer  13 to file an affidavit that no case or matter has been uncompleted or undecided by  14 the judicial officer for a period of more than four months and, if applicable, by  01 the appellate court of which the judicial officer is a member for a period of not  02 more than an additional four months; 03 (2) information and recommendations filed under AS 15.58.050 on 04 judicial officers subject to a retention election in the region; 05 (3) a map of the house district or districts of the region; 06 (4) sample ballots for house districts of the region; 07 (5) an absentee ballot application; 08 (6) for each ballot proposition submitted to the voters by initiative or 09 referendum petition or by the legislature, 10 (A) the full text of the proposition specifying constitutional or 11 statutory provisions proposed to be affected; 12 (B) the ballot title and the summary of the proposition prepared 13 by the director or by the lieutenant governor; 14 (C) a neutral summary of the proposition prepared by the 15 Legislative Affairs Agency; 16 (D) statements submitted that advocate voter approval or 17 rejection of the proposition not to exceed 500 words; 18 (7) for each bond question, a statement of the scope of each project as 19 it appears in the bond authorization; 20 (8) a maximum of two pages of material submitted by each political 21 party; 22 (9) additional information on voting procedures that the lieutenant 23 governor considers necessary; 24 (10) for the question whether a constitutional convention shall be 25 called, 26 (A) a full statement of the question placed on the ballot; 27 (B) statements not to exceed 500 words that advocate voter 28 approval or rejection of the question; 29 (11) under AS 37.13.170, the Alaska permanent fund annual income 30 statement and balance sheet for the two fiscal years preceding the publication of the 31 election pamphlet.  01  * Sec. 2. AS 15.58.050 is amended to read: 02 Sec. 15.58.050. Information and recommendations on judicial officers.  03 No later than August 7 of the year in which the state general election will be held, the 04 (1) judicial council shall file with the lieutenant governor a statement 05 including information about each supreme court justice, court of appeals judge, 06 superior court judge, and district court judge who will be subject to a retention 07 election; the [. THE] statement must [SHALL] reflect the evaluation of each justice 08 or judge conducted by the judicial council according to law and must [SHALL] 09 contain a brief statement describing each public reprimand, public censure, or 10 suspension received by the judge under AS 22.30.011(d) during the period covered in 11 the evaluation; each [. A] statement may not exceed 600 words;  12 (2) administrative director of the Alaska Court System shall file  13 with the lieutenant governor information about the timeliness of opinions or  14 decisions in matters referred to each supreme court justice, court of appeals  15 judge, superior court judge, and district court judge and the number of times  16 each justice or judge has not been issued a salary warrant due to the operation of  17 AS 22.05.140(b), AS 22.07.090(b), AS 22.10.190(b), or AS 22.15.220(c); the  18 information concerning timeliness of opinions or decisions must specify the  19 number of opinions or decisions rendered within four months, five through seven  20 months, eight through 12 months, and over 12 months following the trial,  21 hearing, or oral argument of the matter, or, if there is no trial, hearing, or oral  22 argument, within four months, five through seven months, eight through 12  23 months, and over 12 months following the last responsive document concerning  24 the matter permitted under court rules. 25  * Sec. 3. AS 22.05.140(b) is amended to read: 26 (b) A salary warrant may not be issued to a justice of the supreme court until 27 the justice has filed with the state officer designated to issue salary warrants an 28 affidavit that (1) no matter referred to the justice for opinion or decision has been 29 uncompleted or undecided by the justice for a period of more than four [SIX] months 30 following the oral argument of the matter or, if there is no oral argument, for a  31 period of more than four months following the filing of the last responsive  01 document concerning the matter permitted under the court rules, and (2) no  02 matter referred to the court for opinion or decision has been uncompleted or  03 undecided for a period of more than eight months following the oral argument of  04 the matter or, if there is no oral argument, for a period of more than eight  05 months following the filing of the last responsive document concerning the matter  06 permitted under the court rules. The affidavit must be submitted under oath,  07 must be in a form approved by the Department of Administration, and must  08 contain a statement that the affiant is aware that making a false statement in the  09 affidavit is punishable as perjury under AS 11.56.200. 10  * Sec. 4. AS 22.07.090(b) is amended to read: 11 (b) A salary warrant may not be issued to a judge of the court of appeals until 12 the judge has filed with the state officer designated to issue salary warrants an 13 affidavit that (1) no matter referred to the judge for opinion or decision has been 14 uncompleted or undecided by the judge for a period of more than four [SIX] months 15 following the oral argument of the matter or, if there is no oral argument, for a  16 period of more than four months following the filing of the last responsive  17 document concerning the matter permitted under the court rules, and (2) no  18 matter referred to the court for opinion or decision has been uncompleted or  19 undecided by the court for a period of more than eight months following the oral  20 argument of the matter or, if there is no oral argument, for a period of more than  21 eight months following the filing of the last responsive document concerning the  22 matter permitted under the court rules. The affidavit must be submitted under  23 oath, must be in a form approved by the Department of Administration, and  24 must contain a statement that the affiant is aware that making a false statement  25 in the affidavit is punishable as perjury under AS 11.56.200. 26  * Sec. 5. AS 22.10.190(b) is amended to read: 27 (b) A salary warrant may not be issued to a superior court judge until the 28 judge has filed with the state officer designated to issue salary warrants an affidavit 29 that no matter referred to the judge for opinion or decision has been uncompleted or 30 undecided by the judge for a period of more than four [SIX] months following the  31 trial, hearing, or oral argument of the matter or, if there is no trial, hearing, or  01 oral argument, for a period of more than four months following the filing of the  02 last responsive document concerning the matter permitted under the court rules.  03 The affidavit must be submitted under oath, must be in a form approved by the  04 Department of Administration, and must contain a statement that the affiant is  05 aware that making a false statement in the affidavit is punishable as perjury  06 under AS 11.56.200. 07  * Sec. 6. AS 22.15.220(c) is amended to read: 08 (c) A salary warrant may not be issued to a district judge or magistrate until 09 the judge or magistrate has filed with the state officer designated to issue salary 10 warrants [,] an affidavit that no matter referred to the judge or magistrate for opinion 11 or decision has been uncompleted or undecided by the judge or magistrate for a period 12 of more than four [SIX] months following the trial, hearing, or oral argument of  13 the matter or, if there is no trial, hearing, or oral argument, for a period of more  14 than four months following the filing of the last responsive document concerning  15 the matter permitted under the court rules. The affidavit must be submitted  16 under oath, must be in a form approved the Department of Administration, and  17 must contain a statement that the affiant is aware that making a false statement  18 in the affidavit is punishable as perjury under AS 11.56.200.