00                   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 12                                                                   
01 Proposing an amendment to the Uniform Rules of the Alaska State Legislature relating                                    
02 to voting.                                                                                                              
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04    * Section 1. Rule 34(b), Uniform Rules of the Alaska State Legislature, is amended to read:                        
05            (b)  Abstention and voting. Except as provided in this subsection, every                             
06       [EVERY] member present in the house shall vote. The following rules apply:                                    
07                 (1)  A member shall abstain from voting if the member reasonably                                    
08       believes that the member's vote on a question would constitute a violation of                                 
09       AS 24.60 (Legislative Ethics Act). Notice of the reason to excuse a member from                               
10       voting shall be made before the house divides or before the call for the yeas and                             
11       nays is commenced and shall be made by the member's making a brief oral                                       
12       statement of the reason that the member will abstain and the specific provision of                            
13       AS 24.60 that requires the member's abstention.                                                               
14                 (2)  Except as to circumstances that require abstention from voting                                 
15       as provided in (1) of this subsection, a member present in the house shall vote                               
16       unless the house for special reasons permits a member to abstain. All motions                                     
01       excusing a member from voting shall be made before the house divides or before the                                
02       call for the yeas and nays is commenced. A member requesting to be excused from                                   
03       voting may make a brief oral statement of the reasons for the request and the question                            
04       of granting permission to abstain shall be taken without further debate. A member may                             
05       not explain a vote, may not discuss the question while the yeas and nays are being                                
06       called, and may not change a vote after the roll call result has been announced. Upon                             
07       division and count of the house of any question, a member who is not within the                               
08       chamber may not be counted. A member may not be permitted to abstain under this                               
09       paragraph except upon the unanimous consent of the membership.