00                       CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 355(JUD)                                                                    
01 "An Act relating to the membership of, and member qualifications for, the Alaska                                        
02 Public Offices Commission; relating to candidate forums and contributions in state                                      
03 election campaigns; and providing for an effective date."                                                               
04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
05    * Section 1. AS 15.13.020(a) is amended to read:                                                                   
06            (a)  There is created in the Department of Administration the Alaska Public                                  
07       Offices Commission consisting of five voting members and two nonvoting advisory                           
08       members. The governor shall appoint all members of the commission in the manner                               
09       prescribed in (b) and (c) of this section, subject to confirmation by a majority of the                           
10       legislature meeting in joint session.                                                                             
11    * Sec. 2. AS 15.13.020(a), as amended by sec. 1 of this Act, is amended to read:                                   
12            (a)  There is created in the Department of Administration the Alaska Public                                  
13       Offices Commission consisting of five [VOTING] members [AND TWO                                                   
14       NONVOTING ADVISORY MEMBERS]. The governor shall appoint all members of                                            
01       the commission in the manner prescribed in (b) and (c) of this section, subject to                                
02       confirmation by a majority of the legislature meeting in joint session.                                           
03    * Sec. 3. AS 15.13.020(b) is amended to read:                                                                      
04            (b)  The governor shall appoint three [TWO] members of each of the two                                   
05       political parties whose candidate for governor received the highest number of votes in                            
06       the most recent preceding general election at which a governor was elected. Two                               
07       appointed members of each political party shall be voting members of the                                      
08       commission, and one appointed member from each political party shall be a                                     
09       nonvoting advisory member with extensive experience in the financing of political                             
10       campaigns and compliance with disclosure and reporting requirements. The two                                  
11       voting member appointees from each of these two parties shall be chosen from a list                           
12       of four names to be submitted by the central committee of each party. The nonvoting                           
13       advisory member appointee from each party shall be chosen from a list of three                                
14       names submitted by the central committee of each party. All names submitted by                                
15       the central committee of each party, whether for voting or nonvoting positions,                               
16       shall be of persons with experience working on political campaigns and the                                    
17       reporting requirements of this chapter.                                                                       
18    * Sec. 4. AS 15.13.020(b), as amended by sec. 3 of this Act, is amended to read:                                   
19            (b)  The governor shall appoint two [THREE] members of each of the two                                   
20       political parties whose candidate for governor received the highest number of votes in                            
21       the most recent preceding general election at which a governor was elected. [TWO                                  
22       APPOINTED MEMBERS OF EACH POLITICAL PARTY SHALL BE VOTING                                                         
23       MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION, AND ONE APPOINTED MEMBER FROM                                                          
24       EACH POLITICAL PARTY SHALL BE A NONVOTING ADVISORY MEMBER                                                         
25       WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE FINANCING OF POLITICAL                                                           
26       CAMPAIGNS AND COMPLIANCE WITH DISCLOSURE AND REPORTING                                                            
27       REQUIREMENTS.] The two [VOTING MEMBER] appointees from each of these                                              
28       two parties shall be chosen from a list of four names to be submitted by the central                              
29       committee of each party. [THE NONVOTING ADVISORY MEMBER APPOINTEE                                                 
30       FROM EACH PARTY SHALL BE CHOSEN FROM A LIST OF THREE NAMES                                                        
31       SUBMITTED BY THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF EACH PARTY.] All names                                                      
01       submitted by the central committee of each party [, WHETHER FOR VOTING OR                                         
02       NONVOTING POSITIONS,] shall be of persons with experience working on political                                    
03       campaigns and the reporting requirements of this chapter.                                                         
04    * Sec. 5. AS 15.13.020(c) is amended to read:                                                                      
05            (c)  The four voting members selected under (b) of this section shall, by a                              
06       majority vote, nominate to the governor an individual to serve as the seventh [FIFTH]                         
07       member of the commission, who shall be a voting member. The governor shall either                             
08       appoint the nominee to the commission, or shall reject the nominee and request those                              
09       four members to nominate another individual to serve as the seventh [FIFTH] member                            
10       of the commission.                                                                                                
11    * Sec. 6. AS 15.13.020(c), as amended by sec. 5 of this Act, is amended to read:                                   
12            (c)  The four [VOTING] members selected under (b) of this section shall, by a                                
13       majority vote, nominate to the governor an individual to serve as the fifth                                   
14       [SEVENTH] member of the commission [, WHO SHALL BE A VOTING                                                       
15       MEMBER]. The governor shall either appoint the nominee to the commission, or shall                                
16       reject the nominee and request those four members to nominate another individual to                               
17       serve as the fifth [SEVENTH] member of the commission.                                                        
18    * Sec. 7. AS 15.13.020(d) is amended to read:                                                                      
19            (d)  Members of the commission serve staggered terms of five years, or until a                               
20       successor is appointed and qualifies. The terms of no two voting members who are                              
21       members of the same political party may expire in consecutive years. A member may                                 
22       not serve more than one term. However, a person appointed to fill the unexpired term                              
23       of a predecessor may be appointed to a successive full five-year term.                                            
24    * Sec. 8. AS 15.13.020(d), as amended by sec. 7 of this Act, is amended to read:                                   
25            (d)  Members of the commission serve staggered terms of five years, or until a                               
26       successor is appointed and qualifies. The terms of no two [VOTING] members who                                    
27       are members of the same political party may expire in consecutive years. A member                                 
28       may not serve more than one term. However, a person appointed to fill the unexpired                               
29       term of a predecessor may be appointed to a successive full five-year term.                                       
30    * Sec. 9. AS 15.13.020(g) is amended to read:                                                                      
31            (g)  The voting members of the commission shall elect a chairperson. Three                           
01       voting members of the commission constitute a quorum. A vacancy does not impair                               
02       the powers of the remaining members to exercise all of the powers of the commission.                              
03    * Sec. 10. AS 15.13.020(g), as amended by sec. 9 of this Act, is amended to read:                                  
04            (g)  The [VOTING] members [OF THE COMMISSION] shall elect a                                                  
05       chairperson. Three [VOTING] members of the commission constitute a quorum. A                                      
06       vacancy does not impair the powers of the remaining members to exercise all of the                                
07       powers of the commission.                                                                                         
08    * Sec. 11. AS 15.13.150 is amended to read:                                                                        
09            Sec. 15.13.150. Election educational activities not prohibited. This chapter                               
10       does not prohibit a person from engaging in educational election-related                                          
11       communications and activities, including                                                                          
12                 (1)  the publication of the date and location of an election;                                           
13                 (2)  the education of students about voting and elections;                                              
14                 (3)  the sponsorship of [OPEN] candidate debate forums open to the                                  
15       public;                                                                                                       
16                 (4)  participation in get-out-the-vote or voter registration drives that do                             
17       not favor a particular candidate, political party, or political position;                                         
18                 (5)  the dissemination of the views of all candidates running for a                                     
19       particular office.                                                                                                
20    * Sec. 12. AS 15.13.400(4) is amended to read:                                                                     
21                 (4)  "contribution"                                                                                     
22                      (A)  means a purchase, payment, promise or obligation to pay,                                      
23            loan or loan guarantee, deposit or gift of money, goods, or services for which                               
24            charge is ordinarily made, and includes the payment by a person other than a                                 
25            candidate or political party, or compensation for the personal services of                                   
26            another person, that is rendered to the candidate or political party, and that is                            
27            made for the purpose of                                                                                      
28                           (i)  influencing the nomination or election of a                                              
29                 candidate;                                                                                              
30                           (ii)  influencing a ballot proposition or question; or                                        
31                           (iii)  supporting or opposing an initiative proposal                                          
01                 application filed with the lieutenant governor under AS 15.45.020;                                      
02                      (B)  does not include                                                                              
03                           (i)  services provided without compensation by                                                
04                 individuals volunteering a portion or all of their time on behalf of a                                  
05                 political party, candidate, or ballot proposition or question;                                          
06                           (ii)  ordinary hospitality in a home;                                                         
07                           (iii)  two or fewer mass mailings before each election by                                     
08                 each political party describing the party's slate of candidates for                                     
09                 election, which may include photographs, biographies, and information                                   
10                 about the party's candidates;                                                                           
11                           (iv)  the results of a poll limited to issues and not                                         
12                 mentioning any candidate, unless the poll was requested by or designed                                  
13                 primarily to benefit the candidate;                                                                     
14                           (v)  any communication in the form of a newsletter from                                       
15                 a legislator to the legislator's constituents, except a communication                                   
16                 expressly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate or a                                         
17                 newsletter or material in a newsletter that is clearly only for the private                             
18                 benefit of a legislator or a legislative employee; [OR]                                                 
19                           (vi)  a fundraising list provided without compensation                                        
20                 by one candidate or political party to a candidate or political party; or                           
21                           (vii)  an opportunity to participate in a candidate                                       
22                 forum provided to a candidate without compensation to the                                           
23                 candidate by another person and for which a candidate is not                                        
24                 ordinarily charged;                                                                                 
25    * Sec. 13. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to                         
26 read:                                                                                                                   
27       MEMBERS OF THE ALASKA PUBLIC OFFICES COMMISSION; TRANSITION;                                                      
28 STAGGERED TERMS. Notwithstanding AS 15.13.020, as amended by secs. 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9                                    
29 of this Act, a member of the commission serving on the effective date of sec. 1 of this Act                             
30 remains in office for the duration of the term to which appointed and confirmed. Within 90                              
31 days after the effective date of sec. 1 of this Act, the central committee of each of the two                           
01 political parties whose candidates for governor received the highest number of votes in the                             
02 most recent preceding election at which a governor was elected shall submit to the governor a                           
03 list of three nominees for the two additional nonvoting seats on the commission. The governor                           
04 shall appoint one nonvoting member to a three-year term and one nonvoting member to a                                   
05 five-year term. The governor shall specify the term of each of the nonvoting members                                    
06 appointed subject to this section.                                                                                      
07    * Sec. 14. Sections 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 of this Act take effect five years from the effective date                  
08 of sec. 1 of this Act.