03/30/2010 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

          HB 128-INTRODUCTION OF MEASURES/FISCAL NOTES                                                                      
        HCR  8-UNIFORM RULES: MEASURE SPONSORS/READINGS                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:38:51 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced  that last order of business  was HOUSE BILL                                                               
NO.  128 "An  Act relating  to  introduction of  measures and  to                                                               
fiscal notes for measures."; and  HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.                                                               
8 Proposing amendments  to the Uniform Rules of  the Alaska State                                                               
Legislature  relating to  withdrawing  measures,  to sponsors  of                                                               
measures, to  prefiling measures,  and to  the three  readings of                                                               
bills.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:40:02 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTO  moved  to  adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute (CS)  for HCR 8,  Version 26-LS0366\C,  Cook, 3/25/10,                                                               
as a work draft.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON objected for discussion purposes.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:40:18 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TED  MADSEN, Staff,  Representative Max  Gruenberg, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, explained the  changes that would be made  to HCR 8,                                                               
through Version  C.   First, he  noted, on  page 3,  lines 10-14,                                                               
language  would be  added to  describe when  a member  may remove                                                               
his/her  name  as sponsor,  joint  prime  sponsor, cosponsor,  or                                                               
cross cosponsor  of a measure.   The  second change would  be the                                                               
removal of Section 4, which  addressed the first reading of bills                                                               
and  resolutions.     He  said  that  change  was   made  at  the                                                               
recommendation of Representative Seaton.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:41:13 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON removed  his  objection.   There being  no                                                               
further objection, Version  C was before the committee  as a work                                                               
draft.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:41:23 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG,  sponsor, said  both HB  128 and  HCR 8                                                               
are  companion  pieces  that  could   be  considered  during  the                                                               
interim.  He  explained that HCR 8 is a  vehicle for changes that                                                               
would have  to be made  through a resolution,  while HB 128  is a                                                               
vehicle for changes that would have to be made in statute.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:41:55 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRUENBERG reviewed  the  issues  of the  proposed                                                               
legislation.  First he said, is  the question of how many members                                                               
it  should take  to  move a  bill out  of  committee, whether  it                                                               
should be a  majority of those present or a  majority of the full                                                               
committee.   He opined that  whatever decision is made  should be                                                               
required for all  committees and should not be an  issue that can                                                               
be overridden by  the chair of the committee.   A second issue to                                                               
consider, he said, has to  do with teleconferencing for those who                                                               
are not  present "or work  during the  interim."  He  said Tamara                                                               
Cook, the  director of Legislative  Legal and  Research Services,                                                               
found related  legislation, House Concurrent Resolution  60, from                                                               
the  Fourteenth  Alaska State  Legislature.    Further issues  to                                                               
consider  are  the  procedures  used  on the  House  floor.    He                                                               
explained that  at one time,  both Congress and the  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature addressed members on the  floor by naming their state                                                               
or  district, respectively.    Now, the  U.S.  Senate calls  each                                                               
other  by name,  but the  Alaska State  Legislature continues  to                                                               
call each  other by district number.   He said it  would make the                                                               
system more "user friendly" to call each other by name.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:44:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG expressed interest  in ensuring that the                                                               
titles of  measures are  kept sufficiently  narrow, to  avoid the                                                               
problems that  result when  unrelated issues  get "tacked  on" to                                                               
legislation.    In response  to  a  question from  Representative                                                               
Wilson,  he said  the  word  "measure" is  used  in the  proposed                                                               
legislation, because it  can mean a bill or resolution.   He said                                                               
the  idea was  raised when  discussing prefiling  of legislation.                                                               
Representative Gruenberg  stated, "If  we leave one  thing behind                                                               
us, I would hope it's a legislature that's good, that's strong,                                                                 
that functions well, and that's user-friendly for us and the                                                                    
public."                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:46:40 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced that both HCR 8 and HB 128 were held over.