02/06/2014 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

                  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.