01/26/2012 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

                     HB 287-ABSENTEE VOTING                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:25:27 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  announced that the  next order of business  was HOUSE                                                               
BILL NO. 287, "An Act relating to absentee voting."                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:25:38 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG, as sponsor,  stated that the purpose of                                                               
HB 287  is to make it  easier for people to  get mail-in absentee                                                               
ballots.   He noted  that he  would be  offering an  amendment to                                                               
delete  Section  1;  therefore,  he asked  Ms.  Bakalar  and  Ms.                                                               
Fenumiai to ignore  that section when commenting  on the proposed                                                               
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:26:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIBBY  BAKALAR,  Assistant  Attorney  General,  Labor  and  State                                                               
Affairs Section,  Civil Division  (Juneau), stated  that although                                                               
she  does  not, at  first  look,  see any  constitutional  issues                                                               
within HB  287, she  would prefer  to respond  in writing  to any                                                               
specific questions regarding constitutionality.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  said he  hopes that the  committee does                                                               
not vote on HB 287 today.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:28:46 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
GAIL  FENUMIAI, Director,  Division of  Elections, Office  of the                                                               
Lieutenant  Governor, in  response  to Representative  Gruenberg,                                                               
said the  division does not anticipate  any problems implementing                                                               
the  proposed legislation,  as written.   She  said the  division                                                               
currently  allows military  and overseas  voters to  extend their                                                               
absentee by-mail  applications for two general  elections; HB 287                                                               
would allow that opportunity for all  voters.  The act of casting                                                               
an absentee by-mail ballot would  then extend the application for                                                               
two years from the date that that ballot was cast.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:29:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced that HB 287 was set aside.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
                     HB 287-ABSENTEE VOTING                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:47:45 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  announced that  the final order  of business  was the                                                               
return to discussion  of HOUSE BILL NO. 287, "An  Act relating to                                                               
absentee voting."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:48:50 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  moved to  adopt Amendment 1,  to delete                                                               
Section 1 of SSHB 77.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN and KELLER objected.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG  explained that the intent  of Section 1                                                               
was  to help  obtain information  about people  who would  not be                                                               
entitled to  receive a permanent  fund dividend (PFD).   However,                                                               
the  director  of the  Alaska  Permanent  Fund Division,  Deborah                                                               
Bitney, wrote the following in a memorandum dated January 19,                                                                   
2012 [included in the committee packet]:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
      I appreciate your interest in assisting the division                                                                      
     with our audit process, but don't see this particular                                                                      
     approach producing the desired result.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG said he would like to strike Section 1                                                                 
to keep the bill simple.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:50:04 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN removed his objection.  [The objection                                                                  
stated by Representative Keller was treated as removed.]  There                                                                 
being no further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced that HB 287 was held over.