04/04/2024 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

           HCR 13-RECOGNIZING NCSL ON 50TH ANNIVERSARY                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:06:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE CONCURRENT  RESOLUTION NO.  13, Recognizing  and commending                                                               
the  National  Conference  of  State  Legislatures  on  its  50th                                                               
anniversary in 2025.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:06:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DAN  SADDLER, Alaska  State Legislature,  as prime                                                               
sponsor,  presented HCR  13.   He  provided  a sponsor  statement                                                               
[included  in  the  committee  packet],  which  read  as  follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The  National Conference  of State  Legislatures (NCSL)                                                                    
     was created in 1975 by  seven state legislators and two                                                                    
     staffers, who had a vision  for a single, national non-                                                                    
     partisan   organization    dedicated   to   supporting,                                                                    
     defending and strengthening state legislatures.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
         NCSL has since grown into the leading national                                                                         
      institution for state legislatures. It serves all 50                                                                      
     states and the District  of Columbia, providing elected                                                                    
     officials  and staff  with  policy research,  training,                                                                    
     technical  assistance and  collaboration opportunities.                                                                    
     Every state  legislator and staffer is  automatically a                                                                    
     member of  NCSL, and has  access to  the organization's                                                                    
     wide array of services and resources.                                                                                      
     Working   from  its   Colorado  headquarters   and  its                                                                    
     satellite  office in  Washington  D.C.,  NCSL works  to                                                                    
     strengthen   the    independence,   effectiveness   and                                                                    
     integrity   of  legislatures,   to  foster   interstate                                                                    
     cooperation among  legislatures, and to  facilitate the                                                                    
     exchange  of   information  among   legislatures,  both                                                                    
     within the  U.S. and  with state-level  legislatures in                                                                    
     other nations.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     NCSL   further  represents   the   interest  of   state                                                                    
     legislatures  in  their   relations  with  the  federal                                                                    
     government,   most   notably   in  support   of   state                                                                    
     sovereignty,  state  flexibility  and  protection  from                                                                    
     unfunded  federal  mandates   and  unwarranted  federal                                                                    
     preemption.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     House  Concurrent Resolution  13 commends  the National                                                                    
     Conference of  State Legislatures  for its 50  years of                                                                    
     service to state legislators and staff.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER  explained  that  HCR  13  expresses  the                                                               
Alaska  State Legislature's  acknowledgement  and celebration  of                                                               
the  fiftieth anniversary  of the  National  Conference of  State                                                               
Legislatures (NCSL).   He explained  that NCSL  provides training                                                               
for  legislators and  their  staff  members, fosters  cooperation                                                               
among  state  legislatures, and  conducts  policy  research.   He                                                               
noted his  participation in many  conferences that  have provided                                                               
valuable perspectives.   He said  in 2023, 37 legislators  and 89                                                               
legislative staff participated in NCSL events and training.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:10:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD  asked if Representative Saddler  is on the                                                               
board of NCSL.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER said  he  was recently  named the  Alaska                                                               
Representative to the Executive Committee of NCSL.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD  stated that she  does not agree  with NCSL                                                               
and claimed that the organization is partisan.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:10:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:10 p.m. to 3:11 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:11:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY commented  about  her positive  experiences                                                               
utilizing  NCSL's resources  to conduct  research about  policies                                                               
passed in other states.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   SADDLER  mentioned   that  NCSL   has  performed                                                               
research  requests in  175 instances  for  Alaska legislators  or                                                               
staffers in the last three years.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARRICK commented  that she  has benefitted  from                                                               
NCSL's training  content even  when she has  not agreed  with it.                                                               
She  highlighted  that  NCSL  contributes  to  legislative  staff                                                               
training.   She recollected  her previous role  as a  staffer and                                                               
explained that  she found  the training  offered to  be extremely                                                               
valuable.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   SADDLER  emphasized   the  increased   value  of                                                               
legislative staff  through the work of  NCSL.  He said  that NCSL                                                               
is a good forum for Alaska  legislators and staff to network with                                                               
lawmakers from the Lower 48  and get new perspectives on Alaska's                                                               
problems.  He said that NCSL prides itself on being nonpartisan.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:14:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WRIGHT moved  to  report HCR  13 from  committee,                                                               
with individual  recommendations and  the attached  fiscal notes.                                                               
There  being no  objection, HCR  13 was  reported from  the House                                                               
State Affairs Standing Committee.