03/16/2020 09:00 AM House FINANCE

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 15                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     "Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the                                                                         
     State of Alaska relating to actions upon veto."                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:31:37 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Johnston  asked for a  brief reintroduction  of the                                                                    
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JONATHAN  KREISS-TOMPKINS, SPONSOR, explained                                                                    
that the  resolution would create a  uniform two-thirds veto                                                                    
override threshold.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Josephson  supported  and  co-sponsored  the                                                                    
bill. He stated  that when the language had  been drafted in                                                                    
December  1955/January   1956  the   state  had   felt  more                                                                    
insecure. He detailed that according  to Gordon Harrison and                                                                    
other  scholars,  the state  felt  it  needed the  strongest                                                                    
possible  governor, which  the state  now had.  He discussed                                                                    
that other states had an  elected statewide treasurer, lands                                                                    
commissioner,  secretary  of  state, and  attorney  general,                                                                    
which resulted  in more diffused  power. He noted  that some                                                                    
states  had  a separately  elected  court  system, which  he                                                                    
opposed. He supported pulling back  the reigns on the strong                                                                    
governor model ever so slightly.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Josephson  believed  in some  respects,  the                                                                    
change would save  a governor acting in  an extreme position                                                                    
from himself or herself to  some degree. He highlighted that                                                                    
the previous session there had  been a divided capital issue                                                                    
between  Juneau and  Wasilla. He  elaborated that  there had                                                                    
been 16  people who  could interfere with  the wishes  of 44                                                                    
[legislators].  He  thought  it   took  the  rights  of  the                                                                    
Minority  a little  far. He  recalled that  at the  time the                                                                    
legislature  had  been  looking  at  the  [governor's]  $138                                                                    
million veto  to the  university. He  stated, "I'm  not sure                                                                    
that wouldn't have happened. That  is, that we couldn't have                                                                    
overridden that."  He opined that  to be the outlier  of the                                                                    
50 states did not have merit.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
9:34:12 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Foster MOVED  to REPORT  HJR 15  out of  committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations  and the accompanying fiscal                                                                    
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Representative Tilton OBJECTED. She  read a Thomas Jefferson                                                                    
quote from his 1801 inaugural address:                                                                                          
     All too  will bear in  mind the sacred  principle, that                                                                    
     though  the will  of the  majority is  in all  cases to                                                                    
     prevail,   that  will,   to   be   rightful,  must   be                                                                    
     reasonable;  that the  minority  possesses their  equal                                                                    
     rights, which  equal law must  protect, and  to violate                                                                    
     would be oppression.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Tilton  found  it   curious  there  were  15                                                                    
constitutional  amendments sitting  that had  been initiated                                                                    
by  the House,  and  HJR 15  was  the only  one  to make  it                                                                    
through  the committees  of referral.  The  majority of  the                                                                    
others  addressed  the  Permanent Fund  Dividend  and  other                                                                    
constitutional    amendments    that   would    bring    the                                                                    
constitutional  spending   limit  current.  She   had  heard                                                                    
reference  that  there  were   many  states  with  the  same                                                                    
threshold. She countered that Alaska  was not like all other                                                                    
states.  She  pointed  out that  Alaska's  constitution  was                                                                    
regarded as one  of the best, most  succinct, and articulate                                                                    
constitutions in  the U.S.  She did  not support  looking at                                                                    
what  other states  were doing  and comporting  to a  lesser                                                                    
document.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:36:07 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
A roll call vote was taken on the motion.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
IN FAVOR: Wool,  Josephson,  Knopp,  LeBon,  Ortiz,  Foster,                                                                    
Johnston                                                                                                                        
OPPOSED: Sullivan-Leonard, Tilton, Carpenter, Merrick                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
The MOTION PASSED (7/4).                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
There being  NO further OBJECTION,  HJR 15 was  REPORTED out                                                                    
of committee  with seven "do pass"  recommendations and four                                                                    
"do  not  pass"  recommendations  and  with  one  previously                                                                    
published zero note: FN1 (GOV).                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
9:37:01 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:38:17 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED