03/18/2014 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

        HB 310-U.S. CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION DELEGATES                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
                [Contains discussion of HJR 22]                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:05:33 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  announced the only  order of business was  HOUSE BILL                                                               
NO.  310,  "An  Act  relating  to the  selection  and  duties  of                                                               
delegates to a United States constitutional convention."                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:06:01 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  noted that there  was a committee substitute  (CS) to                                                               
HB 310, labeled  28-LS0991\N, Gardner, 3/14/14, and  he asked the                                                               
sponsor what  changes to the original  bill were made in  the CS,                                                               
Version N.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
8:06:09 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TAMMIE WILSON, Alaska  State Legislature, as prime                                                               
sponsor, presented HB 310.  In  response to Chair Lynn, she noted                                                               
that three changes  were proposed in Version N.   The first would                                                               
replace   "United   States    constitutional   convention"   with                                                               
"convention of  the states"  [where it appears  in the  title and                                                               
body  of  the proposed  legislation].    She explained  that  the                                                               
change was made in order to  match [HJR 22].  The second proposed                                                               
change  would amend  language regarding  delegates so  that there                                                               
would be two delegates and two  alternates.  The third change was                                                               
the deletion of the language on  page 2, line 15, of the original                                                               
bill,  which  read as  follows:    "(e) Delegates  and  alternate                                                               
delegates serve  without compensation."   She explained  that she                                                               
had spoken with  Legislative Legal and Research  Services and was                                                               
told  that  as  long  as  there  was  no  language  in  the  bill                                                               
[addressing the  issue of compensation],  then "it  would require                                                               
them to speak  about it at that time and  make that determination                                                               
on compensation."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:06:56 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ISAACSON   asked  what  the  rationale   was  for                                                               
proposing two delegates.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:07:24 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  T. WILSON  reviewed  that the  committee [at  the                                                               
last  hearing of  HB  310, on  3/13/14]  expressed concern  about                                                               
which  delegate  would take  the  punishment,  which could  be  a                                                               
[Class C]  felony, for  not voting  as directed  by the  State of                                                               
Alaska, if there were multiple  delegates sent to the convention.                                                               
She indicated that between that  hearing and today's hearing, she                                                               
asked  several people  in  the capitol  how  many delegates  they                                                               
thought should be appointed, and  the consensus seemed to be two.                                                               
She said other  states have written similar bills,  in which they                                                               
have decided upon two delegates as the appropriate number.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   ISAACSON  noted   that  two   Founding  Fathers,                                                               
Benjamin  Franklin and  Thomas Jefferson,  had  gone together  to                                                               
France.   He ventured  that two  probably is  a good  number, but                                                               
said he  would be  concerned if  the number  was dropped  to one,                                                               
because "one  doesn't really have  anything to sharpen  ones wits                                                               
with."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
8:08:39 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KELLER  moved  to adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)  for  HB   310,  Version  28-LS0991/N,  Gardner,                                                               
3/14/14, as  a work draft.   There being no objection,  Version N                                                               
was before the committee.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
8:08:53 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  reopened public testimony  [which had been  closed on                                                               
3/13/14].  He  ascertained that there was no one  else who wished                                                               
to testify.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER  moved to report  (CS) for HB  310, Version                                                               
28-LS0991/N, Gardner,  3/14/14, out of committee  with individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no objection, CSHB  310(STA) was reported out of  the House State                                                               
Affairs Standing Committee.