02/25/2011 01:30 PM Senate JUDICIARY

           SB  39-U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION COMPACT                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:53:21 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  FRENCH  announced  the  consideration  of  SB  39.  Public                                                               
testimony was taken  and closed at the  previous hearing. Finding                                                               
no discussion or amendments, he asked the will of the committee.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:53:32 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI  moved to report  SB 39 from  committee with                                                               
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s).                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:53:42 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR COGHILL  objected. He said  the question is if  this will                                                               
be a country  of states or a country of  a general population and                                                               
his option  is to remain a  country of states. He  disagrees with                                                               
compacting  out state  responsibilities. He  said he  appreciated                                                               
the lively  debate and  he can understand  how some  people could                                                               
agree with this, but he isn't one of those.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:54:22 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  FRENCH  responded  that   the  founders  envisioned  state                                                               
legislatures  exercising the  prerogative to  think about  better                                                               
ways  of doing  business. This  is one  of the  few aspects  of a                                                               
legislature's  work  that is  delegated  directly  from the  U.S.                                                               
Constitution.  State legislators  have  the  authority to  better                                                               
shape how to award electors. He  personally wants to see a system                                                               
that makes certain that the person  sitting in the White House is                                                               
the person who  got the most votes because any  other result is a                                                               
travesty. This is a step in that direction.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:55:27 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR FRENCH  asked the clerk to  call the roll on  the motion to                                                               
move SB 39 from committee.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
A roll call vote was  taken.  Senators Wielechowski, Paskvan, and                                                               
French voted in  favor of moving SB 39 and  Senator Coghill voted                                                               
against  it. Therefore,  SB 39  was  reported out  of the  Senate                                                               
Judiciary Standing Committee by a vote of 3-1.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:55:57 PM                                                                                                                    
There being  no further  business to  come before  the committee,                                                               
Chair French adjourned the meeting at 2:55 p.m.