02/11/2025 01:30 PM Senate COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

                SB  63-LOCAL BOUNDARY COMMISSION                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:34:55 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   MERRICK  reconvened   the  meeting   and  announced   the                                                               
consideration  of SENATE  BILL NO.  63  "An Act  relating to  the                                                               
Local Boundary Commission; and providing for an effective date."                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MERRICK invited  the bill  sponsor  and his  staff to  put                                                               
themselves on record and introduce the bill.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:35:16 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  MIKE  CRONK,  District   R,  Alaska  State  Legislature,                                                               
Juneau,  Alaska,  sponsor of  SB  63,  paraphrased the  following                                                               
sponsor summary:                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Senate Bill 63  is the final product  of last session's                                                                    
     HB  279, which  passed the  House unanimously,  made it                                                                    
     through   the   Senate   committee  process   and   was                                                                    
     calendared  for Senate  Floor vote,  but the  clock ran                                                                    
     out  before it  could  be  voted on.  SB  63 is  adding                                                                    
     language to exiting statute to accomplish three goals:                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     1.) To ensure commissioners  appointed from each of the                                                                    
         four Judicial Districts actually live in and vote                                                                      
         in the Judicial District from which they are                                                                           
         appointed.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     2.) To create an additional  seat on the Commission and                                                                    
         ensure that at least one of the six Commissioners                                                                      
         come from the Unorganized Borough.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     3.) To  change statute  regarding the selection  of the                                                                    
         Commission   chair.    Instead    of   the    chair                                                                    
         automatically being the  member from the  state at-                                                                    
         large, the chair of the  commission will be elected                                                                    
         from amongst its members.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Note:  The  effective  date  of  January  31,  2026  is                                                                    
     selected  so  the  present  Local  Boundary  Commission                                                                    
     (LBC) makeup will  be retained until the  next LBC seat                                                                    
     becomes  open.   At  that  time   a  person   from  the                                                                    
     Unorganized Borough will be selected.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:36:19 PM                                                                                                                    
PAUL MENKE, Staff, Senator Mike  Cronk, Alaska State Legislature,                                                               
Juneau, Alaska,  presented the  sectional analysis  for SB  63 on                                                               
behalf of the sponsor:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1:                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
        - Changes the number of seats on the Local Boundary                                                                     
         Commission from 5 seats to 6 seats.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
        - Changes the terms for the commissioner seats from                                                                     
         5 years to 6 years.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
        - Establishes that at least one Commissioner be from                                                                    
         the Unorganized Borough.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
        - Requires a commissioner appointed from a Judicial                                                                     
         District to be domiciled and registered to vote in                                                                     
         that District.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
        - Establishes that the Chair of the Local Boundary                                                                      
         Commission be elected from among its members,                                                                          
         rather than the Chair being the member at-large by                                                                     
         default.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2:                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Amends the  uncodified law  of the  State of  Alaska to                                                                    
     state  that members  appointed  to  the Local  Boundary                                                                    
     Commission  will serve  six-year  terms,  and this  act                                                                    
     will not  affect the term  of a member  appointed prior                                                                    
     to January 31, 2026.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3:                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Establishes an effective date of January 31, 2026.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. MENKE emphasized that the effective date of the bill ensures                                                                
this act will not affect the terms of currently seated members.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:37:28 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DUNBAR asked whether SB 63 is identical to the bill that                                                                
was reported from the Senate Community and Regional Affairs                                                                     
Committee last year.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR CRONK replied that SB 63 is identical and deferred to                                                                   
his staff for confirmation.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. MENKE confirmed that SB 63 is identical to the version                                                                      
reported from the Senate Community and Regional Affairs                                                                         
Committee last year, which was Senate Committee Substitute for                                                                  
Committee Substitute for House Bill 279(CRA).                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:38:27 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MERRICK opened public testimony on SB 63; finding none,                                                                   
she closed public testimony.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:38:49 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR CRONK expressed appreciation to the committee for                                                                       
hearing SB 63 early in the session.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:39:00 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MERRICK held SB 63 in committee.