04/28/2022 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

         SB  66-MEMBERS LEG COUNCIL; LEG BUDGET & AUDIT                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
5:19:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS  announced that the final  order of business                                                               
would  be  SENATE  BILL  NO.  66 AM,  "An  Act  relating  to  the                                                               
membership of the legislative council; and relating to the                                                                      
membership of the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:19:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS moved to adopt Amendment 1, labeled 32-                                                                    
LS0410\A.A.4, Nauman/Wallace, 4/23/22, which read:                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, following line 2:                                                                                                  
     Insert a new bill section to read:                                                                                         
        "* Sec. 2.  AS 24.20.020 is amended by  adding a new                                                                
     subsection to read:                                                                                                        
          (b)  The legislative council shall have four                                                                          
     alternate   members   in   addition  to   the   members                                                                    
     designated  in (a)  of this  section. The  president of                                                                    
     the  senate shall  appoint  two  alternate members,  at                                                                    
     least  one of  whom is  from the  senate minority.  The                                                                    
     speaker of  the house of representatives  shall appoint                                                                    
     two alternate  members, at  least one  of whom  is from                                                                    
     the house  minority. The alternate members  shall serve                                                                    
     on the council  when a meeting of the  council has been                                                                    
     called and the chair determines  that there will not be                                                                    
     enough members in attendance at  the meeting to provide                                                                    
     a quorum.  Only a member  of the minority may  serve as                                                                    
     an  alternate for  a minority  committee member.  While                                                                    
     serving as  alternates, the alternate members  have the                                                                    
     same  duties and  responsibilities  as council  members                                                                    
     appointed under  (a) of this section,  and are entitled                                                                    
     to the same travel and per diem allowances."                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, following line 14:                                                                                                 
     Insert a new bill section to read:                                                                                         
        "* Sec. 4. AS 24.20.165 is amended to read:                                                                         
          Sec.    24.20.165.    Alternate    members.    The                                                                  
     Legislative Budget and Audit  Committee shall have four                                                                
     [TWO]  alternate members  in  addition  to the  members                                                                    
     designated  in  AS 24.20.161.   The  president  of  the                                                                    
     senate shall  appoint two  [ONE] alternate  members, at                                                            
     least  one of  whom is  from the  senate minority.  The                                                                
     [MEMBER  FROM THE  SENATE  FINANCE  COMMITTEE AND  THE]                                                                    
     speaker of  the house of representatives  shall appoint                                                                
     two [ONE]  alternate members, at  least one of  whom is                                                            
     [MEMBER]  from   the  house  minority   [HOUSE  FINANCE                                                                
     COMMITTEE]. The  alternate members  shall serve  on the                                                                    
     committee  when a  meeting of  the  committee has  been                                                                    
     called and  the chair [CHAIRMAN] determines  that there                                                                
     will  not  be  enough  members  in  attendance  at  the                                                                    
     meeting  to provide  a  quorum. Only  a  member of  the                                                                
     minority  may  serve as  an  alternate  for a  minority                                                                
     committee  member.  While  serving as  alternates,  the                                                                
     alternate   members   have    the   same   duties   and                                                                    
     responsibilities as  committee members  appointed under                                                                    
     AS 24.20.161,  and  [THEY]  are entitled  to  the  same                                                                    
     travel and per diem allowances."                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill section accordingly.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN objected.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
5:20:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MERCEDES  COLBERT,  Staff,  Senator   Tom  Begich,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  on   behalf  of  Senator  Begich,   prime  sponsor,                                                               
explained that Amendment  1 created four alternates  for both the                                                               
legislative  council   and  the  Legislative  Budget   and  Audit                                                               
Committee  (LB&A).   The alternates  were members  of the  senate                                                               
minority,  senate majority,  house  minority,  and hour  majority                                                               
caucuses  for both  committees.   She noted  that under  existing                                                               
law,  legislative council  did not  have  alternates in  statute.                                                               
Section  2 of  Amendment  1 would  create  those alternates,  she                                                               
said.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
5:22:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  EASTMAN  suggested  eliminating  the  requirement                                                               
that alternate  members would only  serve on the  committees when                                                               
there were not enough members  in attendance to provide a quorum;                                                               
thereby  allowing   the  alternates   to  participate   at  their                                                               
discretion.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  COLBERT  indicated  that  the   bill  sponsor  was  open  to                                                               
considering that proposal if it was the will of the committee.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN  expressed his  interest in  introducing a                                                               
conceptual amendment  that would  remove the  quorum requirement,                                                               
such that  the alternate member  representing the  minority could                                                               
fill an absence  from the minority member,  regardless of whether                                                               
quorum was met.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
5:24:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS moved to table Amendment 1.  There being no                                                                
objection, it was so ordered.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
5:24:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS indicated that SB 66 was held over.