03/16/2021 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

         SB 66-MEMBERS LEG COUNCIL; LEG BUDGET & AUDIT                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:51:46 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER  announced the consideration  of SENATE BILL  NO. 66                                                               
"An Act  relating to the  membership of the  legislative council;                                                               
and  relating to  the membership  of the  Legislative Budget  and                                                               
Audit Committee."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER  informed the  committee he  and the  sponsor agreed                                                               
that  the best  way forward  would  be to  introduce a  committee                                                               
substitute (CS) that makes minor changes  in Sections 1 and 2 and                                                               
eliminates Section 3.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:53:23 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  TOM BEGICH,  Alaska State  Legislature, Juneau,  Alaska,                                                               
sponsor  of SB  66,  presented the  legislation paraphrasing  the                                                               
following sponsor statement [Original punctuation provided.]:                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
    As  outlined by  state  statute,  the  Alaska  Legislative                                                                  
    Council  has   the  essential   role  of   conducting  the                                                                  
    legislature's business  when  the  legislature  is not  in                                                                  
    session, while the Legislative Budget  and Audit Committee                                                                  
    plays  a  pivotal role  in  managing  state  finances  and                                                                  
    expenditures.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
    It is  clear the  legislative intent  of committee  member                                                                  
    representation on  these decisive  standing committees  is                                                                  
    meant to  be  equitable  and  fair. Alaska  State  Statute                                                                  
    establishes   membership  on   Legislative   Council   and                                                                  
    Legislative Budget  and  Audit to  include  "at least  one                                                                  
    member from  each of  the two  major political  parties of                                                                  
    each house;"  however, the Alaska  legislature has  a long                                                                  
    history of coalition caucuses and nonpartisan legislators.                                                                  
    The unfortunate consequence is  that organized legislative                                                                  
    minority representation  has  been long  been denied  from                                                                  
    these critical standing committees. Caucuses form around a                                                                  
    vision they have for Alaska.  The minority caucuses should                                                                  
    not have  their vision for  Alaska unrepresented  on these                                                                  
    committees.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
    Senate Bill 66  seeks to clarity the  long-standing intent                                                                  
    of  fair   representation  on   these  powerful   standing                                                                  
    committees  by  requiring  at  least  one  member  of  the                                                                  
    minority party  of  each  house. By  this  change, we  can                                                                  
    ensure  that  all  of  Alaska  is  represented  fairly  on                                                                  
    Legislative Council and Legislative Budget and Audit.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BEGICH highlighted  that the passage of  Ballot Measure 2                                                               
made the  use of party  affiliation optional. The  consequence is                                                               
that  there will  be  instances where  party  affiliation is  not                                                               
associated  with  every   member  of  the  body.   He  said  that                                                               
underscores  the importance  of  ensuring  that these  committees                                                               
represent both  the minority and  majority. He clarified  that SB
 does  not seek to  expand the role  of the minority  on either                                                               
committee  as provided  by the  Uniform Rules.  Rather, it  seeks                                                               
fair representation.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:57:27 PM                                                                                                                    
MERCEDES  COLBERT,  Staff,  Senator   Tom  Begich,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  Juneau, Alaska,  presented  the sectional  analysis                                                               
for SB 66 on behalf of the sponsor.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1.                                                                                                                 
     Amends AS 24.20.020 to  ensure fair representation from                                                                    
     the  minority caucus  of the  legislative house  on the                                                                    
     legislative council.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2.                                                                                                                 
     Amends  AS   24.20.161  by  aligning   terminology  and                                                                    
     establishing  fair  representation  from  the  minority                                                                    
     caucus  of the  legislative  house  on the  Legislative                                                                    
     Budget and Audit Committee.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3.                                                                                                                 
     Inserts  a  new  definition  section to  AS  24.20,  AS                                                                    
     24.20.700 which clarifies that  a minority is comprised                                                                    
     of  at  least  25  percent  of  the  legislative  house                                                                    
     membership, is organized, and has elected a leader.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER asked if there were questions.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:59:25 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR REINBOLD described SB 66 as  a great idea and great bill.                                                               
She asked  for the  effective date  and the  number of  times the                                                               
minority did not have representation on these committees.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS.  COLBERT  replied the  bill  becomes  effective in  the  33rd                                                               
legislature.  Responding to  the  second  question, she  reported                                                               
that from the  22nd legislature through the  32nd legislature the                                                               
House   of   Representatives   consistently   included   minority                                                               
representation  on the  Legislative Budget  and Audit  Committee.                                                               
During  that  same  time, the  Senate  included  minority  caucus                                                               
representation  just three  times. For  Legislative Council,  the                                                               
House included minority  caucus representation in 10  of the last                                                               
11  legislatures, whereas  the  Senate  included minority  caucus                                                               
representation just 5 of the last 11 legislatures.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER solicited  a motion to adopt  the proposed committee                                                               
substitute (CS).                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:02:35 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  REINBOLD  moved  to  adopt  the work  draft  CS  for  SB
(STA), work order 32-LS0410\B, as the working document.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER objected for discussion purposes.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:03:15 PM                                                                                                                    
MS.  COLBERT  explained the  differences  between  version A  and                                                               
version B for SB 66.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Section  1  clarifies that  the  minority  has representation  on                                                               
Legislative  Council. The  committee  is composed  of the  Senate                                                               
president,  the  Senate minority  leader  or  designee, and  five                                                               
other senators and  the speaker of the  House of Representatives,                                                               
the   House  minority   leader   or  designee   and  five   other                                                               
representatives. The total membership of 14 remains the same.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Section 2 clarifies  that the minority has  representation on the                                                               
Legislative  Budget   and  Audit  Committee.  The   committee  is                                                               
comprised  of  the  chairs  of   the  senate  and  house  finance                                                               
committees, one  member from  each the  senate and  house finance                                                               
committees, the house minority leader  or designee and the senate                                                               
minority leader or designee, and  two members appointed from each                                                               
body by  the respective presiding  officer. The  total membership                                                               
of 12 remains the same.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Section 3  is removed  because it would  have had  the unintended                                                               
consequence of codifying existing Uniform Rules.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:05:50 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  BEGICH   highlighted  that  the  intent   was  that  the                                                               
effective date  would be set  for the next legislature,  but that                                                               
was missing from  the bill. He requested the  committee amend the                                                               
bill to clarify that it would  take effect after the first day of                                                               
the 33rd legislature.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:07:22 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER held SB 66 in committee for future consideration.