05/01/2025 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

         SB 160-MEMBERS LEG COUNCIL; LEG BUDGET & AUDIT                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:14:19 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  KAWASAKI announced  the consideration  of SENATE  BILL NO.                                                               
160  "An  Act  relating  to the  membership  of  the  legislative                                                               
council;  and  relating  to the  membership  of  the  Legislative                                                               
Budget and Audit Committee."                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:14:55 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  MIKE  SHOWER,  District  O,  Alaska  State  Legislature,                                                               
Juneau, Alaska, sponsor of SB 160 read the sponsor statement:                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     As outlined  in AS  24.20, the Legislative  Council has                                                                    
     the essential role of  conducting internal business for                                                                    
     the  Alaska Legislature,  while the  Legislative Budget                                                                    
     and  Audit (LB&A)  Committee plays  a  pivotal role  in                                                                    
     managing   state   finances  and   expenditures.   Both                                                                    
     committees  are established  in statute  with authority                                                                    
     to  conduct business  anytime  throughout  the year  so                                                                    
     that internal legislative business  may be conducted in                                                                    
     a timely manner.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:16:01 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR SHOWER continued with the sponsor statement for SB 160:                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Alaska   State   Statute  establishes   membership   on                                                                    
     Legislative Council  and the LB&A Committee  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  unaffiliated legislators.  In addition,  following                                                                    
     passage of  voter initiative Ballot Measure  2 in 2020,                                                                    
     candidates are  not required to name  a political party                                                                    
     affiliation,  and therefore  may be  elected to  office                                                                    
     without  one.  Senate  Bill 160  seeks  to  update  the                                                                    
     membership  statutes for  both the  Legislative Council                                                                    
     and the LB&A Committee to  reflect these changes in law                                                                    
     and practice  to ensure  fair caucus  representation on                                                                    
     these committees.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Every committee  established in the  Alaska Legislature                                                                    
     Uniform  Rules  ensures   representation  of  organized                                                                    
     minority  caucuses.  Under  current law,  there  is  no                                                                    
     guarantee that these two  joint interim committees will                                                                    
     include  representation of  all organized  caucuses. SB
  also  reflects  the Uniform  Rules  definition  of                                                                    
     "minority"  as constituting  at least  25 percent  of a                                                                    
     chamber's membership.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     As  all  Alaskans  have  a  right  to  vote  for  their                                                                    
     legislators, who in turn have  a right to form caucuses                                                                    
     if they  choose, those organized caucuses  have a right                                                                    
     to  have their  voices and  visions represented  on all                                                                    
     committees. Senate  Bill 160 seeks to  ensure this fair                                                                    
     representation is established in law                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:18:15 PM                                                                                                                    
SCOTT CRAWFORD, Staff, Senator Mike Shower, Alaska State                                                                        
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, provided the sectional analysis for                                                                
SB 160:                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1.                                                                                                                 
     Amends AS 24.20.020  to include at least  one member of                                                                    
     the  minority on  the  legislative  council.   Includes                                                                    
     language  from Uniform  Rule 1(e)  to entitle  minority                                                                    
     caucus membership  on the council that  is proportional                                                                    
     to their total house membership.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2.                                                                                                                 
     Amends AS 24.20.161  to include at least  one member of                                                                    
     the  minority  on  the  Legislative  Budget  and  Audit                                                                    
     Committee, and changes "chairman" to "chair."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3.                                                                                                                 
     Adds a  new section to  AS. 24.20 to  define "minority"                                                                    
     as a  group of  members who  have organized,  elected a                                                                    
     minority  leader,  and  who   constitute  at  least  25                                                                    
     percent of the total house membership                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:19:24 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI opened  public testimony on SB  160; finding none;                                                               
public testimony was kept open.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:20:59 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR KAWASAKI held SB 160 in committee.