03/15/2010 01:30 PM Senate JUDICIARY

        SB 244-GOVERNOR'S DUTY STATION/TRAVEL ALLOWANCES                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:34:50 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR FRENCH announced  the consideration of SB 244.  The bill was                                                              
heard  previously at  which time  public testimony  was taken  and                                                              
closed.  He  asked  the  prime   sponsor's  staff  to  remind  the                                                              
committee about what the bill intends to do.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DARWIN PETERSON,  Staff to  Senator Bert  Stedman, explained  that                                                              
SB 244  codifies in  statute the  administrative requirement  that                                                              
the  governor's duty  station  is Juneau.  Currently  there is  no                                                              
statutory  provision  requiring  the  governor to  reside  in  the                                                              
capital city during his or her term.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR FRENCH cited  the legal memo from Jack  Chenoweth responding                                                              
to  the question  about whether  passing  this bill  might make  a                                                              
future  governor  vulnerable to  an  ethics complaint  for  living                                                              
away from the capital. He read the following:                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     The  measure  does  not  propose  an  amendment  to  the                                                                   
     Executive  Branch  Ethics   Act  (AS  39.52).  While  an                                                                   
     ethics  charge  certainly  may be  initiated  against  a                                                                   
     governor who  spends inordinate time away from  the duty                                                                   
     station  designated in  the measure,  if that  assertion                                                                   
     is the  whole argument offered  in support of  the claim                                                                   
     or  complaint,  then,  in  my judgment  it  would  be  a                                                                   
     complaint without merit.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  FRENCH found  no questions  or discussion  and asked  for a                                                              
motion.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:37:27 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI  moved to report  SB 244 from  committee with                                                              
individual  recommendations  and  attached fiscal  note(s).  There                                                              
being  no  objection,  SB  244 moved  from  the  Senate  Judiciary                                                              
Standing Committee.