Legislature(2017 - 2018)GRUENBERG 120
03/23/2018 08:45 AM House STATE AFFAIRS
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| Approval of Introduction of Potential Committee Legislation | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SCR 17 | TELECONFERENCED | |
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
March 23, 2018
8:51 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Chair
Representative Adam Wool
Representative Chris Birch
Representative Gary Knopp
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, Vice Chair
Representative Chris Tuck
Representative DeLena Johnson
Representative Andy Josephson (alternate)
Representative Chuck Kopp (alternate)
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
APPROVAL OF INTRODUCTION OF POTENTIAL COMMITTEE LEGISLATION
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 17
Proclaiming April 2018 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
BROOKE IVY, Staff
Representative Jason Grenn
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Explained the origins of forthcoming House
State Affairs Standing Committee legislation.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:51:16 AM
CHAIR JONATHAN KREISS-TOMKINS called the House State Affairs
Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:51 a.m.
Representatives Wool, Birch, Knopp, and Kreiss-Tomkins were
present at the call to order.
APPROVAL OF INTRODUCTION OF POTENTIAL COMMITTEE LEGISLATION
^APPROVAL OF INTRODUCTION OF POTENTIAL COMMITTEE LEGISLATION
8:51:36 AM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that the only order of business
would be consideration of forthcoming legislation relating to
the duties of the Alaska Public Offices Commission; clarifying
the limits on making, accepting, and reporting certain cash
campaign contributions; relating to campaign finance reporting
by certain groups; relating to the identification of certain
campaign communications; increasing the time the Alaska Public
Offices Commission has to respond to a request for an advisory
opinion; repealing a reporting requirement for certain
contributions; relating to propositions and initiative
proposals; and providing for an effective date.
8:51:56 AM
BROOKE IVY, Staff, Representative Jason Grenn, Alaska State
Legislature, informed the committee that on February 21, 2017,
the Department of Administration (DOA) Finance Subcommittee
adopted a department budget closeout report that included
statutory change proposal recommendations; they were recommended
via an amendment process previously held in the budget
subcommittee. The first set of recommendations addressed
streamlining Alaska Public Office Commission (APOC) reporting
statutes; there were five areas in statute that were identified
for streamlining efficiencies in APOC, given APOC's reduced
staff over the years due to budget reductions.
MS. IVY referred to a work draft of the forthcoming legislation
[Version 30-LS1525\A, Bullard, 3/13/18], included in the
committee packet. She cited Section 1 [page 2, lines 13-14, of
the work draft], which would amend AS 15.13.030(7) to remove
"all"; that would allow APOC some discretion for the duty of
examining, investigating, and comparing reports, statement, and
actions.
MS. IVY referred to Sections 3 and 4 [page 3, lines 17-23, and
page 4, line 2, of the work draft], which would amend AS
15.13.040(g) and (m) to extend the small campaign reporting
exemption for filing reports for state candidates to "groups"
that receive and expend less than $2,500.
MS. IVY referred to Section 7 [page 4, line 27, through page 5,
line 12, of the work draft], which would amend AS 15.13.090 to
add subsection (g). The new language would clarify some "paid
for by" identifiers as recommended by APOC.
MS. IVY referred to Section 8 [page 5, line 14, of the work
draft], which would amend AS 15.13.374(c) to extend the response
time permitted for APOC for advisory opinion requests from seven
days to ten working days. She added that APOC indicated that
change would alleviate the staff workload.
MS. IVY referred to Section 9 [page 5, line 18, of the work
draft], which would repeal AS 15.13.040(k) - a statement of
contributions reporting requirement. She expressed her
understanding that currently all groups, individuals, and non-
group entities must report any contributions of $500 or more to
a group organized to influence a proposition; they must submit
it 30 days after the recipients of the contributions are
required to submit the same report; therefore, it is redundant
reporting. The intent of the change is to reduce redundant
reporting.
MS. IVY explained that Sections 2, 5, and 6 of the work draft
address issues outside of the scope of the budget
recommendations.
8:55:50 AM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS offered that Sections 2, 5, and 6 of the
work draft incorporate a clarification proposed by
Representative Dan Saddler in HB [349]; that is, a "year" refers
to a calendar year. The sponsor of HB 349 concurred with the
addition of these amendments to the forthcoming legislation.
8:56:39 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH expressed his appreciation for the
elimination of duplicative reporting to APOC. He offered an
anecdote in which a person donating to a ballot issue was
penalized for not reporting, because he/she was unaware of the
requirement. He added that reporting online was difficult. He
asked whether making the threshold for reporting lower - $5,000
to $2,500 - would increase the reporting requirements, rather
than decrease it. He referred to page 3, lines 17-23, of the
work draft.
MS. IVY expressed her understanding that the $5,000 will remain
for anyone who is a delegate to a constitutional convention, a
judge seeking judicial retention, or a candidate for election to
a municipal office. She clarified that the new language refers
to "groups" as identified in statute and sets the threshold at
$2,500.
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH asked what the threshold is currently for a
group?
MS. IVY responded that currently there is no threshold; they
must report.
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH restated that instead of reducing the
threshold amount to $2,500, the forthcoming legislation would
exempt any donation under $2,500 from reporting requirements.
MS. IVY answered, "That is correct."
8:58:45 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL suggested that the forthcoming legislation
is more about efficiency than about money. He offered that it
appears to be a regulatory change, but in fact must be done by
statute.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS confirmed that is true. He mentioned that
the reason the request for statutory change came from the
finance subcommittee is because APOC's budget has been cut, and
APOC is looking to alleviate its statutory requirements.
8:59:23 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL moved that the committee authorize the chair
to draft an act on behalf of the House State Affairs Standing
Committee relating to the duties of the Alaska Public Offices
Commission; clarifying the limits on making, accepting, and
reporting certain cash campaign contributions; relating to
campaign finance reporting by certain groups; relating to the
identification of certain campaign communications; increasing
the time the Alaska Public Offices Commission has to respond to
a request for an advisory opinion; repealing a reporting
requirement for certain contributions; relating to propositions
and initiative proposals; and providing for an effective date.
There being no objection, it was so ordered.
8:59:56 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
State Affairs Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 9:00
p.m.
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