04/03/2012 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 24                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Establishing   the   Alaska   Legislative   Celebration                                                                    
     Commission to organize events  to commemorate the 100th                                                                    
     anniversary of  the first convening of  the legislative                                                                    
     branch of government in Alaska.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:07:39 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TIM LAMKIN,  STAFF, SENATOR GARY STEVENS,  introduced SCR 24                                                                    
and  stated that  it commemorated  the 100th  anniversary of                                                                    
the first  convening of  the territorial  legislative branch                                                                    
of government  in Alaska.  He furthered  that March  3, 2013                                                                    
marked the 100-year  anniversary and that the  intent of the                                                                    
legislation was  to recognize and potentially  follow up the                                                                    
anniversary  with  other  events  throughout  the  year.  He                                                                    
remarked that in the first  session of the legislature there                                                                    
were 13 committees  in the Senate alone;  the equivalents of                                                                    
the  Senate Finance  Committee were  the Finance  Contingent                                                                    
Expenses  and   Printing  Committee  and  the   Revenue  and                                                                    
Taxation  Committee. He  noted  that  the first  legislature                                                                    
passed  84  bills  during  the  60-day  session;  the  bills                                                                    
involved  issues such  as  the women's  right  to vote,  the                                                                    
registration  of lobbyists,  regulations  on physicians  and                                                                    
dentists, the  eight-hour work shift, the  compulsory school                                                                    
age, and punishment for pimps.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:09:39 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
STEPHEN  HAYCOX,   UNIVERSITY  OF  ALASKA,   ANCHORAGE  (via                                                                    
teleconference), testified in support  of SCR 24. He related                                                                    
the importance of establishing  a commission and recognizing                                                                    
the  anniversary. He  observed that  the first  convening of                                                                    
the  legislature gave  Alaskans their  first opportunity  to                                                                    
express the collective will of  the constituency. He offered                                                                    
that on  March 3,  the legislature could  devote a  half day                                                                    
session to recognizing the  anniversary or something similar                                                                    
in  order  to  direct  the public's  attention  towards  its                                                                    
significance.  He observed  that there  were limitations  on                                                                    
the first  convening legislature  and that Congress  had not                                                                    
been  ready  to  turn  over  some  critical  issues  to  the                                                                    
territory of Alaska.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:11:51 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CLAUS  NASKE, SELF,  TEXAS  (via teleconference),  expressed                                                                    
support of  SCR 24 and  believed that it was  appropriate to                                                                    
establish   a   commission   to   celebrate   the   100-year                                                                    
anniversary of the first  convening legislature. He observed                                                                    
that it  was important to  note that the  federal government                                                                    
had  still retained  a significant  amount  of control  over                                                                    
Alaska's  resources.  He furthered  that  there  had been  a                                                                    
clause inserted  into the Second Organic  Act that expressly                                                                    
forbade the  Alaska Legislature to alter,  amend, modify, or                                                                    
repeal  fish  and game  related  measures;  it also  forbade                                                                    
interference with  the primary soil disposal.  He added that                                                                    
Congress had  retained the exclusive rights  to legislate on                                                                    
matters  such   as  gambling,  the   sale  of   liquor,  the                                                                    
incorporation of towns,  and taxation. He noted  that it had                                                                    
been  a  sore   point  for  many  years   that  the  federal                                                                    
government had  maintained the exclusive rights  and that it                                                                    
had  not  been  until  Alaska achieved  statehood  that  the                                                                    
legislature   was   able   to   fully   represent   Alaska's                                                                    
population. He  concluded that the legislation  did not need                                                                    
to be  costly, but that  it was worthy and  appropriate that                                                                    
the commission be established.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman  noted that Senator McGuire  had joined the                                                                    
committee shortly after the meeting had started.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:14:36 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TERRENCE   COLE,    HISTORY   PROFESSOR,    FAIRBANKS   (via                                                                    
teleconference), expressed his support  of SCR 24 and shared                                                                    
that the  anniversary was a  momentous occasion.  He related                                                                    
that the Second Organic Act,  which had passed Congress, was                                                                    
the bill  that created the  Alaska Legislature; the  act was                                                                    
the  fundamental congressional  law that  had set  Alaska on                                                                    
the road  to eventual statehood.  He furthered that  the act                                                                    
had  been  passed  despite strong  objections  by  President                                                                    
Taft. He  explained that the  president did not  want Alaska                                                                    
to have a  legislature, but had instead wanted  the state to                                                                    
be governed  by a  non-elected commission. He  observed that                                                                    
at the  time, the most  important restriction on  Alaska had                                                                    
been the  lack of  control over  natural resources  and that                                                                    
the first convening legislature had  been referred to as the                                                                    
most  feeble legislature  in the  history  of democracy.  He                                                                    
noted  that the  reason  there were  no  counties in  Alaska                                                                    
today  was  because they  were  expressly  forbidden by  the                                                                    
Second  Organic  Act. He  observed  that  the act  had  been                                                                    
passed  despite the  president's objections  largely because                                                                    
of  the  delegate  Judge   James  Wickersham's  efforts.  He                                                                    
reiterated  the importance  of  establishing the  commission                                                                    
and stated that it involved modest costs.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:17:51 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MARY  EHRLANDER,   UNIVERSITY  OF  ALASKA,   FAIRBANKS  (via                                                                    
teleconference), testified  in support of SCR  24 and stated                                                                    
that  the legislation  was appropriate.  She reiterated  the                                                                    
support of prior testifiers and  opined that the struggle to                                                                    
achieve representative  government in  Alaska should  not be                                                                    
taken for granted. She furthered  that it was worthy to note                                                                    
the difference  it made to  have an elected, rather  than an                                                                    
appointed governing  body. She shared that  women's suffrage                                                                    
was  the first  act  passed by  the  Alaska legislature  and                                                                    
related   that  the   first   legislature  illustrated   the                                                                    
importance of federalism, state  and local control, regional                                                                    
differences  within  the  country,  and  the  importance  of                                                                    
keeping  governance   close  to   the  people.   She  firmly                                                                    
supported the establishment of the  commission and urged the                                                                    
committee's support.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:19:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BYRON CHARLES,  SELF, KETCHIKAN (via  teleconference), spoke                                                                    
to  SCR 24  and related  that  the federal  law had  applied                                                                    
before Alaska's  statehood. He inquired  whether legislators                                                                    
believed  that  the original  intent  was  provided for  the                                                                    
people of the  state prior to statehood and if  "they" had a                                                                    
knowledge and  understanding of the  workings of  an equally                                                                    
shared  processing  system  on a  government  to  government                                                                    
level.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
9:21:18 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman discussed the fiscal note in the packet.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SCR  24  was  HEARD  and   HELD  in  committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:21:37 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:23:04 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED