02/21/1995 03:37 PM Senate STA

 SSTA - 2/21/95                                                                
                                                                               
        SJR  4 FED CONST AM RE: CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURES                        
                                                                               
 Number 100                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR SHARP brings up SJR 4 as the next order of business before            
 the Senate State Affairs Committee and calls the first witness.               
                                                                               
 Number 105                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY, prime sponsor of SJR 4, relays information                    
 contained in his sponsor statement.  Senator Donley states there is           
 a proposed committee substitute to SJR 4 which contains one new               
 section that would provide empowerment to local governments in                
 setting reasonable campaign expenditure limits.  The proposed                 
 committee substitute is identical to the legislation before the               
 U.S. Congress.                                                                
                                                                               
 Number 170                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY states one suggested solution to campaign financing            
 problems is public financing of campaigns.  However, he does not              
 think the public supports public financing of campaigns.  He thinks           
 a constitutional amendment would be the best way to limit campaign            
 spending.                                                                     
                                                                               
 Number 190                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR LEMAN asks Senator Donley what he thinks would be a                   
 reasonable spending limit for campaigns for Alaska State                      
 Legislative races.                                                            
                                                                               
 Number 195                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY suggests basing a figure on the average cost of                
 previous races.  The figure might be affected by geographical                 
 considerations.  For instance, candidates in rural areas have high            
 travel expenses, while candidates in urban areas have high media              
 expenses.  He cannot give an exact figure, but of course the beauty           
 of a limit is that all candidates would have to adhere to it.                 
 There would be no spiraling of expenditures.                                  
                                                                               
 Number 230                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS states he supports SJR 4.  Senator Phillips            
 asks Senator Donley what he thinks about putting a limit on state-            
 wide proposition ballot measures.                                             
                                                                               
 Number 233                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY states there was a distinction drawn in some of the            
 case law between limiting spending on campaigns, versus limiting              
 spending on propositions.  Ballot propositions were seen to be more           
 closely related to the free speech issue than were candidates.                
                                                                               
 Number 265                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY urges the committee to stay with the proposal before           
 the senate at this time.  He thinks it would be much more difficult           
 to get states to ratify a proposal other than the one contained in            
 SJR 4.                                                                        
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY makes a motion to adopt the State Affairs committee            
 substitute for SJR 4.                                                         
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN SHARP, hearing no objections, states the committee                   
 substitute has been adopted.                                                  
                                                                               
 Number 275                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR LEMAN asks Senator Donley if SJR 4 would distinguish                  
 between a campaign cost and a donated cost.                                   
                                                                               
 SENATOR DONLEY responds there is an accurate body of law making the           
 distinction about when something is an in-kind contribution and               
 when something is not.  When services are contributed which a                 
 person normally does for pay, that is considered a contribution.              
                                                                               
 Number 315                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR RANDY PHILLIPS makes a motion to discharge SJR 4 from the             
 Senate State Affairs Committee with individual recommendations.               
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN SHARP, hearing no objection, orders SJR 4 released from              
 committee with individual recommendations.