04/09/2016 10:00 AM Senate FINANCE

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 12                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Proposing amendments to the Constitution of the State                                                                      
     of Alaska relating to the office of attorney general.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
10:49:01 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  MacKinnon directed  the  committee's attention  to                                                                    
SJR 12.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  BILL STOLTZE,  SPONSOR, noted  that the  bill topic                                                                    
had come before  the legislature many times in  the past. He                                                                    
offered a sponsor statement:                                                                                                    
     The State of Alaska has grown from being a frontier                                                                        
     state in 1959 to being a major player in the world's                                                                       
     oil and  gas industry today. With  economic growth, has                                                                    
     come vast growth in population.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     As the  state looks to  the future, and  the challenges                                                                    
     of emerging as  a strong independent state,  it is time                                                                    
     to examine how the state selects its Attorney General.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Alaska is one  of seven states that  currently does not                                                                    
     elect its  Attorney General in  a general  election, by                                                                    
     the  people.   In  addition  to  Alaska,   Hawaii,  New                                                                    
     Hampshire, New                                                                                                             
     Jersey  and Wyoming  leave  selection  of the  Attorney                                                                    
     General  to   an  appointment  by  the   governor.  The                                                                    
     Attorney   General  in   Maine   is   elected  by   the                                                                    
     Legislature and the                                                                                                        
     Tennessee Supreme Court elects the Attorney general.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     The people  of Alaska  would like  to have  an attorney                                                                    
     general that is accountable to the people.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Voting for  SJR 12 and  passing it along to  the voters                                                                    
     will show Alaskans that we  are willing to move forward                                                                    
     and trust  the people of  Alaska to select  an Attorney                                                                    
     General who  will vigorously represent the  will of the                                                                    
     people of our great state.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
10:55:43 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Dunleavy  pointed  out  to  the  sponsor  that  the                                                                    
attorney general in Maine was  appointed by the Legislature.                                                                    
He was  curious whether  Senator Stoltze had  researched how                                                                    
that arrangement had worked for the state.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Senator Stoltze  replied that he  had not. He  assumed that,                                                                    
anecdotally,  the   process  was  sometimes   political  and                                                                    
sometimes  was  not. He  added  that  43 states  had  direct                                                                    
election of  the attorney general; 5  states had appointment                                                                    
by  governor,   Maine  had  election  by   Legislature,  and                                                                    
Tennessee had a selection by  the Supreme Court. He asserted                                                                    
that he did not believe  in modeling Alaska's method by "how                                                                    
they do it on the outside."                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
10:56:49 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon OPENED public testimony on SJR 12.                                                                           
Co-Chair MacKinnon CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
10:57:21 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Micciche discussed the zero fiscal notes.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon  informed the committee  that Legislative                                                                    
Affairs  Agency would  be informed  that  their zero  fiscal                                                                    
note lacked backup documentation.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SJR  12  was  HEARD  and   HELD  in  committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
10:58:49 AM                                                                                                                   
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
10:59:34 AM                                                                                                                   
RECONVENED