04/25/2001 09:17 AM House RLS

SB 103-ELECTION CAMPAIGNS AND LEGISLATIVE ETHICS                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Number 1677                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KOTT announced that the next  order of business would be CS                                                               
FOR  SENATE  BILL NO.  103(FIN),  "An  Act relating  to  election                                                               
campaigns and legislative ethics."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KOTT  noted  that  there   are  two  prepared  amendments.                                                               
Amendment 1 [22-LS0148\S.2, Kurtz, 4/24/01] reads as follows:                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Page 5, lines 19-20:                                                                                                       
         Delete "except that a candidate elected to the                                                                     
     senate whose term is two years may transfer"                                                                           
        Insert "except that a senator serving a two-year                                                                    
     term may transfer not more than"                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Amendment 2 read as follows:                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Page 7, lines 1-21                                                                                                         
          Delete all material.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 1732                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
JOE  BALASH,  Staff to  Senate  State  Affairs Committee,  Alaska                                                               
State  Legislature,  explained  that  Amendment 1  would  make  a                                                               
change to  the language that  was inserted at the  previous House                                                               
Rules  Standing Committee  hearing  regarding  the truncation  of                                                               
Senate members.   The concern  was that the language  described a                                                               
Senator who  was elected  to a two-year  term, but  those members                                                               
whose terms  will be truncated  were elected to  four-year terms.                                                               
Therefore,  this is  word-smithing to  clarify that  the language                                                               
refers to those that have to run in two years rather than four.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR.  BALASH  related his  understanding  that  Amendment 2  would                                                               
delete all of Section  8.  The language in Section  8 has been in                                                               
and out  of the  bill at  various stages.   Discussions  with the                                                               
Alaska  Public  Offices  Commission  (APOC)  have  expressed  how                                                               
problematic  this section  is in  regard  to its  interpretation.                                                               
Therefore, he expressed the desire  to stay with the current APOC                                                               
regulations   and  interpretations   regarding  newsletters   and                                                               
communications.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KOTT  surmised  that  deletion of  Section  8  means  that                                                               
existing statutory language is retained.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 1845                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE McGUIRE  moved that the committee  adopt Amendment                                                               
1.  There being no objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING  moved that the committee  adopt Amendment                                                               
2.  There being no objection, Amendment 2 was adopted.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KOHRING  moved  that the  committee  rescind  its                                                               
action in  adopting Amendment 2.   There being no  objection, the                                                               
committee rescinded its action in adopting Amendment 2.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  McGUIRE  moved  that the  committee  rescind  its                                                               
action in  adopting Amendment 1.   There being no  objection, the                                                               
committee rescinded its action in adopting Amendment 1.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KOTT pointed  out that  the committee  has to  rescind its                                                               
action in  reporting HCS CSSB 103(RLS),  version 22-LS0148\Z, out                                                               
of committee  on April 19,  2001.  Therefore, the  committee must                                                               
bring the bill back before the committee first.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Number 1919                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  McGUIRE  moved  that the  committee  rescind  its                                                               
action in  reporting HCS CSSB 103(RLS),  version 22-LS0148\Z, out                                                               
of  committee on  April  19,  2001.   There  being no  objection,                                                               
version Z was before the House Rules Standing Committee.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 1930                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE McGUIRE  moved that the committee  adopt Amendment                                                               
1.  There being no objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING  moved that the committee  adopt Amendment                                                               
2.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ objected.   He pointed out  that what is                                                               
being  done [with  Amendment 2]  is  authorizing these  truncated                                                               
Senators to take  $20,000 as opposed to  Representatives that can                                                               
only take $10,000 for every year in term.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ  withdrew his objection to  Amendment 2.                                                               
Therefore, Amendment 2 was adopted.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Number 1983                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  McGUIRE  moved  to   report  HCS  CSSB  103(RLS),                                                               
version 22-LS0148\Z, as amended  out of committee with individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no objection,  HCS CSSB  103(2dRLS) was  reported from  the House                                                               
Rules Standing Committee.