03/22/2001 08:05 AM House STA

HJR  1-CONST AM: 90 DAY LEGISLATIVE SESSION                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 2439                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR COGHILL  announced that  the next  item of  business before                                                               
the committee  would be HOUSE  JOINT RESOLUTION NO.  1, Proposing                                                               
an amendment to the Constitution  of the State of Alaska relating                                                               
to the duration of a regular session.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Number 2446                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  NORMAN ROKEBERG,  Alaska State  Legislature, came                                                               
forward to testify  as sponsor of HJR 1.   House Joint Resolution                                                               
1 simply  shortens via constitutional amendment  the session term                                                               
from 120  days to 90 days.   He said he  thinks it is one  of the                                                               
things  the  legislature needs  to  do  in terms  of  legislative                                                               
reform.   He observed that the  legislature now is subject  to an                                                               
application of Parkinson's  Law, which says that  work expands to                                                               
fill the  time available  for its completion.   "We  don't really                                                               
get out of  the blocks [very] quickly, particularly  at the start                                                               
of a two-year session," he said.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG  then called  attention to what  he views                                                               
as a  structural problem  under the  Uniform Rules  that inhibits                                                               
the ability to do  work on a year-round basis.   He noted that he                                                               
also  has introduced  HCR 3,  which is  a change  in the  Uniform                                                               
Rules  to allow  standing committees  to deal  with bills.   They                                                               
currently can  meet during  the interim, but  they cannot  pass a                                                               
bill  out  of  the  committee  and on  to  another  committee  of                                                               
referral.  Making that change  would not require a constitutional                                                               
amendment.    He noted  that  wording  regarding changes  in  the                                                               
Uniform Rules  does not need  to go  before the people  for their                                                               
approval, but is  something the legislature could  take action on                                                               
itself.   He said HCR  3 also  allows for electronic  voting over                                                               
the teleconference lines.  You  can't really have a shortening of                                                               
the  session  without looking  at  the  ability of  the  standing                                                               
committees  to meet  in the  interim and  to be  able to  conduct                                                               
business,"  he said.   "I  think that's  an important  factor and                                                               
something that the subcommittee needs to be aware of."                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ROKEBERG estimated  that  HJR 1  would save  $1.5                                                               
million  in  per   diem  costs  and  would   help  in  recruiting                                                               
candidates  to  serve   in  the  legislature.     He  thinks  the                                                               
legislature's  work could  be  done  in 90  days.   Most  Western                                                               
states  have shorter  sessions.   He  added  that Washington  and                                                               
Oregon [sessions] also are biennial.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ROKEBERG concluded  by  saying that  he does  not                                                               
think  HJR 1  and  HJR 2  are compatible  to  present to  voters.                                                               
"They are two different concepts," he  said.  "They have a common                                                               
thread of  shortening ...  the gross  number of  legislative days                                                               
during a  two-year session."   He said  he thought there  is less                                                               
controversy over  a 90-day  annual session than  there is  over a                                                               
long session one year and a short one the next.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  COGHILL  asked  the  subcommittee  to  consider  not  only                                                               
similarity but also compatibility of the bills assigned to it.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG noted that he  had been very skeptical of                                                               
the biennial budget concept, but that  he "has sort of warmed up"                                                               
to it because  he thinks the bureaucracy spends most  of its time                                                               
budget building instead of running the state.