03/19/2009 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS

HJR  2-CONST AM: GENDER-NEUTRAL REFERENCES                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:06:48 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced  that the first order of  business was HOUSE                                                               
JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 2, Proposing  amendments to the Constitution                                                               
of the State of Alaska to  avoid the use of personal pronouns and                                                               
similar references  that denote  masculine or feminine  gender in                                                               
that document.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:07:35 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO,  as prime  sponsor, introduced  HJR 2.   He                                                               
said the  resolution would change the  Alaska State Constitution,                                                               
which would require a two-thirds vote  of the body, followed by a                                                               
vote  of the  people.   The  Alaska  State Constitution  includes                                                               
references   to    male   gender,   but   not    female   gender.                                                               
Representative  Gatto  indicated that  some  people  may say  the                                                               
resolution is unnecessary [because] it  is known what is meant by                                                               
"he"  and  "him."   However,  he  noted  that seven  states  have                                                               
already made the  change, and he opined that  Alaska should "take                                                               
the  lead" and  make the  change, because  it is  a state  with a                                                               
higher  percentage   of  females  involved  in   politics.    The                                                               
resolution  would ask  the legal  department to  replace all  the                                                               
male   gender  references   with   job  titles,   such  as   "the                                                               
commissioner,"  "the governor,"  "the judge,"  "the person,"  and                                                               
"the auditor."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:10:30 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JESSICA  SRADER,  Assistant  Attorney General,  Labor  and  State                                                               
Affairs Section,  Civil Division  (Juneau), in response  to Chair                                                               
Lynn,  offered  her  belief  that  [the  administration]  has  no                                                               
objection [to the resolution].                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:10:59 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON moved  to report  HJR 2  out of  committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO  noted there  may be a  cost related  to the                                                               
reprinting of  the Alaska State  Constitution.  He  remarked that                                                               
there is  another bill  being considered  that proposes  that the                                                               
term "secretary  of state"  be changed  to "governor".   Although                                                               
both  pieces of  proposed  legislation are  separate, both  would                                                               
require a reprinting of the Alaska State Constitution.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON  pointed out  that there  is a  zero fiscal                                                               
note in the committee packet.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:11:53 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON renewed  his motion to report HJR  2 out of                                                               
committee with  individual recommendations and the  attached zero                                                               
fiscal note.   There being no  objection, HJR 2 was  reported out                                                               
of the House State Affairs Standing Committee.