Legislature(2009 - 2010)CAPITOL 106
02/18/2010 08:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB292 | |
| HJR38 | |
| HB115 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 115 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HJR 38 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 292 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HJR 38-CONST. AM: INCREASE NUMBER OF LEGISLATORS
[Not on the recording, but reconstructed from the committee
secretary's log notes, was the following:]
CHAIR LYNN announced that the next order of business was HOUSE
JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 38, Proposing amendments to the
Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to and increasing
the number of members of the house of representatives to forty-
eight and the number of members of the senate to twenty-four.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON reviewed the resolution. She noted
that Representative Seaton had an amendment prepared to which
she does not object.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved to adopt Amendment 1, labeled 26-
LS1323\A.1, Cook, 2/15/10, which read as follows:
Page 1, line 2:
Delete "forty-eight"
Insert "forty-four"
Page 1, line 3:
Delete "twenty-four"
Insert "twenty-two"
Page 1, lines 7 - 8:
Delete "twenty-four"
Insert "twenty-two"
Page 1, line 8:
Delete "forty-eight"
Insert "forty-four"
Page 1, line 12:
Delete "forty-eight"
Insert "forty-four"
Page 1, line 13:
Delete "twenty-four"
Insert "twenty-two"
Page 2, line 7:
Delete "forty-eight"
Insert "forty-four"
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG objected for discussion purposes.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON spoke to Amendment 1.
8:31:36 AM
[Recording begins again here.]
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON noted that the original fiscal note, dated
1/29/10, shows a 2016 total of $4,470,000, while the total for
2016 shown in the new fiscal note, dated 2/16/10, is $2,342,000
- nearly half the amount of the original fiscal note.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG removed his objection to Amendment 1.
There being no further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.
8:32:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON explained that through the adoption of
Amendment 1, the proposed bill now calls for fewer legislators,
which would result in a reduction in the total of the fiscal
note, because it would not be necessary to reconstruct
legislative chambers or hire as many staff. She said not only
would the overall cost of running the legislature be lower, but
the districts would remain about the same size as they currently
are. In response to Representative Gatto, she clarified that
she meant square miles of each district would remain about the
same.
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO said he does not know how that could be
possible.
8:34:11 AM
CHAIR LYNN closed public testimony.
8:34:39 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON directed attention to information in the
committee packet, regarding population trends for election
districts in 2010, and noted that the average population per
election district, from 2000 U.S. Census data, was 15,673.
Under the proposed bill, as amended, the number of people each
House district would represent would average 15,735, or
approximately 50 more people in each election district. He said
some election districts will change in size, and new election
districts will be added to areas where the population has
expanded - predominately the Matanuska/Susitna area. He said it
is difficult to predict the changes that will be forthcoming.
He explained the reason he offered Amendment 1 was that it would
be a way to keep the election districts as close as possible to
their current populations.
8:37:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON said the areas losing population would
remain about the same as they are currently, while areas growing
in population would actually gain another Representative. In
response to a question from Representative Gatto, she said it is
true that areas gaining population would get additional
representation no matter what the legislature decides regarding
the proposed legislation.
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO asked then what the impetus for HJR 38 was.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON said the push for this legislation is
an attempt to be fair to all constituents and legislators, and
to make it possible for all the citizens of the state to make
contact with their legislators.
8:40:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO questioned why Representative Wilson is not
proposing a greater number of legislators if she is striving for
equity.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON responded that she is trying to be
reasonable.
8:40:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PETERSEN offered his understanding that when the
committee discussed HJR 38 at a previous hearing, it was brought
up that one of the reasons for the proposed legislation was to
avoid the possibility of the State of Alaska finding itself in
violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, [as it relates to
the protection of large minority concentrations].
8:41:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON cited language in the Constitution of
the State of Alaska, Article 6, Section 6, regarding legislative
apportionment, which read as follows:
Each house district shall be formed of contiguous and
compact territory containing as nearly as practicable
a relatively integrated socio-economic area.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON stated that as districts get bigger,
the state is no longer keeping them within the bounds of Article
6, Section 6. She said if the legislature does not pass HJR 38,
the courts may take over, which she said they already have done
"in all but one of the state's reapportionments."
8:42:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO asked if any studies have been done that
show "the difficulties" addressed by the bill sponsor, as well
as model solutions from other states.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON responded, "We don't have any studies,
but there has been much debate on it, and the courts have
already complained about it in the past."
8:45:19 AM
KARLA SCHOFIELD, Deputy Director, Accounting, Legislative
Administrative Services, Legislative Affairs Agency, in response
to Representative Gruenberg, said the two-page fiscal note is as
complete as it can be; it's ultimate accuracy would depend on
how the redistricting lines were drawn.
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG asked where additional legislators
would be housed if HJR 38 is enacted.
MS. SCHOFIELD responded that that would depend upon the House
and Senate Rules committees and Legislative Council.
Notwithstanding that, she suggested the following options:
adding more desks to the chambers, reconfiguring the Thomas B.
Stewart Legislative Office Building, decreasing the size of
existing legislative offices, and asking the governor to
consider moving from the capitol to another location. The
latter would entail an expense for the executive branch in
supplying another building. In response to a follow-up
question, she said if the offices were to fit within the
capitol, it would be necessary to hire architectural services.
She said Accounting tried to leave surplus money in the figuring
of the fiscal note "so that ... any option that came up we could
at least move on." In response to further questions, she
stated, "... If we really did put an addition on the capitol or
did something like that, it would be a capital appropriation. I
think the money that's in there would be sufficient to at least
make a good start on it, ... it would just depend on what option
legislators chose."
8:48:30 AM
MS. SCHOFIELD, in response to Representative Gatto, said she has
worked for the Alaska State Legislature since 1982. In response
to a follow-up question, she said she cannot recollect having
ever heard a legislator complain that he/she has an office that
is too large. In response to a question from Representative
Gatto as to whether she has heard complaints from legislators
that their offices are too small, she stated, "Actually, most
legislators seem to be very accommodating, understanding how the
capitol building is constructed."
CHAIR LYNN remarked that he would like to have an intern, but
there is no room in his office for one.
8:49:17 AM
MS. SCHOFIELD, in response to a question from Representative
Petersen, said currently some staff has assigned parking, and
those parking assignments would have to be relinquished in order
to provide enough parking for additional legislators. In
response to a question from Representative Gatto, Ms. Schofield
said other needs for consideration, for example, a child care
facility, would be the purview of the Senate and House Rules
Committees and Legislative Council.
8:51:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG moved to report HJR 38, as amended, out
of committee with individual recommendations and the
accompanying fiscal notes. [The two out of three fiscal notes
in the committee packet that would accompany the proposed
resolution are dated 2/9/10 and 2/16/10.]
8:51:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO objected.
8:51:51 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Wilson, Gruenberg,
Petersen, Seaton, and Lynn voted in favor of reporting HJR 38,
as amended, out of committee. Representative Gatto voted
against it. Therefore, CSHJR 38(STA) was reported out of the
House State Affairs Standing Committee by a vote of 5-1.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 05 HB115-OOG-DOE-2-12-10.pdf |
HSTA 2/18/2010 8:00:00 AM |
HB 115 |