02/01/2024 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

        HJR 13-CALL FED. CONSTITUTIONAL CONV:TERM LIMITS                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:03:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  JOINT  RESOLUTION NO.  13,  Requesting  the United  States                                                               
Congress  to  call a  convention  of  the  states to  propose  an                                                               
amendment  to the  Constitution of  the  United States  to set  a                                                               
limit on the  number of terms that  a person may be  elected as a                                                               
member of  the United  States House of  Representatives and  as a                                                               
member of the  United States Senate; and  urging the legislatures                                                               
of the other  49 states to request the United  States Congress to                                                               
call a convention of the states.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:03:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TOM MCKAY,  Alaska  State  Legislature, as  prime                                                               
sponsor,  presented  HJR  13.   He  read  the  sponsor  statement                                                               
[included  in  the  committee  packet],  which  read  as  follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Americans   continue   to   raise  concerns   about   a                                                                    
     disconnection  by Washington  D.C politicians  who have                                                                    
     become  less  responsive  to  the  evolving  needs  and                                                                    
     concerns of  their constituents.  By polling  data, 84%                                                                    
     of Alaskans  support having term limits  for members of                                                                    
     congress.  The  power  of   incumbency  is  clear  with                                                                    
     members of  congress raising an  average of 5  times as                                                                    
     much  money  as  their   challengers  and  winning  re-                                                                    
     election 94%  of the  time. Enacting  term limits  is a                                                                    
     highly  popular policy  and is  essential to  encourage                                                                    
     fresh   perspectives   in   government,   address   the                                                                    
     developing  challenges of  our  country,  and curb  the                                                                    
     ever-growing power of congress.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     HJR  13  utilizes  article  V   of  the  United  States                                                                    
     constitution and  calls for a convention  of the states                                                                    
     to  amend the  constitution by  setting term  limits on                                                                    
     members of Congress in both  the United States House of                                                                    
     Representatives  and  the  United States  Senate.  This                                                                    
     bill  also  calls  for legislatures  of  the  other  49                                                                    
     states to join in calling  Congress for a convention of                                                                    
     the states.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     I urge my fellow colleagues  of the 33rd legislature to                                                                    
     support this legislation and help  enact term limits on                                                                    
     members of Congress.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:05:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
AZABEL  ORDAZ,  Staff,  Representative Tom  McKay,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of  Representative McKay,  prime sponsor,                                                               
presented  a PowerPoint,  entitled "HJR  13 Federal  Term Limits"                                                               
[hard copy included  in the committee packet].   She expounded on                                                               
slides 2-5,  which summarized the  rationale behind the  need for                                                               
term limits,  the term limits on  the federal level, and  a chart                                                               
that featured the results of a  U.S. survey that asked 514 likely                                                               
voters whether  they were in  favor or opposition of  term limits                                                               
for  members of  congress.   She noted  that 84  percent were  in                                                               
favor,  60  percent strongly  approved,  and  3 percent  strongly                                                               
disapproved.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:10:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced the committee would  hear invited testimony                                                               
on HJR 13.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:11:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CONSTANTIN QUERARD,  Western Regional  Director, US  Term Limits,                                                               
shared that term limits were  a bipartisan idea supported by many                                                               
candidates and  leaders.   He spoke to  the Article  5 component,                                                               
explaining that the goal was not  to hold a convention.  Instead,                                                               
he said, it would be state pressure that would affect change.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:13:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARRICK asked  whether Alaska  would be  limiting                                                               
its representation in  Congress by limiting the  longevity of its                                                               
congressional delegation.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCKAY answered  that  the playing  field must  be                                                               
leveled and,  if the proposed  legislation passed, it  would help                                                               
level the field across all 50 states.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:15:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY, following  up on  Representative Carrick's                                                               
question,  asked  whether the  system  of  seniority in  Congress                                                               
would be  impacted or updated if  terms were limited.   She noted                                                               
her  concern over  small states  versus larger  states with  more                                                               
representation.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCKAY answered  that  the idea  was to  encourage                                                               
Congress to reform itself and there still would be seniority.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked where in  Article 5 addressed the call                                                               
to term limits.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:17:22 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TREVOR  JEPSEN, Staff,  Representative  Tom  McKay, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on behalf of Representative  McKay, prime sponsor of                                                               
HJR  13,  said that  most  constitutional  scholars believe  that                                                               
Article 5 was for specific  amendments.  He deferred the question                                                               
to Mr. Querard.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR.  QUERARD   first  explained   the  rules  for   a  convention                                                               
essentially  being  crafted  for  "one purpose,"  and  that  most                                                               
states  pass  delegate  limitation  acts that  specify  what  the                                                               
delegates  may  or  may  not   do.    He  further  explained  the                                                               
safeguards involved.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY asked  who  would choose  the delegates  if                                                               
there was  a constitutional convention  that could be  limited to                                                               
one subject.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. QUERARD  responded that it  would be the  legislature picking                                                               
the delegates.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:21:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK  shared her understanding that  six states                                                               
had passed the resolution thus far.   She asked what would happen                                                               
if  additional states  were added  during the  period of  time it                                                               
took to pass the resolution.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. QUERARD explained  the requirements to ratify  and added that                                                               
in the history of the U.S.  Constitution, there had never been an                                                               
amendment  convention.    The  process  was  merely  designed  to                                                               
provoke Congress to act, he  said, and he reiterated that Article                                                               
5 was written to give Congress  the power to draft amendments and                                                               
the states the power to ratify.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:23:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARPENTER asked  how enacting  term limits  would                                                               
impact the administrative state.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. QUERARD explained that states  that had term limits enjoyed a                                                               
lower level  of bureaucracy and  administrative state due  to the                                                               
limited amount  of time  individuals are there  to do  a specific                                                               
thing.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   CARPENTER   referenced   a  statement   in   the                                                               
PowerPoint and asked  how term limits would  alleviate the desire                                                               
to campaign for reelection.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR.  JEPSEN said  that while  drafting the  proposed legislation,                                                               
the thought process was, "You can't  be there forever so you have                                                               
to make  the most  of your  time while  you are  in office."   He                                                               
added that there would still be a campaigning process.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:26:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SHAW   opened  public   testimony  on   HJR  13.     After                                                               
ascertaining  no   one  wished  to  testify,   he  closed  public                                                               
testimony.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:27:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WRIGHT  moved  to adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)  for  HJR   13,  Version  33-LS0690\B,  Wallace,                                                               
1/22/24, as the working document.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:27:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BUDDY  WHITT, Staff,  Representative  Laddie  Shaw, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, presented  a summary of  changes in the  proposed CS                                                               
for HJR 13, Version B, on behalf of Representative Shaw.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SHAW  removed  his  objection.   There  being  no  further                                                               
objection, Version B was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW announced that HJR 13 was held over.