01/31/2019 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s) | |
| SCR1 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | SCR 1 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
January 31, 2019
3:31 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Mike Shower, Chair
Senator John Coghill, Vice Chair
Senator Lora Reinbold
Senator Peter Micciche
Senator Scott Kawasaki
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Commissioner Designee, Department of Military & Veterans Affairs
Brigadier General Torrence "Tory" W. Saxe - JBER
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1
Proposing an amendment to the Uniform Rules of the Alaska State
Legislature relating to the appearance of measures on the daily
calendar after the ninetieth day of the regular session.
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SCR 1
SHORT TITLE: UNIFORM RULE AMENDMENT; BUDGET
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) SHOWER
01/16/19 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/16/19 (S) STA
01/31/19 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
WITNESS REGISTER
BRIGADIER GENERAL TORRENCE "Tory" W. SAXE, Commissioner Designee
and Adjutant General
Department of Military & Veterans Affairs
JBER, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as nominee to the position of
commissioner of the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.
SCOTT OGAN, Staff
Senator Mike Shower
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced SCR 1 on behalf of the sponsor.
THERESA USIBELLI, representing self
Healy, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of the appointment of
Brigadier General Saxe as commissioner of the Department of
Military & Veterans Affairs.
DAVE GARGANTA, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of the appointment of
Brigadier General Saxe as commissioner of the Department of
Military & Veterans Affairs.
VIKKI JO KENNEDY, representing self
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified that she supports the appointment
of Brigadier General Saxe as commissioner of the Department of
Military & Veterans Affairs.
CHAD CANNAN, representing self
Houston, Texas
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of the appointment of
Brigadier General Saxe as commissioner of the Department of
Military & Veterans Affairs (DMVA).
CHARLES STRONG, representing self
California
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of the appointment of
Brigadier General Saxe as commissioner of the Department of
Military & Veterans Affairs (DMVA).
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:31:11 PM
CHAIR MIKE SHOWER called the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:31 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Coghill, Reinbold, Kawasaki, and Chair
Shower.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Commissioner, Department of Military & Veterans Affairs
3:32:24 PM
CHAIR SHOWER invited General Torrence "Tory" W. Saxe,
commissioner designee and adjutant General of the Department of
Military & Veterans Affairs, to tell the committee about
himself.
3:32:47 PM
BRIGIDIER GENERAL TORRENCE W. SAXE, Commissioner Designee and
adjutant general, Department of Military & Veterans Affairs,
said first he wanted to relay the good news that President Trump
has granted the request for individual and public assistance
after the earthquake.
3:33:07 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE joined the committee.
GENERAL SAXE reported that the declaration means that
individuals and Alaskan families are eligible for up to $34,000
in federal assistance. State assistance for individuals is
limited to about $17,000. He explained that after the earthquake
those in need were put into shelters and temporary housing. The
next phase is to get people out of hotels and into temporary
housing. For those who are eligible, federal grants cover up to
three months of rent and up to 18 months for those with
mortgages. That cap is up to $34,900.
3:35:01 PM
SENATOR REINBOLD asked if people should use the ready.gov
website.
GENERAL SAXE said yes. He added that with the Governor's
concurrence there is a one-month extension to apply for
assistance. Currently, there are about 13,000 applicants and the
number is growing daily.
3:35:38 PM
GENERAL SAXE stated that he has been in the military almost 30
years. He comes from a military family and initially enlisted in
the Army. His father is a retired infantry officer, his wife is
in the Army, and her 96-year-old grandmother was a Marine in
World War II.
He said he was a reservist when his unit was deployed in Desert
Storm and Desert Shield and the experience of being a medic in
the operating room gave him quick focus about war and what he
needed to do to be prepared. He has tried to apply the saying
"Be ready for war because war is ready for you." to everything
he's done in his career.
He subsequently finished his degree from Eastern Washington
University and was cross-commissioned into the Air Force. His
first job was as a missileer in a missile silo in Montana. That
training provided rigid discipline for his assignment to the
radome at Clear Air Force Station ("Clear"). After a year he was
sent to England to do space surveillance. Next, he was sent to
Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado where he worked in personnel
as executive officer. When word came that Clear was going to the
National Guard, he applied and was able to return to Alaska, he
said. Eventually, he became the guard commander and installation
commander at Clear. In that capacity he was in charge of the
guard, active duty, Canadians, and civilians. He said he's
always taken that as a good sign because he knows that things go
well when you develop a good relationship with your active duty
counterparts. This is borne out in his current position where
active duty often drives what is relevant on the national stage.
GENERAL SAXE related that when he left Clear he went to War
College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama and is grateful for
the experience. He had a year to concentrate on critical
thinking and to prepare for future commands. After graduation,
his assignment was aircraft maintenance at JBER for C-17s, C-
130s, and helicopters. After that he became the wing commander
at Eielson overseeing the KC-135s, refueling, and the personnel
at Clear. Next, he became the commander of the Alaska Air
National Guard and then moved into his current position. He said
this is his seventh command and his philosophy continues to be,
"You take care of the people and they will take care of the
mission." He opined that is important to be a people-centered
guard commander because people tend to stay a long time. Active
duty moves every 2-3 years whereas guard personnel potentially
will be in the same unit their entire careers.
GENERAL SAXE said his theme going forward is "Team Alaska,"
which will be inclusive and focused on the mission. He
highlighted that the Alaska Air National Guard has both a state
and federal mission. It is the one part of the Department of
Defense with that distinction. Day-to-day, his commander in
chief is the Governor and he wants to focus on state operations,
earthquake preparedness, and response. General Saxe said he has
informed guard staff that work directly for him that there will
have an earthquake exercise in the near future. Within 75 days a
larger exercise will be held that also includes active duty
personnel. He opined that it's important to do that as a dual-
status commander. All forces should be brought to bear on a
domestic response.
He said the second aspect of his vision focuses on the people
and whether they want to go to work. He wants to get rid of
toxic behavior at any level and has no tolerance for toxic
behavior, sexual harassment, or sexual assault. He said his wife
gave him permission to share that she was sexually harassed
during her Army career. It affected her moral and the moral of
her section. He said he will not tolerate that in any unit, and
he won't tolerate anyone who fails to act if it happens.
GENERAL SAXE said he wants people to understand that he believes
in empowering people and has already passed on his expectations
to his unit. Everyone who identifies a problem gets a letter
grade C, a B if they do that and give a course of action, and an
A if they do both and let him know what they've done. He
acknowledged that empowerment alone is not enough. The missions
must be relevant, particularly in the relationship with active
duty. The F-35 are coming to Alaska in a few years and he would
like to be part of a total force integration with them, either
flying or fixing those fighters. Refueling is also on the list
of importance. There is a current need to refuel the KC-135s and
the need will be even greater when the F-35s arrive. If active
duty decides that the KC-46 follow-on refueler will go to
Eielson, he wants to be part of that. He said he is ready today
for total force integration with the current tanker, but they
are older and will eventually be phased out.
3:42:59 PM
GENERAL SAXE said future missions at Clear include the Long
Range Discrimination Radar that will be connected into the
Aleutians and the existing radar that will have a dedicated
landline into Fort Greely. The Alaska Army National Guard just
received two Lakota helicopters and he has asked them to be
placed on alert to work with the Air Force for in-state search
and rescue. He said he agrees with Billy Mitchel who said that
Alaska is the most strategic spot on the globe. There is a shift
to the Pacific and it's important that all the agencies within
the DMVA are focused on the future.
CHAIR SHOWER thanked General Saxe and asked if there were
questions.
3:44:20 PM
SENATOR COGHILL asked if he had any ideas about how to better
integrate with the active duty Air Force in both the Pacific and
Arctic.
GENERAL SAXE said the C-17 is a good example of Total Force
Integration. It started as active duty only owned iron and has
transitioned to guard owned iron with no impact on the mission
capable rate to fix and fly the aircraft. His said his focus
would be anything that could project that power such as the KC-
46, F-22 and F-35. With regard to the Arctic, it's important to
be able to get to the places that are impacted by climate
change, he said.
3:46:59 PM
SENATOR COGHILL highlighted that manning missile defense and
Eyes in the Sky at Clear has increased the mission in Alaska
significantly. He asked what other projects might be coming from
the Air Force.
GENERAL SAXE replied the largest project is the Long Range
Discrimination Radar, and the Guard is not currently part of
that. If it is going to be manned by Air Force personnel, that
is where he would like to take the initiative, he said. Nearly
100 percent of the mission at Clear is operated by guardsmen
with a small cadre of Canadians and active duty. Active duty is
likely to leave Clear in the future, so it is a good mission for
the guard to take on. It is cutting edge. He noted that the
relationship between Clear and Fort Greely is almost completely
manned by guardsmen, which is the type of relationship he's
interested in. The saying at Fort Greely is that "It's the 300
protecting the 300 million," and he agrees completely.
SENATOR COGHILL noted that the university has worked with the
Army on drones and with the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA)on training for air space issues. He asked if he foresees
the Army National Guard taking a role in the management of drone
operations.
GENERAL SAXE said he would not pursue that at this time.
SENATOR COGHILL asked him to talk about the benefit of the Army
War College.
GENERAL SAXE explained that every service except the Marines has
a War College for select lieutenants and colonels. He said that
once you are accepted, you have a year to focus on strategic
studies and critical thinking. Participants are challenged daily
by their peers and professors and a large percentage of
graduates do go on to higher command. He said he completely
endorses it and believes the rigorous experience helped him
personally and professionally. He also came away with another
master's degree.
SENATOR COGHILL described his own experience at the Army War
College.
GENERAL SAXE reiterated that he is a proponent of any War
College.
3:51:20 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI asked how the previous commissioner did with
regard to the sexual assault issues in the Alaska Guard, and
what he will do to ensure that won't happen again.
GENERAL SAXE said he knows his predecessor did several things to
refine the response. He believes that it is critical for the
commander to set a good example and to hold all subordinate
commanders to the same standard. What he's seen in other units
is that everyone knows about a behavior, but no action is taken.
He said that under his command, a commander who does that will
be held accountable for not enforcing the culture.
He discussed the education and training he'd like to further.
Currently there is a sexual assault response coordinator and
victim advocates. He explained that there are two paths for
victims of sexual assault - restricted and unrestricted.
Restricted means that the incident is truly between the victim
and a small number of people whereas the unrestricted path can
open up to the chain of command. He emphasized that the key is
that the victim decides the path, not the commander. He said he
wants to make sure that there is a culture where everyone
understands that sexual assault is never appropriate and will
not be tolerated. It is his job to ensure that culture is never
close to the line. Training is ongoing to make sure that this is
a safe place for all to work, he said.
3:53:48 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI asked why he decided to switch from the Army to
the Air Force.
GENERAL SAXE said there was a family connection with the Air
Force.
SENATOR KAWASAKI asked if he knows the result of the Army/Air
Force game that was played in Fairbanks several weeks ago.
GENERAL SAXE answered he did not know the outcome, but heard it
was a lot of fun, just like those games always are.
SENATOR KAWASAKI reported that the Army slaughtered the Air
Force.
3:54:51 PM
SENATOR REINBOLD asked what his largest challenges will be.
GENERAL SAXE said the number one challenge is recruitment.
Improvements have been made the last several years but there is
more to do. He shared a success story of recruiting at Eielson
over a period of 18 months. He credited good leadership, good
recruiters, and the belief that it can be done. Retention is not
a challenge at this time; it is about 95 percent. That is a good
sign. The number two challenge is to have a relevant weapons
system. The Alaska Air Guard currently does not have a fighter
community which is why he wants to be part of the F-35. The
number three challenge is to build the bench of officers and
enlisted personnel and ensure they see there is a path forward.
The number four challenge is rural engagement. Forces are now
concentrated in Anchorage and Fairbanks and it's important to
get out with better capacity and be the Department of Military &
Veterans Affairs for all of Alaska. He has asked homeland
security to look at rural airports and get out to rural
communities more. With some support from active duty, he wants
to be prepared for a domestic contingency or a federal response.
The Alaska Air National Guard currently can fly into Bethel and
Galena and he plans to also take recruiters, the Office of
Veterans' Affairs, and the Alaska State Defense Force.
SENATOR REINBOLD asked what his plan is for getting relevant
weapons as well as his plan for the Arctic.
GENERAL SAXE said the best thing they can do is be in the rural
part of Alaska and enhance the state defense force. Right now,
there are about 111 people and he would like to increase that to
about 500. With the Governor's number one priority being public
safety, it is appropriate to look with public safety at a
constabulary defense force. The preliminary discussions are
ongoing.
With regard to relevant weapons, he said he believes that
building a trusting relationship with active duty (such as he
described earlier as commander at Clear) can make that happen.
Going forward he will use that template; he wants to be
embedding with active duty counterparts to ensure that the
Alaska Air National Guard is on board with emerging systems. He
offered his perspective that, "We're all on the same team, just
different positions."
4:02:01 PM
SENATOR SHOWER asked him to highlight where the Navy and the
Coast Guard are showing interest in the Arctic and the ice
breaking capacity the U.S. is lacking.
GENERAL SAXE said it is public knowledge that compared to some
potential adversaries, the U.S. does not have a comparable
icebreaker force. If the Arctic waterways continue to open up,
the Alaska Air National Guard can be part of satellite
surveillance and forward deployment of the State Defense Force.
They are the eyes and ears for homeland security. Active duty
Navy and the Coast Guard assume more direct involvement.
He highlighted that the state's defense force personnel recently
saw a Russian ship that was close to the border and reported it
up the chain to Alaska command. That is a tangible example of
the importance of a forward presence, he said.
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if he believes he will be given the
necessary tools to complete his mission and guiding principles
for the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs.
GENERAL SAXE replied, "I definitely will lead what I am given
and work within the budget I am given as well." He said his
tiered approach is to look at the effect on readiness,
relevancy, and recruiting.
SENATOR MICCICHE mentioned the educational benefits of enlisting
and asked if there is potential for partnerships with the
university to make course work more relevant and keep students
in the state.
GENERAL SAXE said his daughter joined the Guard because she
wanted to serve her country and state and because the
educational benefits are very good. He added that more emphasis
on science and math would help with relevancy.
4:06:51 PM
SENATOR SHOWER asked what challenges the legislature and
governor may need to address to accommodate the budget the DMVA
needs.
GENERAL SAXE said the criteria he looks at is whether the budget
is sufficient to address readiness and relevancy and whether he
can positively impact recruiting. He noted that the state budget
is about $15 million, and the federal budget is almost $1
billion.
CHAIR SHOWER asked if he feels he's in good shape at this time.
GENERAL SAXE said yes.
4:08:17 PM
CHAIR SHOWER opened public testimony on the appointment.
THERESA USIBELLI, representing self, Healy, testified in support
of the appointment of Brigadier General Saxe as commissioner of
the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs. She related that
she is a family friend and would trust him with her family's
life. He is kind, courteous, trustworthy, level-headed, and the
best person for the position.
4:12:08 PM
DAVE GARGANTA, representing self, Anchorage, testified that he
is retired from the Alaska Air National Guard after 38 years of
service, and it is an honor to speak in support of Brigadier
General Saxe's confirmation. He has never worked for a finer
person. His leadership, mentorship, and dedication to the
mission is beyond compare. He is well-rounded and has the best
interest of the military, veterans, and the nation at heart. He
is truly an officer and a gentleman.
4:14:34 PM
VIKKI JO KENNEDY, representing self, Juneau, said she too
supports the appointment of Brigadier General Saxe as
commissioner of the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs,
but wants him to tell the public why, when missile defense is so
imperative to the state, he is relying solely on Fort Greely.
She suggested moving half the force to Juneau.
4:16:09 PM}
CHAD CANNAN, representing self, Houston, Texas, testified that
General Saxe has many personal and professional values that make
him uniquely qualified for the position. First, he has found the
elusive leadership balance between executing the mission and
growing the people who are executing the mission. Second, he
always does things the right way, emphasizing that it is not
just what is accomplished but how it is accomplished. Third, his
high regard for family is an indelible sign of the type of
person he is, and it speaks to his character.
4:19:01 PM
CHARLES STRONG, representing self, California, testified that he
worked with General Saxe for 15 years and was impressed with his
professional bearing and record. He can be counted on to get the
job done. He always plays in the middle of the field and expects
his people to do the same. General Saxe also understands the
challenges of working with active duty. He is uniquely qualified
and there is no better person for the position, Mr. Strong said.
4:22:06 PM
CHAIR SHOWER closed public testimony.
GENERAL SAXE responded to Ms. Kennedy's question about
redundancy by explaining that the Alaska Air National Guard has
interceptors at Fort Greely and Vandenberg Air Force Base in
central California so all of Alaska and down to California is
covered.
4:23:31 PM
SENATOR REINBOLD listed the medals she saw on General Saxe's
uniform and asked how he achieved them.
GENERAL SAXE replied medals are typically awarded for superior
performance during an assignment. Meritorious service medals are
usually given for someone who is a field-grade officer who has
done a good job in command. The achievement medal typically is
awarded to a more junior officer and the commendation medal is
the mid-tier officer. He said he received the combat readiness
medal when he was in in a combat missile crew dealing with
nuclear weapons.
SENATOR REINBOLD said it's an honor to have you before us and
many of us are in awe of your biography.
CHAIR SHOWER encouraged the public to submit written testimony
to his office.
4:25:43 PM
CHAIR SHOWER stated that in accordance with AS 39.05.080, the
Senate State Affairs Standing Committee reviewed the following
and recommends the appointment(s) be forwarded to a joint
session for consideration:
Commissioner & Adjutant General, Department of Military &
Veterans Affairs
Torrence W. Saxe - JBER
This does not reflect an intent by any of the members to vote
for or against the confirmation of the individual(s) during any
further sessions.
4:26:10 PM
At ease
SCR 1-UNIFORM RULE AMENDMENT; BUDGET
4:27:51 PM
CHAIR SHOWER announced the consideration of SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION NO. 1; Proposing an amendment to the Uniform Rules of
the Alaska State Legislature relating to the appearance of
measures on the daily calendar after the ninetieth day of the
regular session. He noted that he is the sponsor.
4:28:15 PM
SCOTT OGAN, Staff, Senator Mike Shower, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, introduced SCR 1 on behalf of the sponsor
speaking to the following sponsor statement: [Original
punctuation provided.]
Proposing an amendment to the Uniform Rules of the
Alaska Legislature relating to the appearance of
measures on the daily calendar after the 90th day of
the regular session.
The Legislature has a constitutional duty to pass a
budget. With this proposed guidance in the Uniform
Rules, the legislature can only consider a
constitutionally mandated appropriation bill past the
90-day mark.
Legislators will know there is a hard deadline to get
their legislation on the calendar for consideration by
committees. Focus after 90 days will be directed at
passing a constitutionally required budget.
This measure would honor the intent of the voters when
they passed an initiative in 2006 to limit the session
to 90 days. While the initiative's 90-day limit is
currently in statute, it creates tension with the
Article II Sec 8 constitutional provision, which
provides that the "legislature shall adjourn from
regular session no later than one hundred twenty
consecutive calendar days from the date it convenes,
except the regular session may be extended once for up
to ten consecutive calendar days." The legislative
practice of late has been to ignore the voter-mandated
90-day limit.
By amending the Uniform Rules of the Alaska
Legislature as this resolution proposes to do, no bill
other than an appropriation bill may appear on the
daily calendar after the 90th day of the regular
session. As a result, this may cause work on the floor
to cease for any non-appropriation measure unless the
Uniform Rules are suspended with a 2/3 majority of the
represented house body where the measure resides.
However, committee work on legislation would still be
permitted at the discretion of the chair. Bills on
high profile issues can always be brought to the floor
if a super majority of legislators agree.
This measure focuses the legislature's attention on
only the budget, if the budget takes longer than 90
days. It also provides a circuit breaker against
excessive special sessions by allowing high priority
legislation that receives a 2/3 vote to waive the
Uniform Rules to come to the floor.
MR. OGAN noted that the bill amends Uniform Rule 18 and that
Uniform Rule 54 addresses suspension of the rules [by a
concurrent resolution approved by a two-thirds vote of the full
membership of each house.]
CHAIR SHOWER asked if the resolution had a sectional analysis or
fiscal note.
MR. OGAN replied the resolution has a zero fiscal note. It
simply amends Uniform Rule 18 by adding a new subsection (b)
that reads as follows:
(b) No measure other than an appropriation bill may
appear on the daily calendar after the ninetieth day
of a regular session.
4:31:04 PM
CHAIR SHOWER explained that he filed the resolution in the hope
of fulfilling the voters' will when they passed an initiative
for a 90-day session in 2006. As was mentioned, the one
constitutional obligation the legislature has is to pass a
budget. The resolution amends the Uniform Rules, but it does not
affect the constitutional 120-day session. All appropriation
bills are exempt. After 90 days committee work can continue, but
only high priority non-appropriation measures could go to the
floor if two-thirds of the body believes it is important.
SENATOR REINBOLD asked for clarification of Rule 54 and Rule 18.
MR. OGAN explained that Rule 54 would be used to move a non-
appropriation bill to the floor after 90 days. It requires a
concurrent resolution approved by a two-thirds vote of the full
membership of each house. SCR 1 amends Uniform Rule 18.
4:34:10 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI pointed out that Uniform Rule 17 articulates
the daily order of business and [paragraph (m)] discusses the
Consideration of the Daily Calendar. He asked if the resolution
would prohibit the introduction of new bills after day 90.
MR. OGAN replied he would follow up with an answer after he does
some research and checks with legislative legal.
SENATOR KAWASAKI said he reviewed Rules 17 and 18 and said he
was unclear whether SCR 1 would impact the ability to introduce
legislation after day 90.
MR. OGAN said the intent is to not allow non-appropriation
measures to go to the floor, but he would talk with legislative
legal to ensure that SCR 1 does not have that unintended
consequence.
CHAIR SHOWER clarified that there is no intent to prohibit the
introduction of bills that are intended to come to the floor for
a vote during the second session.
4:36:05 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI suggested the two-thirds vote could
disenfranchise the minority opinion, depending on the size of
the majority.
MR. OGAN said there probably will be winners and losers but
ultimately the winner is voter intent to have the legislature
meet for 90 days.
SENATOR KAWASAKI said he supports the concept of the resolution
but hopes it wouldn't be used as a tool to divide legislators.
CHAIR SHOWER reiterated that the intent is to honor the will of
the people. He added that he doesn't believe anyone would try to
get a two-thirds majority vote past 90 days because it's such a
high bar.
4:39:01 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if a two-thirds vote is required to pass
the bill.
MR. OGAN said yes.
SENATOR MICCICHE said he supports the idea of getting work done
in 90 days and to prioritize work on the appropriation bills
after that. However, he agrees with Senator Kawasaki that there
should be an exception for the introduction of new bills in the
first year. He said he'd also like to discuss a carve-out for
bills related to statute changes that are needed to finalize
appropriation bills.
CHAIR SHOWER said he was open to discuss ways to improve the
bill and avoid unintended consequences.
SENATOR COGHILL said he would struggle to support the bill. He
was not a fan of the 2006 initiative because it limits the
people's access and empowers the administration. He said Senator
Kawasaki brought up good questions that should be answered. He
opined that there are political dynamics that he will need to
consider. "I'm holding my powder off on this one. My first
answer's going to be no," he said.
4:46:25 PM
MR. OGAN acknowledged that it isn't under consideration, but he
likes the Wyoming model of a 20-day session the first year for
just the budget and a 40-day session the second year for other
legislation.
SENATOR COGHILL observed that, as written, SCR 1 provides a way
to game the system. The legislature could pass an appropriation
bill without passing the budget.
CHAIR SHOWER agreed that may need to be changed. He added that
the idea is to find a way to improve the process.
SENATOR COGHILL pointed out the potential limitations of
imposing a two-thirds vote to bring a bill to the floor when it
requires a simple majority to pass it.
4:49:58 PM
CHAIR SHOWER held SCR 1 in committee.
4:50:29 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Shower adjourned the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting at 4:50 pm.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| STA Commissioner MVA Saxe #1.pdf |
SSTA 1/31/2019 3:30:00 PM |
COMM SAXE RESUME |
| SSTA Agenda Week of 1.28.19.pdf |
SSTA 1/31/2019 3:30:00 PM |
1.31.19 Agenda |
| SCR 1 Sponsor Statement .pdf |
SSTA 1/31/2019 3:30:00 PM |
SCR 1 |
| SCR 1.PDF |
SSTA 1/31/2019 3:30:00 PM |
SCR 1 |
| SCR1-LEG-SESS-01-29-2019.pdf |
SSTA 1/31/2019 3:30:00 PM |
SCR 1 |