HR 6 - H SPEC CMTE ON UTILITY RESTRUCTURING                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 010                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN COWDERY announced the first order of business was House                                                                
Resolution No. 6, "Establishing a House Special Committee on                                                                    
Electric Utility Restructuring."  He explained that the purpose of                                                              
the meeting was to delete the word "electric" from the title and                                                                
throughout the resolution.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON, Chairman of the Special Committee on Utility                                                             
Restructuring, clarified that this change would broaden the scope                                                               
of the committee in order to cover telecommunications as well as                                                                
other relevant issues.  Representative Hudson said that the                                                                     
electric utilities in the Anchorage area, in particular, will be                                                                
the major issue.  This would provide the committee with the                                                                     
authority to take up issues dealing with utilities.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER moved to adopt the proposed committee                                                                     
substitute.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ objected for discussion purposes.  He                                                                  
noted that there was a substantive difference in the proposed                                                                   
resolution and last year's resolution.  Last year's resolution                                                                  
included Uniform Rule 1(e) regarding proportional representation.                                                               
Why was proportional representation omitted in the current                                                                      
resolution?  Representative Berkowitz referred to HCR 34, last                                                                  
year's resolution, which stated, "the presiding officer of each                                                                 
body shall apportion minority membersto the joint committee                                                                     
provided in Rule1(e), Uniform Rules of the Alaska State                                                                         
Legislature, for standing committees."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
WALT WILCOX, Legislative Assistant to Representative Hudson, Alaska                                                             
State Legislature, said that there had been discussion on this                                                                  
matter of having another Minority member.  Mr. Wilcox believed that                                                             
the aforementioned difference between HCR 34 and HR 6 was left to                                                               
the discretion of the Speaker rather than the Uniform Rules.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GREEN pointed out that the Uniform Rules do not                                                                  
provide for special committees to maintain that ratio.  The Uniform                                                             
Rules do specify that all committees are to consist of an uneven                                                                
number of members.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER stated that there was no intent not to                                                                    
utilize the proportion called for in the Uniform Rules.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PHILLIPS suggested amending the proposed committee                                                               
substitute.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Line 16,                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     "Further resolve that the Speaker of the House of                                                                          
     Representatives shall determine the number of members of the                                                               
     committee consistent with the Uniform Rules."                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked if the Uniform Rules applied to special                                                                  
committees.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ stated that Uniform Rules specifies that                                                               
a committee must consist of an odd number of people; there is no                                                                
rule of proportionality in a special committee.  Representative                                                                 
Berkowitz inquired as to why the rule of proportionality was                                                                    
included last year, but not included in the this year's resolution.                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON believed that there was no intent to disrupt                                                              
the normal pattern.  Whatever is decided, the committee must have                                                               
one more member in order to consist of an odd number of members.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PHILLIPS moved to adopt the aforementioned amendment                                                             
to the proposed committee substitute.  There being no objection, it                                                             
was so ordered.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER moved to adopt CSHR 6(RLS).  There being no                                                               
objection, it was so ordered.