HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 15 "Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to actions upon veto." 9:31:37 AM Co-Chair Johnston asked for a brief reintroduction of the bill. REPRESENTATIVE JONATHAN KREISS-TOMPKINS, SPONSOR, explained that the resolution would create a uniform two-thirds veto override threshold. Representative Josephson supported and co-sponsored the bill. He stated that when the language had been drafted in December 1955/January 1956 the state had felt more insecure. He detailed that according to Gordon Harrison and other scholars, the state felt it needed the strongest possible governor, which the state now had. He discussed that other states had an elected statewide treasurer, lands commissioner, secretary of state, and attorney general, which resulted in more diffused power. He noted that some states had a separately elected court system, which he opposed. He supported pulling back the reigns on the strong governor model ever so slightly. Representative Josephson believed in some respects, the change would save a governor acting in an extreme position from himself or herself to some degree. He highlighted that the previous session there had been a divided capital issue between Juneau and Wasilla. He elaborated that there had been 16 people who could interfere with the wishes of 44 [legislators]. He thought it took the rights of the Minority a little far. He recalled that at the time the legislature had been looking at the [governor's] $138 million veto to the university. He stated, "I'm not sure that wouldn't have happened. That is, that we couldn't have overridden that." He opined that to be the outlier of the 50 states did not have merit. 9:34:12 AM Co-Chair Foster MOVED to REPORT HJR 15 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note. Representative Tilton OBJECTED. She read a Thomas Jefferson quote from his 1801 inaugural address: All too will bear in mind the sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable; that the minority possesses their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression. Representative Tilton found it curious there were 15 constitutional amendments sitting that had been initiated by the House, and HJR 15 was the only one to make it through the committees of referral. The majority of the others addressed the Permanent Fund Dividend and other constitutional amendments that would bring the constitutional spending limit current. She had heard reference that there were many states with the same threshold. She countered that Alaska was not like all other states. She pointed out that Alaska's constitution was regarded as one of the best, most succinct, and articulate constitutions in the U.S. She did not support looking at what other states were doing and comporting to a lesser document. 9:36:07 AM A roll call vote was taken on the motion. IN FAVOR: Wool, Josephson, Knopp, LeBon, Ortiz, Foster, Johnston OPPOSED: Sullivan-Leonard, Tilton, Carpenter, Merrick The MOTION PASSED (7/4). There being NO further OBJECTION, HJR 15 was REPORTED out of committee with seven "do pass" recommendations and four "do not pass" recommendations and with one previously published zero note: FN1 (GOV). 9:37:01 AM AT EASE 9:38:17 AM RECONVENED