SB 244 - GOVERNOR'S DUTY STATION/TRAVEL ALLOWANCES  1:08:02 PM CHAIR RAMRAS announced that the next order of business would be SENATE BILL NO. 244, "An Act providing that, during the governor's term of office, the duty station of the governor is Juneau, and prohibiting payment of certain travel allowances for use of the governor's personal residence." [Before the committee was HCS SB 244(STA).] 1:08:12 PM DARWIN PETERSON, Staff, Senator Bert Stedman, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of the sponsor, Senator Stedman, explained that currently, with the exception of the governor and lieutenant governor, all state employees within the administration have a designated duty station assigned by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). It is up to the legislature, if it so chooses, to designate the governor's duty station in statute, and HCS SB 244(STA) specifies that the governor's duty station - defined in the bill as the location where the governor spends the major portion of time assigned to fulfill the duties of the office - is considered to be the state capital. The bill doesn't contain an effective date clause [and so, if passed, would go into effect 90 days after enactment], and doesn't alter the ability of the governor to maintain his/her own travel schedule in order to fulfill his/her gubernatorial responsibilities. MR. PETERSON, in response to questions, noted that under HCS SB 244(STA), the duty station would be wherever the state capital is; offered his understanding that the current governor spends the majority of his time in Juneau, since that's where he's provided a residence; and assured the committee that the bill wouldn't alter the governor's ability to travel to and spend time in other parts of the state. He added that according to Legislative Legal and Research Services, the governor could still choose to live elsewhere. Specifying where the official duty station is would merely provide clarity for purposes of calculating and reimbursing the governor for his/her travel expenses. The committee took an at-ease from 1:12 p.m. to 1:13 p.m. [Due to technical difficulties with the official recording, all volumes must be set at maximum for the period between 1:13:03 p.m. and 1:15:36 p.m.] MR. PETERSON, in response to further questions, offered his understanding that under the bill, if a governor chooses to reside in his/her own home when away from the state capital, he/she could submit an application for reimbursement of meals and incidental expenses at a rate of $60 per day. In response to another question, he relayed that the sponsor would prefer that the bill specify that the governor's duty station is "Juneau", rather than "the state capital", but isn't going to be voting against concurrence with the change incorporated in HCS SB 244(STA). CHAIR RAMRAS, after ascertaining that no one else wished to testify, closed public testimony on SB 244. 1:15:58 PM REPRESENTATIVE LYNN [made a motion to adopt] Amendment 1, labeled 26-LS1322\C.1, Chenoweth, 4/1/10, which read: Page 1, lines 1 - 3: Delete all material and insert: ""An Act providing that, during the term of office,  the duty station of the governor and of the lieutenant  governor is the state capital, and prohibiting payment  of certain travel allowances to those officers for use  of the personal residences of the governor and  lieutenant governor."" Page 1, line 8: Delete "to the governor" Page 2, lines 1 - 10: Delete all material and insert:  "* Sec. 2. AS 39.20.060 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: "(b) For purposes of calculation and payment of travel allowances due the governor during the governor's term of office and the lieutenant governor during the lieutenant governor's term of office, (1) notwithstanding the residence of each of these public officers in another location, the governor's duty station, defined as the location where the governor spends the major portion of time assigned to fulfill the duties of the office, and the lieutenant governor's duty station, defined as the location where the lieutenant governor spends the major portion of time assigned to fulfill the duties of the office, is considered to be the state capital; and (2) the governor is not entitled to, and may not claim as a travel allowance, a lodging allowance, when staying in the governor's personal residence while in travel status away from the governor's designated duty station, and the lieutenant governor is not entitled to, and may not claim as a travel allowance, a lodging allowance, when staying in the lieutenant governor's personal residence while in travel status away from the lieutenant governor's designated duty station." Page 2, line 16, following "governor": Insert "and the lieutenant governor" CHAIR RAMRAS objected for the purpose of discussion. REPRESENTATIVE LYNN explained that Amendment 1 would specify that the state capital is also the duty station of the lieutenant governor. He offered his understanding that there has been some discussion regarding providing a residence in Juneau for the lieutenant governor. REPRESENTATIVE LYNN then withdrew Amendment 1. 1:17:12 PM CHAIR RAMRAS made a motion to adopt Conceptual Amendment 2, to replace the words, "the state capital", on page 1, line 2, with the word, "Juneau". REPRESENTATIVE GATTO objected. CHAIR RAMRAS expressed an interest in returning the bill to its original form, which specifies "Juneau" as the duty station. The committee took an at-ease from 1:17 p.m. to 1:18 p.m. CHAIR RAMRAS, mentioning a [potential] conflict of interest, disclosed that he is running for statewide office. REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG objected, thus requiring Chair Ramras to vote. A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Holmes, Dahlstrom, Herron, and Ramras voted in favor of Conceptual Amendment 2. Representatives Gatto, Lynn, and Gruenberg voted against it. Therefore, Conceptual Amendment 2 was adopted by a vote of 4-3. CHAIR RAMRAS explained that Conceptual Amendment 2 would also effect a similar change to the language on page 2, [lines 6-7]. 1:20:31 PM REPRESENTATIVE DAHLSTROM moved to report HCS SB 244(STA), as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, HCS SB 244(JUD) was reported from the House Judiciary Standing Committee.