HJR 1-CONST AM: 90 DAY LEGISLATIVE SESSION Number 2439 CHAIR COGHILL announced that the next item of business before the committee would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 1, Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to the duration of a regular session. Number 2446 REPRESENTATIVE NORMAN ROKEBERG, Alaska State Legislature, came forward to testify as sponsor of HJR 1. House Joint Resolution 1 simply shortens via constitutional amendment the session term from 120 days to 90 days. He said he thinks it is one of the things the legislature needs to do in terms of legislative reform. He observed that the legislature now is subject to an application of Parkinson's Law, which says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. "We don't really get out of the blocks [very] quickly, particularly at the start of a two-year session," he said. REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG then called attention to what he views as a structural problem under the Uniform Rules that inhibits the ability to do work on a year-round basis. He noted that he also has introduced HCR 3, which is a change in the Uniform Rules to allow standing committees to deal with bills. They currently can meet during the interim, but they cannot pass a bill out of the committee and on to another committee of referral. Making that change would not require a constitutional amendment. He noted that wording regarding changes in the Uniform Rules does not need to go before the people for their approval, but is something the legislature could take action on itself. He said HCR 3 also allows for electronic voting over the teleconference lines. You can't really have a shortening of the session without looking at the ability of the standing committees to meet in the interim and to be able to conduct business," he said. "I think that's an important factor and something that the subcommittee needs to be aware of." REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG estimated that HJR 1 would save $1.5 million in per diem costs and would help in recruiting candidates to serve in the legislature. He thinks the legislature's work could be done in 90 days. Most Western states have shorter sessions. He added that Washington and Oregon [sessions] also are biennial. REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG concluded by saying that he does not think HJR 1 and HJR 2 are compatible to present to voters. "They are two different concepts," he said. "They have a common thread of shortening ... the gross number of legislative days during a two-year session." He said he thought there is less controversy over a 90-day annual session than there is over a long session one year and a short one the next. CHAIR COGHILL asked the subcommittee to consider not only similarity but also compatibility of the bills assigned to it. REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG noted that he had been very skeptical of the biennial budget concept, but that he "has sort of warmed up" to it because he thinks the bureaucracy spends most of its time budget building instead of running the state.