SB 28-EST. APRIL 24 ALASKA CONSTITUTION DAY  3:08:09 PM CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that the next order of business would be SENATE BILL NO. 28, "An Act establishing April 24 of each year as Vic Fischer and Jack Coghill Constitution of the State of Alaska Day; and providing for an effective date." [before the committee was CSSB 28(STA).] 3:08:30 PM SENATOR TOM BEGICH, Alaska State Legislature, prime sponsor, introduced SB 28. He informed the committee that the proposed legislation would establish "Alaska Constitution Day," further noting that the bill was composed of only two sections. Section 1 denoted April 24 as a commemorated holiday and Section 2 established an effective date of July 1, 2021. He presented the sponsor statement [included in the committee packet, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: On April 24, 1956, the citizens of Alaska ratified the Constitution of the State of Alaska, "guaranteeing that the individual will always be in-charge," and enshrining our State's [sic] values of individual freedom, local control, and personal autonomy at the core of our Statehood. The purpose of our Constitution was to, "transmit to succeeding generations our heritage of political, civil, and religious liberty within the United of States." Over the past 65 years, the laws and policies of our state have remained relevant and true. Those 55 delegates, so long ago, provided a visionary template for guided governance that has served this state well. Now is the time to recognize the persistence of our Constitution by establishing an annual reminder and celebration of the continuity of our state's values. Senate Bill 28 provides a bridge from the past to the future by establishing the Vic Fischer and Jack Coghill Constitution of the State of Alaska Day. If we know where we have come from, we will better attend to where we are going. As Alaska grapples with an unprecedented pandemic and increasing fiscal instability, let us all take a moment to remember the actions and efforts that shaped the state we are today and focus on the state we wish to become. SENATOR BEGICH explained that Vic Fischer and Jack Coghill were being honored because despite their different political perspectives, they were able to work together on the shared goal of bettering the state. He welcomed questions from the committee. 3:12:03 PM REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN pointed out that the bill would recognize 2 of the 55 constitutional delegates. He asked whether the bill sponsor would object to including "a recommendation to the state" to honor all 55 delegates. SENATOR BEGICH pointed out that the bill had prompted senators to acknowledge the other 53 delegates by name on the Senate floor and in committee. He believed that the proposed legislation would encourage further questions and discussion about Alaska's constitutional delegates. He said he understood the intent of Representative Eastman's question; however, the statute would not lay out provisions for how to execute or celebrate this holiday - it would simply name the commemorative day. He encouraged the representatives to recognize the other 53 delegates by name should the bill arrive on the House floor. 3:14:39 PM REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN questioned why Jack Coghill and Vic Fisher were specifically named. SENATOR BEGICH reiterated that both individuals came from very different perspectives. Nonetheless, because of their shared experienced with the Constitution of the State of Alaska, they exemplified how two people with different ideologies could work together. 3:15:39 PM REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether Alaska Constitution Day would be a commemorative or legal holiday and how it would affect state employees. SENATOR BEGICH explained that CSSB 28(STA) ensured that April 24 would be a commemorative holiday, as opposed to a legal holiday. He believed that establishing a commemorative holiday was critical due to the fiscal impact of legal holidays. He further noted that commemorative holidays were identified under AS 44.12. 3:17:41 PM REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 1 to CSSB 28(STA), such that "and all of Alaska's constitutional delegates" would be inserted after "Vic Fischer" on page 1, line 7. REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN objected for the purpose of discussion. 3:18:20 PM SENATOR BEGICH suggested adding a comma in between "Vic Fischer" and "and all of Alaska's constitutional delegates"; thus reading "Vic Fischer, and all of Alaska's constitutional delegates". He believed that the conceptual amendment captured the spirit of the bill's intent and encouraged the committee to consider it. REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN agreed on the insertion of the comma. 3:19:06 PM REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN withdrew his objection and suggested leaving the grammatical decisions to Legislative Legal Services. Without further objection, Conceptual Amendment 1 was adopted. CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS echoed Representative Claman's comments regarding Legislative Legal Services having the prerogative to incorporate the necessary conforming changes into bill. SENATOR BEGICH noted the significance of debating a conceptual amendment and a comma while sitting in the committee room named after Max Gruenberg. CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS concurred. 3:20:31 PM CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS opened invited testimony. 3:20:49 PM VICTOR FISHER said SB 28 was a good bill that would serve an important purpose. He recalled speaking about the constitution to many high school and college students throughout his lifetime. He believed that the proposed legislation would encourage people to understand their constitutional rights. He reiterated his strong support for the bill and commended the committee for promoting the idea. 3:23:07 PM REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN thanked Mr. Fischer for his continued participation in the democratic process and his long commitment to Alaska. REPRESENTATIVE STORY thanked Mr. Fischer for his work years ago, which still lived on today. She said it was an honor to hear him testify before the committee. REPRESENTATIVE TARR noted how special it was for legislation to receive recognition from someone who helped frame Alaska's constitution. She thanked Mr. Fischer for testifying. SENATOR BEGICH shared that Mr. Fischer was one of his mentors. He recalled working for him on campaign finance reform work in 1983. Personally, he said, this came "full circle." 3:24:54 PM CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS noted the importance of having one of Alaska's founding fathers share his perspective. Additionally, he acknowledged the extraordinary life Mr. Fischer had lived. He opened public testimony. After ascertaining that no one wished to testify, he closed public testimony. REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN noted that on April 24, the people of Alaska voted to approve the constitution; therefore, he believed that selecting April 24 as a commemorative holiday was an appropriate choice in their honor - not to take away from the hard work of the delegates. 3:27:19 PM REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN moved to report CSSB 28(STA), as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. Without objection, HCS CSSB 28(STA) was moved from the House State Affairs Standing Committee.