SB 129-ELECTION PAMPHLET INFORMATION RE: JUDGES                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:15:10 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   SHOWER  reconvened   the   meeting   and  announced   the                                                               
consideration  of  SENATE  BILL  NO.  129  "An  Act  relating  to                                                               
information   on   judicial   officers   provided   in   election                                                               
pamphlets."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:15:34 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR ROBERT  MYERS, Alaska State Legislature,  Juneau, Alaska,                                                               
sponsor  of   SB  129,  summarized   that  the  bill   will  take                                                               
information  that is  already being  collected, primarily  by the                                                               
Judicial  Council,  and  place  it  in  the  pamphlets  that  the                                                               
Division  of Elections  prints before  every election  to educate                                                               
voters.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:16:20 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR HOLLAND asked if any groups had objected to the bill.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MEYER  replied  there had  been  no  crystalized  effort                                                               
either for or against the bill.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SHOWER   recalled  that  the  court   wasn't  particularly                                                               
supportive of the bill.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MYERS  said both  the Court  System and  Judicial Council                                                               
were leery initially,  but over the past 18  months he'd modified                                                               
the bill to  mollify many of the concerns.  He expressed optimism                                                               
that the bill would actually help the court over the long term.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:18:34 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  COSTELLO  asked  whether  the Judicial  Council  had  an                                                               
opinion on the bill.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:18:39 PM                                                                                                                    
SUSANNE  DIPIETRO, Executive  Director,  Alaska Judicial  Council                                                               
(AJC),  Anchorage,  Alaska,  stated  that AJC  had  not  taken  a                                                               
position on SB 129.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:19:05 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR SHOWER opened public testimony  on SB 129; finding none, he                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MYERS thanked the committee.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:19:30 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  HOLLAND  moved to  report  CSSB  129, 32-LS0751\N,  from                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations  and attached  fiscal                                                               
note(s).                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHOWER  found no objection  and CSSB 129(JUD)  was reported                                                               
from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.