ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  CONFERENCE COMMITTEE ON HB 94  May 14, 2005 4:33 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Ralph Samuels, Chair Representative Jim Elkins Representative Max Gruenberg Senator Gary Stevens, Chair Senator Gene Therriault Senator Kim Elton MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR HOUSE BILL NO. 94 "An Act relating to qualifications of voters, requirements and procedures regarding independent candidates for President and Vice-President of the United States, voter registration and voter registration records, voter registration through a power of attorney, voter registration using scanned documents, voter residence, precinct boundary and polling place designation and modification, recognized political parties, voters unaffiliated with a political party, early voting, absentee voting, application for absentee ballots through a power of attorney, or by scanned documents, ballot design, ballot counting, voting by mail, voting machines, vote tally systems, initiative, referendum, recall, and definitions in the Alaska Election Code; relating to incorporation elections; and providing for an effective date." - MOVED CCS HB 94 OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION BILL: HB 94 SHORT TITLE: ELECTIONS/VOTERS/POLITICAL PARTIES SPONSOR(s): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR 01/21/05 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 01/21/05 (H) STA, JUD, FIN 02/03/05 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 02/03/05 (H) Heard & Held 02/03/05 (H) MINUTE(STA) 02/08/05 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 02/08/05 (H) Heard & Held 02/08/05 (H) MINUTE(STA) 02/10/05 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 02/10/05 (H) Heard & Held 02/10/05 (H) MINUTE(STA) 02/17/05 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 02/17/05 (H) Heard & Held 02/17/05 (H) MINUTE(STA) 02/19/05 (H) STA AT 10:00 AM CAPITOL 106 02/19/05 (H) Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled 03/08/05 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 03/08/05 (H) Heard & Held 03/08/05 (H) MINUTE(STA) 03/15/05 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106 03/15/05 (H) Moved CSHB 94(STA) Out of Committee 03/15/05 (H) MINUTE(STA) 03/18/05 (H) STA RPT CS(STA) NT 3DP 2NR 03/18/05 (H) DP: GATTO, GRUENBERG, SEATON; 03/18/05 (H) NR: GARDNER, LYNN 03/21/05 (H) JUD AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 120 03/21/05 (H) Heard & Held 03/21/05 (H) MINUTE(JUD) 04/01/05 (H) JUD AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 120 04/01/05 (H) Scheduled But Not Heard 04/04/05 (H) JUD AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 120 04/04/05 (H) -- Meeting Canceled -- 04/06/05 (H) JUD AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 120 04/06/05 (H) Heard & Held 04/06/05 (H) MINUTE(JUD) 04/07/05 (H) JUD AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 120 04/07/05 (H) Moved CSHB 94(JUD) Out of Committee 04/07/05 (H) MINUTE(JUD) 04/13/05 (H) JUD RPT CS(JUD) NT 1DP 4NR 1AM 04/13/05 (H) DP: KOTT; 04/13/05 (H) NR: ANDERSON, COGHILL, GARA, MCGUIRE; 04/13/05 (H) AM: GRUENBERG 04/19/05 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519 04/19/05 (H) Moved CSHB 94(FIN) Out of Committee 04/19/05 (H) MINUTE(FIN) 04/21/05 (H) FIN RPT CS(FIN) NT 3DP 4NR 1AM 04/21/05 (H) DP: HAWKER, FOSTER, MEYER; 04/21/05 (H) NR: CROFT, MOSES, KELLY, CHENAULT; 04/21/05 (H) AM: STOLTZE 04/27/05 (H) BEFORE THE HOUSE 04/28/05 (H) BEFORE THE HOUSE 04/28/05 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) 04/28/05 (H) VERSION: CSHB 94(FIN) AM 05/01/05 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 05/01/05 (S) STA, JUD, FIN 05/05/05 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211 05/05/05 (S) Moved SCS CSHB 94(STA) Out of Committee 05/05/05 (S) MINUTE(STA) 05/06/05 (S) STA RPT SCS 3DP 1NR 1AM SAME TITLE 05/06/05 (S) DP: THERRIAULT, WAGONER, HUGGINS 05/06/05 (S) NR: ELTON 05/06/05 (S) AM: DAVIS 05/07/05 (S) JUD REFERRAL WAIVED Y11 N8 E1 05/08/05 (S) FIN AT 0:00 AM 05/08/05 (S) Moved SCS CSHB 94(STA) Out of Committee 05/08/05 (S) MINUTE(FIN) 05/09/05 (S) FIN RPT SCS(STA) 2DP 3NR 05/09/05 (S) DP: WILKEN, GREEN 05/09/05 (S) NR: HOFFMAN, DYSON, STEDMAN 05/09/05 (S) STA SCS ADOPTED Y11 N8 E1 05/10/05 (S) VERSION: SCS CSHB 94(STA) 05/10/05 (H) CONCUR MOTION WITHDRAWN 05/11/05 (H) SPECIAL SESSION BILL - SEE H. JOURNAL P. 1962 05/11/05 (S) SPECIAL SESSION BILL - SEE S. JOURNAL P. 1606 05/13/05 (H) CONFERENCE COMMITTEE APPOINTED 05/13/05 (H) SAMUELS (CHAIR), ELKINS, GRUENBERG 05/14/05 (H) 094 AT 4:30 PM CAPITOL 124 WITNESS REGISTER No witnesses to record ACTION NARRATIVE CHAIR SAMUELS called the meeting to order at 4:33:39 PM. Present at the call to order were Representatives Samuels, Elkins, and Gruenberg, and Senators Gary Stevens, Therriault, and Elton. HB 94-ELECTIONS/VOTERS/POLITICAL PARTIES CHAIR SAMUELS announced that the only order of business was HOUSE BILL NO. 94, "An Act relating to qualifications of voters, requirements and procedures regarding independent candidates for President and Vice-President of the United States, voter registration and voter registration records, voter registration through a power of attorney, voter registration using scanned documents, voter residence, precinct boundary and polling place designation and modification, recognized political parties, voters unaffiliated with a political party, early voting, absentee voting, application for absentee ballots through a power of attorney, or by scanned documents, ballot design, ballot counting, voting by mail, voting machines, vote tally systems, initiative, referendum, recall, and definitions in the Alaska Election Code; relating to incorporation elections; and providing for an effective date." [Before the committee was CSHB 94(FIN)am and SCS CSHB 94(STA).] CHAIR SAMUELS directed attention to a Conference Committee Substitute (CS) for HB 94, Version 24-GH1048\U. He noted that the changes made in Version U deleted Sections 11, 12, and 13. 4:34:10 PM SENATOR THERRIAULT pointed to changes made by the Senate. He said there were technical changes requested by [Laura Glaiser], the director of the Division of Elections. He stated that there had been a section of the bill that proposed a different criteria for qualifying as a party. He said, "We stuck with the current statutory language that was just put in place last year; it's a cascading mechanism that's based on 3 percent of the voter turnout." He said it used to be that a small party could hope to meet the qualifications every four years, based on the gubernatorial race. Other standards were put in last year, he said, which offered the smaller parties the opportunity to qualify once every two years, instead of once every four. 4:35:15 PM REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG mentioned that there was also language that conformed to SB 36 regarding "the broadest choice." He stated, "For example, in a Republican primary in a Republican ... district, that may be the closed primary, and the person might not be eligible to participate. So, we took that language out." 4:35:53 PM SENATOR THERRIAULT explained, "There was a reference to a ballot that was the creation of a court decision a couple years ago, but it doesn't, in fact, exist in the statutes as they read today. So, a sentence was taken out on that." 4:36:10 PM CHAIR GARY STEVENS moved to report CCS HB 94, Version 24- GH1048\U, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, CCS HB 94 was reported out of the Conference Committee. ADJOURNMENT  There being no further business before the committee, the Conference Committee for HB 94 was adjourned at 4:36:29 PM.