Hello and thank you for tuning in. I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you with a message from Juneau. Today I will discuss the legislative process and provide you with some status updates.

As many of you know, I have been appointed to the Conference Committee for SB 283, the education funding package bill. By way of explanation, when a bill passes out of one house it is transmitted to the other house. If the second house amends the bill and adopts the amended version, the bill is returned in its amended form to the house of origin. Upon receipt of the amended bill, a motion is required to concur (agree) or not concur in the amendments. If the amendments are concurred in, the bill is transmitted to the Governor.

If the house of origin fails to agree to the amendments made by the other house, a message is sent to the other body asking it to recede from those amendments. If, by vote, the other body recedes from its amendments, the bill then goes back to the house of origin for enrollment. If the other body refuses to recede, it so advises the presiding officer of the house of origin. It is then in order for the presiding officer of each house to appoint three members to a conference committee to resolve the differences and bring in a report offering a solution.

A conference committee addresses only those points of contention in the previously adopted versions of a bill adopted by either house. If they cannot agree on amendments, or one or both houses refuses to adopt the committee report, it is then in order for the conference committee to request limited powers of free conference.

The presiding office of each house may grant limited powers of free conference related only to those specific points of disagreement contained in the conference committee report.

The vote on adoption of the conference committee report in each house is recorded in the journals and requires a majority vote of the full membership of each body. A conference committee report cannot be amended.

The other members of the conference committee are Senator Ben Stevens, Senator Kim Elton, Representative John Coghill, Representative John Harris, and Representative Beth Kertula

The conference committee met last night. We essentially developed a list of agreement and disagreement between the House and the Senate as a starting point for our conversations. The House and Senate are close on the actual dollar amounts allocated to education but disagree on the capitol project list and some other items that the Senate has chosen to fund differently in the operating budget. The committee will reconvene at the call of the chair, Senator Ben Stevens.

Legislation Update

SB 351 APOC

This week the Senate is considering SB 351 a bill I am carrying for the Senate Finance Committee. This bill encourages the Alaska Public Offices Commission to develop the technology for electronic filing but also requires that they continue to accept paper filing of mandatory reports. The bill also streamlines the format of APOC reports in order to make filings easier for APOC to post on the internet. This bill will allow APOC to modernize and implement cost saving measures while at the same time not discouraging prospective candidates from running for office. APOC passed out of the Senate State Affairs Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. It is in third reading today.

SB 372

In consideration in Senate HESS is SB 372 a bill I am carrying for the Senate Hess Committee. This bill is the exit exam bill, it addresses the needs of special education students with IEP's by offering them a different assessment than the standard multiple choice exit exam. This bill has had one hearing in Senate Hess but as of yet is not schedule for a second one. I believe the education community; plaintiffs in the exit exam lawsuit, Department of Education and the disability community support this legislation.

The end of the legislative session is quickly approaching. I encourage everyone who has an opinion on any pending legislation to contact their elected representatives and the committee members hearing the bills and urge them to take action.

I would love to hear from you on any of these topics or anything else we are working on in the capitol.

For information on legislation I am working on, to read district updates, or to send me an email, please find my office on the internet at www.akrepublicans.org
You can also call the office directly, 907-465-6600 or toll free in state 1-877-465-6601. Please let me know if you would like to be included on my email distribution list for updates from the office.

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