Sponsor Statement for CS for HCR 9 (FIN)

HCR 9 proposes an amendment to Rule 24(a) of the Uniform Rules of the Alaska State Legislature relating to committee reports. The change proposed under this resolution is: allowing a committee member to participate in committee meetings via teleconference and having that member’s vote reflected on the committee report.

The purpose of this legislation is to allow a committee member absent from Juneau during a legislative session to participate in committee meetings and vote on matters before the committee.

There have been times when a member is absent from Juneau but wishes to and does participate in a committee meeting via teleconference, e.g., when a member is ill, unavoidably detained due to transportation difficulties, hearing a large number of witnesses in an affected locale. Current practice would not allow that committee member to vote on moving a bill from committee and would not allow that absent committee member to sign the committee report indicating his or her feelings about the legislation.

Under the current Uniform Rules committee members have to be personally present at committee meetings in order to vote on passage of legislation from committee, and/or other committee activity. If HCR 9 is adopted, committee members would be allowed to participate fully in committee meetings via teleconference. A committee member participating via teleconference would be allowed to direct the chair to note the member's recommendation and sign the member's name on the report. The chair would then state on the report that the chair had signed on behalf of the member and at the direction of the member.

Your support of CS HCR 9 (FIN) would be appreciated.

ED2:3/23/98

Sponsor Statement for HCR 9

HCR 9 proposes amendments to the Uniform Rules of the Alaska State Legislature relating to committee meetings. The changes proposed under this resolution are: allowing a legislative committee to meet and take action during the interim and allowing a committee member to participate in committee meetings via teleconference.

The purposes of this legislation are: (1) bring committee hearings closer to the citizens of Alaska; (2) increase the efficiency of the Alaska State Legislature; and (3) provide for possible shortening of legislative session.

As may be seen by the 1989 information from the National Conference of State Legislatures, other states use committees to perform interim work. Most other states allow interim committees to: draft legislation or amendments (45 states), conduct investigations (44 states), and oversee agencies and programs (37 states). Sixteen states allow interim committees to recommend floor action.

Under the current Uniform Rules legislative committees may meet during the interim but may not take substantive action. In other words, committee meetings during the interim are basically work sessions. If HCR 9 is adopted this would change and committees would be allowed to take action during the interim. Such action could include passing bills out of committee and on to the next committee of referral, etc.

Under the current Uniform Rules committee members have to be personally present at committee meetings in order to vote on amendments, passage of legislation from committee, and/or other committee activity. If HCR 9 is adopted, committee members would be allowed to participate fully in committee meetings via teleconference. A committee member participating via teleconference would be allowed to direct the chair to note the member's recommendation and sign the member's name on the report. The chair would then state on the report that the chair had signed on behalf of the member and at the direction of the member.

These amendments to the Uniform Rules would permit more citizen involvement in the legislative process. They would also permit committee members to participate from locations other than the committee's hearing site thus having the potential of saving money. If some committee members participate from their home base during the interim, per diem costs would be lower and travel costs would be lower.

Your support of HCR 9 would be appreciated.

ED1:4/14/97