Caucus Attempts to Alter 90-Day Session Bill
Senate Rejects Amendments to House Bill 171

Juneau - The Senate rebuffed attempts today to change the start date of the legislative session back to January, to allow an interim legislative committee to designate where the legislature convenes, and to tighten rules for budget transfers within the legislature.

Individual members of the Senate Republican Caucus offered the amendments to a bill making modifications to accommodate voter approved 90-day legislative sessions beginning next year.

Sen. Tom Wagoner, R-Kenai, offered an amendment to reinstate the second Monday in January as the start of the session. The start date was changed to February in the Senate State Affairs Committee.

“Every year, school districts plead to know their funding levels so they don’t have to ‘pink slip’ teachers. Ending a session in mid-April provides an extra month from the normal time frame for their budget planning efforts,” Sen. Wagoner said. He also noted an earlier session could encourage more people to run for office because they can get back to seasonal jobs, and would avoid delaying the beginning of field work under the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act if the bill allows for a 60-day review period.

An amendment offered by Sen. Con Bunde, R-Anchorage, would allow the legislative council to designate the location where the legislature will convene every year. Legislative council is a permanent interim committee that provides full-time technical assistance to the legislature.

“Our existing statute requiring the legislature to convene at the capital is too restrictive. It doesn’t take into account outside forces such as natural disasters or other unexpected events, so this gives us latitude,” Sen. Bunde said.

“We often hear from constituents that the capital is too far away, and access is limited to only those who can afford to travel to Juneau. I know I’m not the only legislator who hears this. I’m surprised my fellow colleagues from Anchorage and around the state could not support this amendment,” Bunde said.

Senate minority leader Gene Therriault, R-North Pole, tried to amend a section of the bill relating to how money is shifted within the legislature’s budget. House Bill 171 allows the legislative council to transfer money from a legislative committee with the written approval of the chairman of the committee. Therriault’s amendment would require the approval of a majority of the members of the committee.

“We are always leery of agencies shifting money around. It seems reasonable that we, the legislature, should also do so in a thoughtful manner with the consent of a majority of the members of the committee from which the money is being transferred,” Therriault said.

“I’m not sure what long-term problem the majority is trying to solve with this change in statute, but if we do make a change in our statutory authority to shift money around, it should at least be through a deliberative process,” Therriault said.

Sound actualities can be downloaded from the following links:
http://www.aksenateminority.com/media/25/wagoner2007042701a.mp3
http://www.aksenateminority.com/media/25/wagoner2007042702a.mp3
http://www.aksenateminority.com/media/25/wagoner2007042703a.mp3