June 28, 2011

Dear fellow Alaskans,

The Senate concluded its one-day meeting in Juneau on June 27 at about 5:30 pm. I can’t refer to this as a “Special Session” because it failed to meet the rule for a Legislative Session. Here’s what I mean: The Legislature conducts itself according to Mason’s Manuel of Parliamentary Procedure. Article 780, Section 12 states that, “It is only when both houses are lawfully assembled that they constitute the legislature of the state.” The House side of the Legislature didn’t convene until about 6:15 pm. Therefore, as was the opinion of our legal counsel, there was no legislative session until both houses gaveled in to session. I objected to this breech of the rules, and Senator Coghill joined me in the objection. We were over-ruled by the Senate President. Read the rest of this entry »