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Fate Heads Subcommittee
on Shorter Sessions
Panel to Consider 90-Day Sessions
Biennial Budgeting Measures

(JUNEAU) - Rep. Hugh "Bud" Fate (R-Fairbanks) was named today to head a subcommittee of the House State Affairs Committee tasked with considering several bills proposing significant changes in how long the Alaska Legislature meets and how it writes state budgets.

"We had so many bills before State Affairs on issues relating to how the session would operate, the chairman thought it would be more productive for all the sponsors to get together with a subcommittee," said Fate. "If possible, we hope to come up with one bill addressing the issue of legislative sessions, and another one dealing with interim committee meetings and biennial budgeting."

State Affairs Committee Chair Rep. John Coghill (R-Fairbanks) named Fate as subcommittee chair, and appointed as members Rep. Peggy Wilson (R-Wrangell) and Rep. Harry Crawford (D-Anchorage). They plan to meet Tuesday, March 27 at 8 a.m. in the State Affairs committee room, and report back to the full committee by Thursday, March 29, Fate said.

The bills referred to the subcommittee are:

• House Joint Resolution 1, sponsored by Rep. Norman Rokeberg (R-Anchorage), and House Joint Resolution 5, sponsored by Rep. Ken Lancaster (R-Soldotna), both of which propose constitutional amendments to shorten legislative sessions to 90 days.
• House Joint Resolution 2, sponsored by Rep. Lisa Murkowski (R-Anchorage), proposing a constitutional amendment providing for alternating sessions of 120 days and 60 days, and requiring the Legislature to adopt a two-year budget in the longer sessions.
• House Joint Resolution 3, sponsored by Rep. Andrew Halcro (R-Anchorage) proposing a constitutional amendment shortening regular sessions to 90 days starting in February, but also authorizing the Legislature to hold committee meetings and take action during the interim between sessions.

Shorter sessions have been touted as a way to reduce the burden of legislative service, by reducing the amount of time most legislators would spend away from their homes, families and careers, and as a way to cut the expenses the Legislature incurs while in regular session. The subcommittee will consider, however, whether the savings from shorter regular sessions would be eaten up by the cost of special sessions or interim committee work.

Likewise, the subcommittee will explore how extending the state budget from an annual exercise to one occurring every two years might impact state business and the flow of other legislation, Fate said. Other factors to consider include the timeliness and reliability of state revenue forecasts the Legislature uses in writing spending plans.

Fate said he may consider whether such changes might be better implemented by statute, giving the Legislature more opportunity to evaluate and fine-tune their effects than if they were locked into the state Constitution.

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Attachments:

• Sponsor Statement for HJR 1
  
• Sponsor Statement for HJR 2
  
• Sponsor Statement for HJR 3
  
• Print Friendly Version
  requires Adobe Acrobat Reader - 1 page(s) - 104 K

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