New Legislation

Representative Crawford Sponsors Bill to Open Meetings

House Bill 72 [Bill Root], introduced by Representative Harry Crawford (D-Anchorage), will strengthen the state's open meetings law. House Bill 72 changes the rules for closing a meeting. It also outlaws the use of pledged votes, on so-called chit sheets, in scheduling bills for the floor.

State law currently permits legislators to conduct closed caucus meetings to discuss political strategy. House Bill 72 requires caucus meetings to start in the open. They could be closed only by a majority vote.

"Just because the current guidelines allow it, doesn't make it right." Representative Crawford said. "The public has a right to know what lawmakers are discussing."

In order for a bill to be heard on the floor, the House and Senate Rules Committees require legislators to submit a written tally, or chit sheet, of colleagues who promise to vote in favor of the measure. HB 72 seeks to end this practice, because it binds legislators to vote in favor of the measure before hearing a full debate or reviewing any proposed amendments.

House Bill 72 awaits a hearing in the House State Affairs Committee.

Senator Guess Pushes Funding Down to Classrooms

Senate Bill 57 [Bill Root], sponsored by Senator Gretchen Guess (D-Anchorage), will ensure more education dollars go to the classroom by restricting how much a school district can spend on administration.

"We know the more resources we can get directly to our classrooms, the better for our students," said Senator Guess. "Although I am a strong believer in local control, the legislature does have a responsibility to ensure wise use of public funds."

Current law requires school districts to spend at least 70 percent of their funds on instruction. SB 57 changes this requirement, requiring at least 75 percent is not spent on administration - and in some cases 90 percent, depending on district size.

Senate Bill 57 limits the administrative component funding to 5 percent for correspondence schools, 10 percent for school districts with an average of 401 students per school or more, 15 percent for school districts with an average of 301 to 400 students per school, 20 percent for school districts with an average of 201 to 300 students per school, and to 25 percent for school districts with an average of 200 or fewer students per school.

Opportunities to Get Involved in State Government

Did you know there are over 100 boards and commissions that have citizen members? In the next six months, the Governor must fill approximately 300 vacant positions on those boards and commissions. You can play an important part in ensuring our state government serves the interests of all Alaskans.

Visit the website at http://gov.state.ak.us/boards/vacancy/vacancy.pdf and take a look. If you are interested in an open position contact the boards and commissions staff at (907) 465-3500 or at B&C;@gov.state.ak.us.