Alaska House of Representatives

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Alaska House of Representatives


General Information
Type:   Lower house
Term limits:   None
2012 session start:   January 17, 2012
Website:   Official House Page
Leadership
House Speaker:  Mike Chenault, (R)
Majority Leader:   Alan Austerman, (R)
Minority leader:   Beth Kerttula, (D)
Structure
Members:  40
   Democratic Party (16)
Republican Party (24)
Length of term:   2 years
Authority:   Art II, Alaska Constitution
Salary:   $50,400/year + per diem
Elections
Last Election:  November 2, 2010 (40 seats)
Next election:  November 6, 2012 (40 seats)
Redistricting:   Alaska Redistricting Board
Meeting place:

Contents

The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alaska State Legislature. There are 40 members to the Assembly, representing a relatively equal amount of constituencies. Each member represents an average of 17,756 residents, as of the 2010 Census. [1] After the 2000 census, each member represented approximately 15,673 residents.[2]

Elected officials serve two-year terms and are not subjected to term limits. The Alaska House of Representatives is the smallest legislative lower house in the United States.

During 2010, the House was in session from January 19th to April 18th.[3]

Sessions

Section 8 of Article II of the Alaska Constitution contains provisions relating to the timing and length of sessions of the Alaska State Legislature, of which the House of Representatives is a part. However, the provisions related to the convening date of the Legislature have been changed by law, and the provisions limiting the length of legislative sessions have been changed by the Alaska 90-Day Legislative Session Amendment. This amendment was passed in a 2006 ballot initiative, and it limits the regular sessions of the Legislature to ninety days.

Section 9 of Article II allows for special sessions to be called by the Governor of Alaska or by a two-thirds vote of the legislators. Special sessions are limited to thirty days.

2012

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

In 2012, the House will be in session from January 17 to April 15.

Major issues

Legislators will be taking up Governor Sean Parnell's (R) suggestion to decrease the oil tax in order to increase economic growth. They are also expected to consider a ban on texting while driving, education funding, the state's unfunded pension liability, and whether to extend the legislative session from 90 to 120 days.[4]

2011

See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions

In 2011, the House was in session from January 18th to April 17th. A special session was called on June 27 to discuss reauthorization of the state's Coastal Management Program, which is set to expire June 30. Measures to reauthorize the program failed during the regular session. [5]

2010

See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions

In 2010, the House of Representatives was in session from January 19th to April 18th.

Elections

2012

See also: Alaska House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Alaska House of Representatives will consist of a Primary Election on August 28, 2012 and a General Election on November 6, 2012.

The signature filing deadline is 5:00 PM on June 1, 2012 and the primary date will be August 28, 2012.

2010

See also: Alaska House of Representatives elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Alaska State House were held in Alaska on November 2, 2010. State house seats in all 40 districts were up for election in 2010.

The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was June 1, 2010, and the primary election day was August 24, 2010.

During the 2010 election, the total contributions to the 82 House candidates was $3,254,576. The top 10 contributors were:[6]

Donor Amount
Ivey, Patricia M $99,981
Ledoux, Gabrielle $85,551
Alaska House Democratic Campaign Cmte $79,717
Alaska State Employees Association Local 52 $53,000
Alaska Republican Party $46,300
Alaska Public Employees Association $42,395
Alaska Laborers Local 341 $35,430
Alaska Education Association $34,500
Alaska Association of Realtors $34,274
Alaska Public Employees Local 71 $30,000

Qualifications

Article II, Section 2 of the Alaska Constitution states: A member of the legislature shall be a qualified voter who has been a resident of Alaska for at least three years and of the district from which elected for at least one year, immediately preceding his filing for office. A senator shall be at least twenty-five years of age and a representative at least twenty-one years of age.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures
How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures
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If there is a vacancy in the House, the Governor of Alaska is responsible for selecting a replacement. The Governor must select the replacement within 30 days after the vacancy happened. The Governor cannot appoint a replacement if the vacancy happens before a new legislative session is scheduled to convene.[7]

Representatives

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state houses
Party As of February 2012
     Democratic Party 16
     Republican Party 24
Total 40

Historical composition

Alaska House of Representatives[8]
YearDemocratsRepublicansIndependents
20111624-
20101822-
20081723-
20061426-
20041327-
20021327-
20001426-
19981525-
199617221
199421181


Leadership

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. [9]

Current leadership

Position Representative Party
State Speaker of the House Mike Chenault Republican
State House Majority Leader Alan Austerman Republican
State House Minority Leader Beth Kerttula Democratic

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

The terms of Alaska legislators begin on the 4th Monday of the January following a November election.

List of members

District Representative Party Residence
1 Kyle Johansen Image:Reddot.png Republican Ketchikan
2 Peggy Wilson Image:Reddot.png Republican Wrangell
3 Beth Kerttula Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Juneau
4 Cathy Munoz Image:Reddot.png Republican Juneau
5 Bill Thomas Image:Reddot.png Republican Haines
6 Alan S. Dick Image:Reddot.png Republican
7 Bob Miller Image:Bluedot.png Democrat
8 David Guttenberg Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Fairbanks
9 Scott Kawasaki Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Fairbanks
10 Steve M. Thompson Image:Reddot.png Republican
11 Tammie Wilson Image:Reddot.png Republican North Pole
12 Eric A. Feige Image:Reddot.png Republican
13 Carl Gatto Image:Reddot.png Republican Palmer
14 Wes Keller Image:Reddot.png Republican Wasilla
15 Mark Neuman Image:Reddot.png Republican Wasilla
16 Bill Stoltze Image:Reddot.png Republican Chugiak
17 Anna Fairclough Image:Reddot.png Republican Eagle River
18 Dan Saddler Image:Reddot.png Republican
19 Pete Petersen Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Anchorage
20 Max Gruenberg Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Anchorage
21 Lance Pruitt Image:Reddot.png Republican
22 Sharon Cissna Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Anchorage
23 Les Gara Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Anchorage
24 Berta Gardner Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Anchorage
25 Mike Doogan Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Anchorage
26 Lindsey Holmes Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Anchorage
27 Mia Costello Image:Reddot.png Republican
28 Craig Johnson Image:Reddot.png Republican Anchorage
29 Chris Tuck Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Anchorage
30 Charisse Millett Image:Reddot.png Republican Anchorage
31 Bob Lynn Image:Reddot.png Republican Anchorage
32 Mike Hawker Image:Reddot.png Republican Anchorage
33 Kurt Olson Image:Reddot.png Republican Kenai
34 Mike Chenault Image:Reddot.png Republican Nikiski
35 Paul Seaton Image:Reddot.png Republican Homer
36 Alan Austerman Image:Reddot.png Republican Kodiak
37 Bryce Edgmon Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Unalaska
38 Bob Herron Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Bethel
39 Neal Foster Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Nome
40 Reggie Joule Image:Bluedot.png Democrat Kotzebue

Committees

The Alaska House of Representatives has 10 Standing Committees:

There are also four special committees:

External links

References

  1. ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
  2. ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
  3. ↑ Session dates for Alaska legislature, 2010
  4. ↑ Anchorage Daily News, "Lingering issues to test Legislature," January 16, 2012
  5. ↑ StateScape.com, Session Updates, accessed June 28, 2011
  6. ↑ Follow the Money "Alaska House of Representatives 2010 Campaign Contributions"
  7. ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center "Alaska Election Law"(Referenced Statute 15.40.320)
  8. ↑ Alaska State Legislature Archive "1993-1994"
  9. ↑ Alaska House Leadership
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