Senate committee forwards constitutional amendment to align veto-override rules

Senators on the Alaska Senate Finance Committee voted Feb. 17 to report Senate Joint Resolution 2, a proposed constitutional amendment that would make the veto-override requirement the same for fiscal and policy bills and allow Alaska voters to decide whether to lower the current higher threshold applied to fiscal measures.

Sponsor Matt Klayman, the prime sponsor, told the committee the resolution “better defines the separation of powers” by eliminating ambiguities between fiscal and policy legislation and making override requirements uniform. Klayman said Alaska is nearly alone among states in requiring a higher override for fiscal bills and proposed lowering the three-quarters requirement for some fiscal matters to two-thirds.

Opponents on the committee warned that the change touches core fiscal controls. Senator Kaufman objected to moving the resolution at first, arguing the change should be part of a larger package that addresses withdrawals from the Constitutional Budget Reserve (CBR) and other spending controls. Kaufman said the CBR “is a great control factor for the legislature” and that altering veto thresholds should be coordinated with other fiscal rules. He later removed his objection after placing those concerns on the record.

After the exchange, the committee moved SJR 2 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal notes. The committee’s action sends the proposed amendment to the next step in the Senate process; it does not change law. Any amendment to the constitution would still require final approval by the Legislature and ratification by voters.

The committee’s report includes the record of the hearing and the attached fiscal materials; members said they intend additional review as SJR 2 moves through the process. The committee recessed briefly so members could sign the report and then resumed other business.