ALASKA VOTERS ORGANIZATION

RESOLUTION 2003-05

A Resolution to the 23^rd Alaska State Legislature in OPPOSITION to significant changes to, or elimination of, the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC).

WHEREAS, the Alaska Public Offices Commission began as the Alaska Election Campaign Commission (AECC) in 1974; and

WHEREAS, the incentive for campaign disclosure resulted from the Watergate scandal and a successful citizen initiative effort, which convinced our State Legislature to pass the Alaska Campaign Disclosure Law; and

WHEREAS, that same year, another initiative effort succeeded in placing Alaska’s Public Official Financial Disclosure Law on the ballot, where it was approved by over 71% of the voters and became law in January 1975; and

WHEREAS, in 1976, the legislature revised state lobbying reporting by passing Alaska’s Lobbying Law, with responsibility for its enforcement assigned to the AECC, which was renamed the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), to reflect its newly expanded mission; and

WHEREAS, in 1990, the legislature responded to an increased demand for ethics regulation and disclosure by expanding its previous reporting requirements under the Conflict of Interest Law in the form of a new act, Alaska's Legislative Ethics Disclosure Law, which created the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics to hear ethics violations; and

WHEREAS, the 1997 Alaska Campaign Disclosure Law was a response by the legislature to a citizens’ initiative effort in 1996, which revised Alaska's 20 year-old campaign disclosure law to include stricter limitation and disclosure measures, including the prohibition of corporate and out-of-state group contributions to state and local candidates; and

WHEREAS, in 2003, legislation proposed by Governor Murkowski and members of the State Legislature, have put party politics ahead of good honest public policy; and

WHEREAS,  attempts to significantly reduce lobbyists reporting requirements or to eliminate the non-partisan Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), violates the will of Alaskan voters, who spoke out on three separate occasions to create the very agency and regulations currently being threatened with elimination; and

WHEREAS, the unfettered access to information is the foundation of a democratic society; and

WHEREAS, the public has a right to know the truth about all funds paid to influence Alaska’s legislature; and

WHEREAS, Governor Murkowski and the legislature’s attempts to weaken or eliminate APOC, promote bad public policy that will further erode the public’s trust in our government; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of Alaska have spoken loud and clear, “state laws should not be relaxed to make it easier for lobbyist to influence our elected officials”;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska Voters Organization, Board of Directors, that we support existing Alaska statutes governing campaign disclosure and registration of lobbyists; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that we oppose all efforts to reduce the effectiveness or existence of the Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC).

ADOPTED BY THE ALASKA VOTERS ORGANIZATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THIS 18^th DAY OF MARCH 2003.