House members shine in debate over soft money

May 17, 2005

A major victory was scored for democracy and all Alaskans on Saturday in Juneau. A controversial amendment allowing unlimited "soft money" contributions to political parties, which had been attached by Fairbanks Sen. Gene Therriault to the governor's otherwise sound election reform bill, died the death it deserved.

This is reason enough for celebration, as the amendment had nothing to do with the proper conduct of the business of the people of Alaska. Given that Alaskans had already weighed in on the matter loudly a few years back, legislators had no business even considering rolling back restrictions against soft money already in place.

But the way the amendment was put to death is equally noteworthy, in these contentious and highly partisan times.

After the Senate blessed the soft-money provision with quick passage and no public notice or input, it was set for an orderly ride through the House. That's when an extraordinary thing happened. Majority legislators in the House were not content to kowtow to the whims of their Senate counterparts.

There was already a fair amount of dissent about the bill among members of the House majority. Homer Rep. Paul Seaton, ever a rational voice and advocate for the interests of the people over the interests of his party, was among those raising questions about the value of the amendment within the majority caucus.

When it came up for discussion on the House floor, minority lawmakers, one by one, spoke in opposition to the amendment as being antithetical to any sense of fairness or stewardship of the interest of the people of the state. Speaker John Harris of Valdez then conferred with House Majority Leader John Coghill of Fairbanks, and it was quickly decided not to put the issue to a vote.

Even though House leaders figured they had the votes to pass the amendment, they recommended it go to a conference committee of senators and representatives to decide its fate. It took the group mere minutes to strip the provision from the governor's bill and hand a victory to all Alaskans.

It is refreshing to see fairness rule the day. Doubly so when it emerged from civil debate and an earnest attempt to hear both sides of an issue. Kudos to the Alaska House for doing the right thing, in the right way, and for setting a valuable example in the process. For this, Speaker Harris and Majority Leader Coghill deserve a lot of credit. Perhaps their more intransigent counterparts in the Senate will take a lesson.