When Rep. Sam Kito III walked out of Tuesday night\u2019s House Rules Committee meeting in protest, he may have walked out of the Alaska House\u2019s governing majority.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fair to say I will not be participating in caucus meetings from this time forward,\u201d Kito told the Empire afterward.<\/p>\n
While Kito has voted differently from his colleagues before, the breaking point appears to be Senate Bill 63, a proposal to prohibit smoking in most businesses and public areas.<\/p>\n
Kito said he has been frustrated by the House Coalition Majority\u2019s inability to unite.<\/p>\n
One of the most noticeable examples of this has been the way House Rules Chairwoman Gabrielle LeDoux, R-Anchorage and a member of the coalition\u2019s leadership, has held up SB 63 despite a tide of support from other members of the coalition.<\/p>\n
Kito walked out of Tuesday night\u2019s rules committee meeting after LeDoux said she would not take public testimony on SB 63.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite \u2014 or beside \u2014 all the budget issues, for me this was one of the most important things we could have done to protect or benefit Alaskans,\u201d he said Tuesday. \u201cTo me, it\u2019s kind of a bellwether.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Empire contacted Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, after Kito\u2019s statement Tuesday evening and asked the speaker how many members are in the caucus.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, we have 21,\u201d Edgmon said, appearing to confirm Kito\u2019s departure from the 22-member caucus.<\/p>\n
Edgmon said he is continuing to talk with Kito but declined additional comment.<\/p>\n
If Kito\u2019s departure from the caucus is final, it would leave members of the coalition House Majority with the bare minimum majority in the 40-person Alaska House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasically what it means is I\u2019m not going to feel bound on procedural votes or budget requests,\u201d Kito said. \u201cEach decision will be each decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the 2016 <\/a>election<\/a>, the coalition formed with 22 members: two independents, three Republicans and 17 Democrats, including Kito.<\/p>\n Asked Wednesday morning if anything had changed since the previous evening, Kito said, \u201cNot for me. I don\u2019t know that I would say it the same way, but the situation\u2019s the same.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he is still speaking with Edgmon, but he needs to see a change that creates more cohesive positions from the coalition\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m to remain with the caucus, I\u2019m looking for some clear direction from the Speaker to resolve some of those concerns about cohesiveness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n His break with the caucus comes after he said he was \u201ctotally frustrated\u201d with the organization.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll still do my job and finish out my term, but the whole SB 63 thing was unfortunate and completely unnecessary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Kito has already said he will not run for re-election this fall<\/a>.<\/p>\n