In Alaska, Midnight Can Last Till 4 a.m.

Not only is Alaska the state of the midnight sun, a day can last more than 24 hours, at least in the final days of the legislative session.

In the wee hours of Monday, May 9, as the House finally began working in earnest on its Sunday floor agenda, Speaker Ramona Barnes ruled that Sunday didn’t really end at midnight.

It’s known around the capital as stopping the clock. It usually happens at midnight on the 121st day--the time when Alaska’s constitution says a regular legislative session must end. Strictly speaking, that deadline arrived May 11 at 12:01 a.m.

This time, the endless-day declaration followed an excruciatingly long 119th legislative day in which precious little legislative work was done.

Barnes was not about to let the day go to waste, since that would have left some bills without time to get to a final vote by the deadline.

What was so important that lawmakers had to stay up later than the crew at Juneau’s Red Dog Saloon?

Moose farming.

Seriously.

Oh, there also was a big oil-spill bill on the agenda and something to do with long-term logging contracts. But most of the pre-dawn session was spent debating the raising of moose for fun, food and profit.

There was debate on 18 amendments, including one that proposed a ban on dressing moose “in any gaudy clothing.”

“It is a legitimate concern people have,” said state Rep. David Finkelstein, sponsor of the clothing amendment. “Let’s not degrade our animals.”

Finkelstein insisted he had postcards somewhere showing moose “in actual gaudy clothing.”

Barnes ruled the amendment dilatory. That’s parliamentary talk for “a joke that’s wasting our time.”

Another amendment referred to an animal called “carriboo.” It was sponsored by state Rep. John Davies, who teaches at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

“I just wonder if the sponsor of this amendment went to the Dan Quayle School of Spelling,” said state Rep. Jim Nordlund.

The 119th legislative day finally was adjourned . . . after 4 a.m.