Opinion ID: 2600380
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Remaining OEI Provisions Must Be Construed Narrowly.

Text: In this opinion we have decided the constitutionality of the principle provision of the OEI, AS 44.12.320, striking the first sentence of that section but upholding the second sentence. Because the remaining provisions of the OEI relate to section .320, our holdings as to the constitutionality of that section have implications for the remainder of the OEI. Some provisions may be rendered superfluous or hortatory. Others may present similar constitutional concerns to the ones we thus far have considered. As such the parties may desire that we analyze and parse each line of the OEI in a search for a definitive constitutional ruling on each. [189] We are mindful, however, that the case comes to us as a facial challenge to the statute. In such cases it is our practice to reserve as many questions for as-applied challenges as possible, in keeping with the legislative policy stated in AS 01.10.030: Any law heretofore or hereafter enacted by the Alaska legislature which lacks a severability clause shall be construed as though it contained the clause in the following language: If any provision of this Act, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of this Act and the application to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. This provision further animates our decision to sever the unconstitutional provision of the OEI rather than invalidate the entire act. We have consistently severed laws rather than invalidating them when construing this general severability clause. [190] The presence of a specific severability provision in the OEI [191] only strengthens our conclusion in this regard. When we consider the facial invalidity of a statute, we require the party seeking to invalidate the statute to bear the burden of demonstrating the necessity of invalidation. [192] Similarly, a party seeking to invalidate a statute in whole rather than in part bears the burden of demonstrating the unconstitutionality of the entire act. [193] We do not believe that the appellees have met this burden as to the remainder of the OEI. [194] We are further bolstered in our inclination not to consider each of the other sections of the OEI at this time by the state's apparent willingness to implement the OEI with clarifying regulations, including a regulation to clarify that the second sentence of AS 44.12.320 does not prohibit oral communication between state employees and the public in languages other than English. Any further consideration of the OEI we leave to as-applied challenges, confident that setting out the relevant interpretive principles in this opinion as a guide will assist the parties and the courts to resolve such challenges.