00 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 42 am 01 Relating to regulation of water carriers serving Alaska. 02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 WHEREAS the federal government is considering legislation that would repeal the 04 existing authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate water carriers 05 transporting property between the 48 contiguous states and Alaska; and 06 WHEREAS Alaska is uniquely dependent on water transportation, in that virtually 07 everything that Alaskans eat, drink, wear, or use comes into the State of Alaska by ship or 08 barge; and 09 WHEREAS the citizens of the State of Alaska have expressed their desire to preserve 10 tariff filing and the other essential elements of the current system of regulating water carriers 11 serving Alaska; and 12 WHEREAS, if the Interstate Commerce Commission is abolished, and if there is no 13 other forum for shipper complaints, the citizens of the State of Alaska may have no place to 14 present and resolve complaints about water carriers serving Alaska; and 01 WHEREAS water transportation to Alaska is an area where there is a clear need and 02 necessary role for the federal government; and 03 WHEREAS the Interstate Commerce Commission has provided regulation that has not 04 been overly intrusive, but has assured fairness and provided a forum for shipper complaints; 05 BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the Governor of the State of 06 Alaska, in consultation and cooperation with the members of the Alaska delegation in the 07 United States Congress, are respectfully requested to endorse and actively support efforts to 08 transfer the current regulatory authority for water transportation between Alaska and the 48 09 contiguous states from the Interstate Commerce Commission to the United States Department 10 of Transportation. 11 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the 12 United States; the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and President 13 of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Strom Thurmond, President Pro Tempore of the U.S. 14 Senate; the Honorable Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; and to 15 the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the 16 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.