00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 33                                                                                           
01 Relating to United States Coast Guard commercial fishing vessel safety regulations.                                     
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03  WHEREAS the United States Coast Guard has proposed regulations on commercial                                           
04 fishing vessel safety; and                                                                                              
05  WHEREAS the Coast Guard has not allowed sufficient time for commercial fishermen                                       
06 and the commercial fishing industry to study the complex proposed regulations and to                                    
07 meaningfully respond to the proposed regulations; and                                                                   
08  WHEREAS the proposed regulations may pose a significant burden on commercial                                           
09 fishermen and the commercial fishing industry; and                                                                      
10  WHEREAS the proposed regulations do not recognize the necessity to continually                                         
11 alter and improve fishing vessels to enhance the vessel's performance;                                                  
12  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the United                                      
13 States Coast Guard to                                                                                                   
14   (1)  extend the comment period on proposed commercial fishing vessel safety                                           

01 regulations in order to provide commercial fishermen and the commercial fishing industry a                              
02 total of at least 120 days to comment on the proposed regulations;                                                      
03   (2)  hold public hearings on proposed commercial fishing vessel safety                                                
04 regulations before closing the comment period on the proposed regulations;                                              
05   (3)  respond to suggestions made by commercial fishermen and the commercial                                           
06 fishing industry regarding stability tests, bulkhead changes on existing vessels, and other topics                      
07 important to commercial fishermen and the commercial fishing industry;                                                  
08   (4)  incorporate into the proposed commercial fishing vessel safety regulations                                       
09 the suggestions and recommendations made by naval architects familiar with commercial                                   
10 fishing and commercial fishing vessels on the Pacific Coast;                                                            
11   (5)  propose new commercial fishing vessel safety regulations for new                                                 
12 commercial fishing vessels that are under 50 feet in length;                                                            
13   (6)  delay the effective date of final commercial fishing vessel safety regulations                                   
14 applicable to existing commercial fishing vessels for six months after the final regulations are                        
15 published; and                                                                                                          
16   (7)  delay the effective date of final commercial fishing vessel safety regulations                                   
17 applicable to new commercial fishing vessels for one year after the final regulations are                               
18 published.                                                                                                              
19  COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President of the                                
20 United States; the Honorable Federico Pena, Secretary of the U.S. Department of                                         
21 Transportation; Admiral J. William Kime, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard; the                                        
22 Executive Secretary, Marine Safety Council, U.S. Coast Guard; and to the Honorable Ted                                  
23 Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young,                                  
24 U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.