HB 465: "An Act relating to marine safety and security; and providing for an effective date."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 465 01 "An Act relating to marine safety and security; and providing for an effective date." 02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 04 to read: 05 SHORT TITLE. This Act may be known as the Alaska Marine Safety and Security 06 Act. 07 * Sec. 2. AS 44.35 is amended by adding a new section to read: 08 Article 2A. Maritime Safety and Security. 09 Sec. 44.35.200. Alaska marine safety and security act. (a) The Department 10 of Military and Veterans' Affairs shall cooperate with and support the Marine 11 Exchange of Alaska's automated secure vessel tracking system and the Exchange's 12 maritime center to track the locations of vessels navigating Alaska water to 13 complement and augment the United States Coast Guard and marine industry safety 14 and security initiatives and other like services. 15 (b) Subject to financial support provided by the Department of Military and
01 Veterans' Affairs for the purpose, the Marine Exchange of Alaska's maritime center 02 shall 03 (1) expand the operation of the Exchange's existing automated secure 04 vessel tracking system network operations center to seven days a week and 24 hours a 05 day; and 06 (2) provide vessel tracking and after hours monitoring and support 07 services to 08 (A) enhance the safety and security of marine operations 09 conducted by the Alaska marine highway system and the Department of Fish 10 and Game vessels; 11 (B) assist the maritime security and disaster response functions 12 of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs' Division of Homeland 13 Security and Emergency Management; and 14 (C) increase the environmental monitoring and response 15 capability of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. 16 * Sec. 3. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 17 read: 18 AUTHORIZATION FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT. The Department of Military and 19 Veterans' Affairs may provide funding to the nonprofit Marine Exchange of Alaska to support 20 the following marine safety, security, and environmental protection functions: 21 (1) construction, maintenance, and operation of five automated identification 22 system receiving sites in Alaska; 23 (2) tracking the movements of all Alaska marine highway system passenger 24 vessels for safety and security and to meet regulatory requirements not presently being met; 25 (3) tracking the movements of all Alaska Department of Fish and Game 26 enforcement vessels for safety and security; 27 (4) tracking the movements of all high-capacity passenger vessels, tank 28 vessels engaged in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System trade, other crude oil and product tank 29 vessels, liquefied natural gas carriers, and anhydrous ammonia carriers transiting Alaska 30 water; 31 (5) tracking the movements of other marine vessels, such as container ships,
01 refrigerated cargo carriers, fish processing vessels, and dry bulk carriers in Alaska water; 02 (6) tracking the movements of non-self-propelled tank barges transiting 03 Alaska coastal water and the inland rivers of the state for safety, security, and pollution 04 prevention or response purposes; 05 (7) tracking of vessels that may provide assistance to vessels in distress to 06 prevent loss of life and environmental damage; 07 (8) tracking the location of vessels to provide risk assessment information to 08 the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for identifying appropriate measures 09 to minimize the threat of maritime incidents; 10 (9) tracking of certain vessels for which pilotage is exempted in specified state 11 waters to ensure compliance with the applicable state laws; 12 (10) tracking of vessels operating in Glacier Bay National Park to ensure 13 environmentally sound maritime operations; 14 (11) maintenance and staffing of a marine exchange network operations center 15 in Juneau that will remain open seven days a week and 24 hours a day and will maintain, 16 operate, and monitor the vessel tracking system that will provide assistance to state and 17 federal agencies and the maritime industry in safety, security, efficiency, environmental 18 protection, and emergency response; 19 (12) maintenance and operation of a network of automatic identification 20 system base stations and satellite-based long range and identification tracking systems that 21 shall provide information on vessels' positions using a secure, Internet-based service to the 22 Alaska marine highway system, the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, the 23 Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of 24 Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, and the Department of Environmental 25 Conservation; and 26 (13) monitoring operations of Alaska marine highway system and Department 27 of Fish and Game vessels to ensure safe operations of these vessels and aid emergency 28 response to other vessels operating in state water. 29 * Sec. 4. Section 3 of this Act is repealed July 1, 2008. 30 * Sec. 5. This Act takes effect July 1, 2006.