00                         SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 4                                                                        
01 Supporting the Alaska Congressional delegation in protecting the state's right to                                       
02 manage wildlife within its borders.                                                                                     
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE:                                                                                           
04       WHEREAS the United States Supreme Court has long interpreted the United States                                  
05 Constitution to provide state primacy in wildlife management; and                                                     
06       WHEREAS the state's authority to manage wildlife has been recognized in federal                                 
07 law, including the Alaska Statehood Act and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation                             
08 Act; and                                                                                                                
09       WHEREAS the state had managed wildlife within the state since it was granted that                               
10 authority by the United States Department of the Interior in 1959, and that authority included                          
11 management of hunting and trapping on national wildlife refuges and national preserves; and                             
12 WHEREAS the state's authority to manage wildlife was inappropriately rescinded by                                     
13 federal regulation for national preserves in October 2015 and national wildlife refuges in                              
14 August 2016; and                                                                                                      
15       WHEREAS, as a result, Alaskans have lost the ability to hunt predators at certain                               
16 times of year or use certain practices in certain areas of the state because unelected individuals                      

01 within the United States Department of the Interior found those activities distasteful; and                             
02       WHEREAS the United States Congress has an opportunity to repeal the Refuge Rule                                 
03 under the Congressional Review Act under resolutions of disapproval sponsored by                                        
04 Congressman Don Young, Senator Lisa Murkowski, and Senator Dan Sullivan; and                                            
05       WHEREAS the United States House of Representatives passed Congressman Don                                       
06 Young's disapproval resolution by a vote of 225 to 193 on February 16, 2017; and                                        
07       WHEREAS United States Secretary of the Interior Nominee Ryan Zinke stated at his                                
08 confirmation hearing on January 17, 2017, that he would conduct a formal review of both                                 
09 rules;                                                                                                                  
10 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska Senate supports these efforts to repeal the                                            
11 national preserve and national wildlife refuge rules to restore the state's role in wildlife                            
12 management; and be it                                                                                                   
13 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska Senate congratulates Congressman Young                                               
14 on passage of his disapproval resolution and encourages Senators Murkowski and Sullivan to                              
15 make all efforts to see that a resolution is also passed by the United States Senate.                                   
16 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Paul D. Ryan, Speaker of                                     
17 the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader of the                                
18 U.S. Senate; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S.                                      
19 Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska                                       
20 delegation in Congress.