05/11/2017 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 6                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act establishing the Jonesville Public Use Area."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:17:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   GEORGE   RAUCHER,    SPONSOR,   thanked   the                                                                  
committee   for   hearing   the   legislation.   He   provided                                                                  
information  about  the  legislation.  The  bill  provided  an                                                                  
opportunity  to make a  public use area  for the community  of                                                                  
Sutton  in conjunction  with  the  Matanuska/Susitna  Borough,                                                                  
Department  of Natural Resources  (DNR), Alaska Mental  Health                                                                  
Trust  Authority (AMHTA),  and  all of  the  user groups.  The                                                                  
bill  simply authorized  a public  use area  that allowed  the                                                                  
community to design a management plan in the future.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster OPENED public testimony.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CAROL  CARMAN, SELF,  PALMER (via  teleconference),  testified                                                                  
in  support  of  the  legislation.  She  relayed   information                                                                  
about a  man who had  been shot and  killed in the  Jonesville                                                                  
mine area  about one year  earlier. She  shared that  the area                                                                  
was popular  with campers,  four wheelers,  and shooters.  The                                                                  
area lacked  management  and was littered  with trash,  unsafe                                                                  
with   frequent   shooting   incidences,   experienced   stray                                                                  
gunfire,  and out  of  control,  which created  safety  issues                                                                  
for residents  living in  the area.  She shared another  story                                                                  
about an  individual shooting into  a crowd around  a bonfire.                                                                  
The  area was  heavily  used. She  discussed  that the  police                                                                  
needed  to have  the  ability to  take  preventative  measures                                                                  
instead  of merely responding  to negative  events after  they                                                                  
took  place in  the area.  She remarked  that the  legislature                                                                  
passed  bill's dealing  with  honoring indigenous  people  and                                                                  
African  American  soldier's   efforts  to  build  the  Alaska                                                                  
Highway during  World War 2 and  opined that HB 6  was "passed                                                                  
over." She  urged the  committee and  legislature to  pass the                                                                  
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:23:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RYAN BRETT,  AK MUDSLINGERS,  ANCHORAGE (via teleconference),                                                                   
spoke in  favor of  the legislation.  He provided  information                                                                  
about  the organization  and noted  that  the group  conducted                                                                  
an annual  Jim Creek/Knik River  area cleanup where  over 1000                                                                  
people participated.  He reported  a large decrease  in trash.                                                                  
He  shared  that the  same  issues  in the  Sutton  area  were                                                                  
present   in  the   Jim  Creek/Knik   River   area  prior   to                                                                  
management.  He  had  personally  seen  bonfires  and  out  of                                                                  
control  activities  in  the  unmanaged  area  in  Sutton.  He                                                                  
believed  the bill would  have a positive  impact on  the area                                                                  
and all  user groups.  He  spoke to  protecting the  community                                                                  
of Sutton.  He reported that  his organization was  conducting                                                                  
a  Jonesville  area  cleanup  in  June.  The  annual  cleanups                                                                  
provided more  exposure to the  issue. He asked the  committee                                                                  
to pass the bill.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Tilton  thanked  Mr.  Brett  for  coordinating                                                                  
the cleanups and for the way he ran the organization.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:26:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PATTI  BARBER, SELF,  MAT-SU (via  teleconference),  testified                                                                  
in support  of the legislation.  She stated that the  area was                                                                  
popular  and  needed direction  to  contain  the  uncontrolled                                                                  
use.  She  spoke  to  the  burned  out  vehicles,  trash,  and                                                                  
bullets  in  the  area. She  related  that  the  community  of                                                                  
Butte had  the same problems until  the Knik River  Public Use                                                                  
Area  was   established.  She   believed  that  creating   the                                                                  
Jonesville  Public Use  area would  educate  the public  about                                                                  
using  the  area  safety and  advocated  for  funding  in  the                                                                  
future.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:27:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KENNY  BARBER, SELF,  MAT-SU  (via teleconference),  spoke  in                                                                  
support  of the bill.  He believed  it was  a positive  effort                                                                  
and hoped for financial support of the area in the future.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:28:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Gara addressed  the  four zero  fiscal notes  from                                                                  
the  Department of  Natural  Resources, Department  of  Public                                                                  
Safety, and the Department of Fish and Game.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Kawasaki asked  for  discussion regarding  the                                                                  
two fiscal notes from DPS.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:31:20 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:31:33 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:31:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CLARK COX,  NATURAL  RESOURCE MANAGER,  DEPARTMENT OF  NATURAL                                                                  
RESOURCES   (via  teleconference),   introduced  himself   and                                                                  
asked Representative Kawasaki to repeat his question.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Kawasaki noted that  the DNR fiscal  note from                                                                  
the  Division  of  Mining,  Land  and   Water  discussed  that                                                                  
troopers  were unlikely  to provide enforcement  in the  area.                                                                  
Mr. Cox  explained  that the departments  gauged  HB 6 to  the                                                                  
Knik River  Public Use  area when creating  the fiscal  notes.                                                                  
The Knik  River area was  very successful  due to the  funding                                                                  
appropriated    when   the   area    was   established.    The                                                                  
appropriation  afforded   one  DNR  staffer  and  funding  for                                                                  
troopers  for enforcement. Representative  Kawasaki  indicated                                                                  
that   Mr.  Cox's   response   clarified   his  question.   He                                                                  
remembered  that  previously a  fiscal  note attached  to  the                                                                  
establishment  of the Knik River  Public Use Area  was roughly                                                                  
$400 thousand  in 2007. The major  portion of the  funding was                                                                  
for creation  of the management  plan. He asked how  DNR would                                                                  
prioritize  the  planning  work  for Jonesville  with  a  zero                                                                  
fiscal note.  Mr. Cox  answered that  the Knik River  planning                                                                  
took  several years  with  ample  funding and  the  Jonesville                                                                  
area  would  take  much  longer   with  a  zero  fiscal  note.                                                                  
Representative  Kawasaki cautioned  the Jonesville Public  Use                                                                  
Area's  supporters  that  without  funding  the  proposal  and                                                                  
management  plan  would take  a  long  time to  implement.  He                                                                  
noted  that troopers  and  a half-time  ranger  was  necessary                                                                  
for the Knik River area.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:36:22 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DARREL  BREEZE, STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE  GEORGE RAUCHER,  noted                                                                  
the letter  in member's packet  from the commissioner  of DNR,                                                                  
Andrew  Mack  (copy  on  file)  and   pointed  to  the  second                                                                  
paragraph   that  stated   without   additional  funding   the                                                                  
process  was expected  to take  5 years. He  related that  the                                                                  
sponsor  acknowledged  that  the  plan  would  take  time.  He                                                                  
favored  taking  five  years  to  work   with  the  community,                                                                  
borough,  and users  to  develop a  management  plan that  met                                                                  
the needs of all of the users.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Wilson   asked   whether  the   sponsor   was                                                                  
expecting  the borough  to  play a  large role  in  developing                                                                  
the plan  to present  to DNR  and participate  in  fundraising                                                                  
efforts  unlike  the  development  of  the  Knik  River  area.                                                                  
Representative   Raucher  answered  in  the  affirmative.   He                                                                  
referred to Page 2, lines 10 through 11 of the bill:                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     …the commissioner may designate incompatible uses and                                                                      
     shall adopt and may revise a management plan for the                                                                       
     Jonesville Public Use Area….                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Raucher   expounded  that  the  bill  did  not                                                                  
stipulate  that  DNR should  write  the management  plan.  The                                                                  
Matsu  Borough  was committed  to  developing  the public  use                                                                  
area and  was willing  to help write  the management  plan and                                                                  
help facilitate  the public process  among user groups.  There                                                                  
was  currently  a 30  page  plan developed  from  surveys  and                                                                  
previously meeting  and working  with user groups  every other                                                                  
week.  The same  process would  be used  to continue  building                                                                  
the comprehensive  plan  to present  to DNR  for their  review                                                                  
and approval.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Wilson   thanked   the   representative   for                                                                  
working  with  local  government,   the  community,  and  user                                                                  
groups. She  thought that everyone  would understand  that the                                                                  
project would not happen overnight.                                                                                             
4:41:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair   Seaton  MOVED   to  report   CSHB  6(RES)   out  of                                                                  
Committee    with   individual    recommendations   and    the                                                                  
accompanying  fiscal notes. There  being NO OBJECTION,  it was                                                                  
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CSHB 6(RES)  was REPORTED  out of committee  with a "do  pass"                                                                  
recommendation  and  with  three  previously   published  zero                                                                  
fiscal notes,  FN1 (DNR), FN 2  (DPS), FN3 (DPS); and  one new                                                                  
zero fiscal note from the Department of Natural Resources.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Foster   reviewed  the  agenda  for   the  following                                                                  
meeting.