Legislature(2019 - 2020)GRUENBERG 120
03/12/2019 11:00 AM House FISHERIES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB35 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 35 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 35-CONFLICT OF INTEREST: BD FISHERIES/GAME
11:04:05 AM
CHAIR LOUISE STUTES announced the only order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 35, "An Act relating to participation in
matters before the Board of Fisheries and the Board of Game by
the members of the respective boards; and providing for an
effective date."
[Before the committee was the proposed committee substitute
(CS), Version 31-LS0297\M, Bullard, 3/4/19, adopted as the
working document on 3/7/19.]
11:05:05 AM
MATT GRUENING, Staff, Representative Louise Stutes, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Stutes, prime sponsor
of HB 35, referenced page 4 of the document in the committee
packet titled "Background Information on the Alaska Boards of
Game and Fisheries Ethics Act Process,dated 3/6/19, and shared
statistics highlighting how often board members were conflicted
out of deliberating on board issues. He stated that the bill
was a request from the user groups to address a specific
problem. He said there were two new letters of support for the
bill and that all letters regarding HB 35 were in support. He
noted that in response to changes in the proposed committee
substitute, the Resident Hunters of Alaska has removed its
letter of opposition and replaced it with a letter of support.
11:06:42 AM
CHAIR STUTES opened invited testimony.
FRANCES LEACH, Executive Director, United Fishermen of Alaska,
spoke as follows:
We represent 35 commercial fishing organizations and
hundreds of fishermen and crewmembers participating in
fisheries off of Alaska's coastal waters. Thank you
for giving me this opportunity today to speak on
behalf of HB 35. This is an extremely important bill
to United Fishermen of Alaska, and one that we have
supported for a very long time. If you have ever had
the opportunity to attend a Board of Fisheries
meeting, then you know how important passage of this
bill is. Board members are chosen because they
pertain certain expertise in their region or fishery.
At this time, when the board is deliberating on a
proposal, board members who have ... that expertise on
a subject are often not permitted to participate due
to conflicting out.
Prior to being the Executive Director of United
Fishermen, I had the pleasure of working for the Board
of Fisheries as a Department of Fish and Game board-
support staff member. I have participated in over 50
Board of Fisheries meetings. And I have sat far too
many times at these meetings where a board member
conflicts out and is forced to sit in the back of the
room while the remaining board members at the table
struggle to comprehend the nuances of the proposals,
when the board member who holds the answer is muted in
the back of the room. By allowing members to
participate fully in deliberations, this not only
builds a better record and helps assist the board
members in their decision, it also makes for a more
transparent discussion that is clearly established on
the record.
We want to encourage people who pertain expertise to
be on the board of fisheries and game but as this law
currently sits people are discouraged from putting
their names forward because they know they would
conflict out of many of the deliberations. We want a
strong and skilled Board of Fisheries and Board of
Game and transparent deliberations. This bill will
allow for that. Thank you for this opportunity to
testify.
11:09:14 AM
JERRY MCCUNE, President, Cordova District Fishermen United,
commented that Ms. Leach had done a good job laying out the
issues. He described board members he knew and the variety of
reasons they had conflicted out of board meetings. He spoke in
support of HB 35.
11:11:40 AM
CHAIR STUTES opened public testimony on HB 35.
11:11:44 AM
MARK RICHARDS, Executive Director, Resident Hunters of Alaska
mentioned his organization did not have the proposed CS, Version
M, before last week, which contributed to the organization's
original letter of opposition. Once his organization received
the proposed CS, its members were happy to support the bill.
11:13:22 AM
CHAIR STUTES closed public testimony on HB 35.
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT agreed with the ability of a board member
to share his/her knowledge but requested that the House Special
Committee on Fisheries intentions be clear. He offered that the
intent of the committee's discussion regarding HB 35 was not
that a board member could influence a decision that could
benefit himself/herself, but that the board member be able to
bring his/her expertise to the discussion and that is where it
ends.
11:15:10 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KOPP clarified that he thought Representative
Pruitt was referencing undue influence regarding a person's
personal benefit versus a collective benefit that would apply to
a broader group.
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT responded in the affirmative and explained
that a board member should be able to share his/her knowledge
for the benefit of a group of people, but not for his/her own
personal benefit. He concluded that the bill did not change
that aspect of current law.
11:16:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KOPP moved to report the proposed CS for HB 35,
Version 35LS0297\M, Bullard, 3/4/19, out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.
There being no objection, CSHB 35(FSH) was reported from the
House Special Committee on Fisheries.