03/12/2009 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

                   HCR  7-DECORATION OF HONOR                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
10:18:16 AM                                                                                                                   
CHAIR MENARD  announced the  consideration of  HCR 7.  [Before the                                                              
committee was HCR 7 am.]                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MEYER  moved to  adopt the  proposed committee  substitute                                                              
(CS) to  HCR 7 am, labeled  26-LS0547\R, as the  working document.                                                              
There being no objection, Version R was before the committee.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
10:19:04 AM                                                                                                                   
LAURA  PIERRE, Staff  to  Representative  Nancy Dahlstrom,  Alaska                                                              
State  Legislature, sponsor,  said the  CS is  from a House  floor                                                              
amendment.  "At that  time we  were  not aware  that the  members'                                                              
names we  were adding  to this  bill were  veterans of  the Korean                                                              
War."  The decoration  of  honor  is awarded  to  those killed  in                                                              
action after statehood.  The 12 members died before  statehood, so                                                              
they cannot  receive this  award and the  CS removes  their names.                                                              
The bill goes forward  with the 6 members killed  in action during                                                              
2008.  The  resolution will  take  place  every  year to  add  any                                                              
military  members killed  in action  during the  calendar year  if                                                              
they lived and were stationed in Alaska but deployed elsewhere.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
10:20:11 AM                                                                                                                   
SENATOR  PASKVAN said  he had three  members  in his district  who                                                              
were  killed a  month ago,  and  this bill  doesn't include  their                                                              
names. He assumes their names will be added next year.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. PIERRE  said the  names from  2009 will  be introduced  in the                                                              
2010 legislature to receive a decoration of honor.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MCHUGH  PIERRE, Legislative  Liaison, Department  of Military  and                                                              
Veteran Affairs,  said his office has the responsibility  to track                                                              
down these names.  The first year of doing this was  2008, and 180                                                              
names were gathered.  It was his fault for not  identifying the 12                                                              
members who were  killed before 1959. His office will  keep a list                                                              
of military members  killed in action and present  the list before                                                              
the calendar end.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
10:22:39 AM                                                                                                                   
SENATOR  FRENCH moved  to  report the  CS  to HCR  7, labeled  26-                                                              
LS0547\R,  from  committee  with  individual  recommendations  and                                                              
attached  fiscal note(s).  Hearing  no objection,  SCS HCR  7(STA)                                                              
moved out of committee.