04/01/2008 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS

SB 214-HUNTING BY MILITARY,COAST GD., DEPENDENTS                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:03:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROSES announced  that the first order of  business would be                                                               
CS  FOR SENATE  BILL NO.  214(FIN), "An  Act relating  to hunting                                                               
licenses  and  tags  for  nonresident  members  of  the  military                                                               
service or  the United States  Coast Guard and  their dependents;                                                               
and providing for an effective date."                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:04:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DAHLSTROM moved  that the  committee adopt  House                                                               
Committee  Substitute (HCS)  for CSSB  214, Version  25-LS1261\O,                                                               
Kane,  3/27/08,  as  the  working   document.    There  being  no                                                               
objection, Version O was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:04:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JODY  SIMPSON, Staff  to Senator  Charlie  Huggins, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  explained that  Version  O of  the  bill meets  the                                                               
sponsor's goal  of providing  a benefit  to military  members and                                                               
their dependents, as  a token of gratitude for  their service, by                                                               
allowing   newly   stationed   personnel  hunting   and   fishing                                                               
privileges  immediately  upon report  date.    The bill  benefits                                                               
active  duty military  and U.  S. Coast  Guard members  and their                                                               
dependents  by waiving  the 12  month  residency requirement  for                                                               
fish and game licenses.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:05:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  SIMPSON  continued to  say  that  45 states  offer  resident                                                               
license  rates  for active  military  members  without regard  to                                                               
actual  residency  status.   Eight  of  those  states,  including                                                               
Alaska,  require personnel  to be  stationed in  the state  for a                                                               
specific length  of time.   Alaska's period  for residency  is 12                                                               
months  and  is  by  far the  longest  residency  requirement  to                                                               
qualify for  hunting licenses and  tags.  Senate Bill  214 waives                                                               
that residency  requirement.  The  bill will also  allow military                                                               
members stationed in Alaska to  apply for special licenses at the                                                               
residential  rate  for  small game  hunting  and  sport  fishing;                                                               
however, this provision does not  extend to big game licenses and                                                               
tags.  Currently,  military members are required  to purchase big                                                               
game licenses  at the non-resident  rate and tags at  one-half of                                                               
the non-resident rate.   The bill will allow  military members to                                                               
purchase  big  game licenses  and  tags,  at the  resident  rate,                                                               
without  removing the  guiding component  that  requires a  newly                                                             
arrived hunter  to be accompanied  by a guide when  hunting brown                                                               
bear, sheep, and  mountain goat.  The tags are  required to allow                                                               
enforcement  of  this  regulation.    Ms.  Simpson  informed  the                                                               
committee  that  the Alaska  Department  of  Fish  & Game  is  in                                                               
support of the  bill, although the fiscal impact to  the ADF&G is                                                               
$40,000.    Furthermore,  the  proposed  changes  do  not  affect                                                               
eligibility for  Permanent Fund Dividend  checks, jury  pools, or                                                               
subsistence  opportunities.    She   noted  that  the  Version  O                                                               
addressed  the  objections  of the  Alaska  Professional  Hunters                                                               
Association to the original bill.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:09:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROSES closed public testimony.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:09:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX referred  to page 1, line 7,  and asked for                                                               
the meaning of "permanently stationed."                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS.  SIMPSON  explained that,  members  of  the military  have  a                                                               
permanent change  of station, even  though they  temporarily move                                                               
around.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:10:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR ROSES  added that  permanent change of  station (PCS)  is a                                                               
military term of art as opposed to temporary term of duty (TDY).                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:11:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX  observed that  members of the  Coast Guard                                                               
are stationed for three years in a home place of duty.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:11:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  SIMPSON expressed  her understanding  that military  members                                                               
have  a home  of  record,  but may  be  permanently stationed  in                                                               
Alaska for the term of their duty.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:11:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KRISTIN  WRIGHT, Licensing  Supervisor,  Fish  & Game  Licensing,                                                               
Division of  Administrative Services, Department of  Fish & Game,                                                               
explained that the military are  usually permanently stationed in                                                               
Alaska for three years.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:12:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DAHLSTROM  moved to  report HCS CSSB  214, Version                                                               
25-LS1261\O,  Kane, 3/27/08,  out  of  committee with  individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no objection,  HCS CSSB  214(MLV) was reported  out of  the House                                                               
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:13:20 PM