04/22/2005 02:33 PM House RES

HB  37-PUBLIC ACCESS TO FISHING STREAMS                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SAMUELS announced that the  next order of business would                                                               
be  HOUSE BILL  NO.  37  "An Act  relating  to  public access  to                                                               
fishing streams."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  LES GARA,  Alaska State  Legislature, said  HB 37                                                               
tries to ensure  that citizens continue to have  public access to                                                               
fishing  streams.     He  noted   that  many   streams  currently                                                               
accessible  along the  road system  are on  private land,  and he                                                               
said that  these lands will be  developed and the access  to some                                                               
fishing  streams will  be  lost  forever.   The  bill  sets up  a                                                               
procedure  with the  Department of  Natural Resources  and Alaska                                                               
Department of  Fish &  Game to identify  these streams,  and asks                                                               
the state to consider purchasing  or exchanging the access lands.                                                               
It  would  be  subject  to a  legislative  appropriation  or  the                                                               
availability of grant  money, and it is  completely voluntary, he                                                               
said.    "It encourages  the  discussion  and it  encourages  the                                                               
process so  that we  can hopefully avoid  making the  mistakes so                                                               
many  other states  have made  on what  were once  great publicly                                                               
accessible fishing streams," he concluded.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE OLSON asked  about how HB 37 applies  to access on                                                               
Exxon Valdez oil spill land.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GARA  said it  won't have  an effect  because when                                                               
the state sells land it must retain access.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:38:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD moved Amendment 1 as follows:                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 14, following "use,"                                                                                          
     Insert: "sport"                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, Amendment 1 carried.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:39:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CRAWFORD moved  to report HB 37 as  amended out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal notes.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, CSHB 37(RES) passed out of committee.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
2:40:45 PM