Legislature(1999 - 2000)
03/23/1999 08:15 AM House CRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS
STANDING COMMITTEE
March 23, 1999
8:15 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Andrew Halcro, Co-Chairman
Representative John Harris, Co-Chairman
Representative Carl Morgan
Representative Fred Dyson
Representative Reggie Joule
Representative Albert Kookesh
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Lisa Murkowski
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Presentation by Rural Governance Commission
WITNESS REGISTER
BYRON MALLOTT, Co-Chairman
Rural Governance Commission
Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation
PO Box 25500 M/S 0401
Juneau, Alaska 99802-5500
TAPE 99-18, SIDE A
Number 0000
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO called the House Community and Regional
Affairs Standing Committee to order at 8:15 a.m. Members
present at the call to order were Representatives Halcro,
Harris, Morgan, Dyson, Joule and Kookesh. Representative
Murkowski was absent.
Number 0050
BYRON MALLOTT, Co-Chairman of the Rural Governance
Commission, discussed the genesis of the commission. It
grew out of an ambiguity over the role of tribes in Alaska
and the effect of the Venetie decision last year. The
purpose of the commission is to help the state form its
policy toward the more than 200 federally-recognized tribes
in Alaska. The commission also has looked at the
dissolution of local governments and complaints from rural
areas about delivery of state services. The 22-member,
all-Alaskan commission began its work in March of last year
and held hearings in most of the regional centers and
smaller communities that are representative of specific
issues. In addition, they have met with state, federal and
local officials in the major population centers.
Number 0940
MR. MALLOTT said the commission had reviewed all the
previous related studies. The group will meet on March 24
to begin drafting its final report, which it hopes to
deliver to Governor Knowles by the end of the fiscal year.
He said the commission had taken the decision to deliver a
very focused set of recommendations, and will not make a
recommendation in the report unless it can show how the
recommendation can be carried out.
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON asked about the problem of the state
recognizing a local entity that is racially-based, and cited
the Quinhagak model as an example.
MR. MALLOTT confirmed that the heart of the matter is the
use of the word "rural," which is an obfuscation of the
place of Alaska Natives in Alaska's future. He said the
agency staff who are supposed to implement the programs are
frustrated by lack of policy direction. He said the same
range of issues operates in the subsistence problem and the
idea of applying rules to one group but not to another has
to be solved at the local level.
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON restated his question, stating that the
problem is really imposed by the words on paper.
MR. MALLOTT discussed the reality of the word "tribe" and
the political definitions attached to it. Some state
constitutions do recognize tribes, although they are not
treated at all in the Alaska Constitution. The way to deal
with many of these problems, he said, is to put the tools in
the hands of locals and allow them to work out the
solutions. As an example, he cited the relationship between
Ketchikan, a predominantly white community, and Saxman, a
predominantly Native community just a few miles south of
Ketchikan. Over the years, there has been a distinct
separation between the two, but recently a bicycle path was
constructed alongside South Tongass highway. The new
interaction of walkers, joggers and bikers between the two
communities has opened up a whole new world of understanding
and communication that is very healthy.
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO asked a question regarding resource
management.
MR. MALLOTT responded that traditionally in Alaska resource
management has been a command system, but people are not
going to stand for it any longer. Local people want to take
more control and be a bigger part of the process. He gave
as an example the often repeated phenomenon of the state
putting new facilities into communities with no connection
to local acceptance, responsibility or ownership.
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE, in response to Mr. Mallott's
statement, commented on local hire for local projects,
welfare to work and dollars from the state.
NUMBER 2550
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON asked a question regarding local
participation in funding.
MR. MALLOTT responded that local people are the first to be
able to identify local resources that can fit local needs.
He discussed the now defunct rural development grants that
had a maximum cap of $50,000 and had to be matched by local
contribution. He said one of the great benefits of that
program and others like it is the locals take pride in
something they accomplish themselves.
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO referenced HB 40 which combines DCED and
DCRA and asked Mr. Mallott his views of a rural Alaska
advocate in the Governor's cabinet.
MR. MALLOTT discussed the concept in broad terms, the need
for an advocate or an ombudsman to look out for rural needs.
He said the impact of the passage of SB 36 last year was
perceived to be an assault on rural Alaska, as is a current
bill to redefine how disasters are declared. Mr. Mallott
also briefly discussed the recently-appointed federal Denali
Commission and its charge to facilitate infrastructure
development in rural Alaska.
TAPE 99-18, SIDE B
Number 2900
MR. MALLOTT continued in his response to Co-Chairman Halcro
that there is a pervasive feeling out in rural Alaska that
the people are fed up and are not going to take it any more.
They have a sense of understanding and ownership with DCRA
and if it disappears and no other thread of trust emerges,
the changes will be received very badly out there.
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO asked a question regarding the time line
of the commission.
MR. MALLOTT reiterated that the commission has set a target
to deliver its final report to the governor by the end of
the fiscal year and he felt confident they should be able to
stick to that time line.
Number 2790
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE enumerated a number of issues Venetie,
SB 36, subsistence, consolidation, the definition of
disasters, reapportionment that just suggest rural Alaska
should form its own state. He asked Mr. Mallott if he had
heard any such suggestions out there.
MR. MALLOTT acknowledged that the Alaska Federation of
Natives (AFN) had passed a resolution supporting secession
and that the Northwest Arctic Borough was considering how to
deal with issues that are not being responded to. He said
he has heard in rural Alaska a profound, pervasive, powerful
sense that the relationship with the State of Alaska is just
not working. He also noted that such a mild-mannered person
as Bob Loescher of Sealaska Corporation had recently brought
up the issue of using nonviolent disobedience as a tactic.
Number 2535
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ discussed the disconnection between
urban and rural Alaska and asked about efforts by the Rural
Governance Commission to bridge that gap.
MR. MALLOTT said the hope is that the commission will not
just go away after its report is delivered, but will work to
maintain a dialogue between the legislature and other
stakeholders in some form. He also discussed Governor
Knowles's expressed interest in holding a convention on the
future of Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE KOOKESH commented that he appreciated that
new members of the House are making a real effort to
understand rural Alaska. However, he feared the rural
advocacy position was going to be killed by a very vocal
minority with money, the same as the subsistence vote. He
said people are denying the urban/rural split. Alaska
Natives just want to fit into the process, he said. The
report cannot just sit on a shelf, but we would have to work
hard to implement its recommendations. If there is a hole
on one side of the boat, he said, we all have to be bailing.
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON commented that we should not scan for
the negative. He quoted Mr. Mitchell, who said the white
folks in the urban areas have brought this on themselves.
He said rural areas were disenfranchised by the one-man,
one-vote decision of the U.S. Supreme Court and by the
historic population shift to urban areas. He suggested part
of the solution is to be able to reapportion the state
Senate based on region, as it was originally in the state
constitution, not by population.
MR. MALLOTT acknowledged that in the next round of
redistricting the situation will only get worse, but said he
didn't know if anything could be done about it. Many
Natives live in urban areas for many reasons, but still
maintain connections to rural home villages. He said if we
cannot articulate problems and solutions, Alaska is the one
place in the nation where Balkanization can take place.
What makes Alaska great, he said, is that the whole is
greater than the sum of its parts. Alaska is at a critical
point in determining its future.
Number 1650
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON asked why the Rural Governance
Commission did not include a dialogue with legislative
committees in its work to date.
MR. MALLOTT responded that it was determined early on that
the commission would be self-determining, rather than take a
charge from the governor as to what it should be doing. He
said he spent time with former Representative Ivan Ivan, the
immediate past chair of the CRA committee, discussed the
issues and obtained the work of the committee for the
commission's consideration.
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE referenced the Denali Commission and
asked how we in state government can help it do its job.
MR. MALLOTT said he had recently had lunch with the federal
co-chair of the Denali Commission, who holds the levers of
that body. He reported that he is very desirous of working
with the Rural Governance Commission and recognizes that
change has to happen, especially in how projects are
delivered and maintained. The first appropriation by
Congress of $20 million has been made for the Denali
Commission's mission. Mr. Mallott said he wants to work
with the Denali Commission, not in what they do, but how
they do it. The over-riding need in rural Alaska is
economic development so that the generations can continue,
so that the children will have a reason to come home, that
reason tied to jobs. He said the goal of building a steady
economy in rural Alaska, tied to urban Alaska, is good for
all of us.
Number 1045
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO said he wants to extend the hand of the
committee to work with the Rural Governance Commission
during the interim to get ahead of the curve for next
January.
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON briefly discussed the urban Native
population and asked if they feel disenfranchised or ignored
as rural Natives do.
MR. MALLOTT responded that changes in the corporations often
emanate from the urban into the rural areas, and that
discontent will be exhibited in urban areas before it will
be in the villages. He invited committee staff to
participate in the commission's meetings.
Number 590
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON commented that his Native friends
within the Municipality of Anchorage do not feel left out of
power. On the other hand, the Eklutnas, who settled at
their fish camp on the north side of the Anchorage bowl,
were cut out of subsistence use at their own fish camp of
1000 years. This doesn't make sense. He wondered if urban
Natives could vote in rural areas if they wanted to.
MR. MALLOTT responded that although he has lived in Juneau
since 1980, he voted in Yakutat until 1994, when he filed to
run for Mayor of Juneau. He noted that while he is an urban
Native and by all outward appearance content with his
situation, underneath he is always reminded of who he is and
his place in society. But he would not display any
discontent, because that is who they are, and it would not
be polite to do so.
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON discussed his troubled youth and said
he could relate to how Natives feel like outsiders. He
struggles not to be outraged.
TAPE 99-19, SIDE A
Number 0100
MR. MALLOTT, responding to Representative Dyson's comments,
told of a member of the commission, Lee Steffen, who started
out the commission meetings in such a rage that Arliss
Sturgulewski, another commission member, wondered what she
was doing in such a situation. However, in the intervening
year, in working with the commission, they have become good
friends and are productive, contributing members.
CO-CHAIRMAN HALCRO thanked Mr. Mallott for his report and
adjourned the committee meeting at 9:53 a.m.
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