02/13/2018 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB264 | |
| HJR30 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 264 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HJR 30 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
February 13, 2018
8:02 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Justin Parish, Co-Chair
Representative Harriet Drummond
Representative John Lincoln
Representative Dan Saddler
Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (alternate)
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative George Rauscher
Representative David Talerico
Representative DeLena Johnson (alternate)
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 264
"An Act relating to a fee for disposable shopping bags; relating
to the sale of reusable shopping bags; relating to the recycling
of disposable shopping bags; and providing for an effective
date."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 30
Urging the United States Congress to reaffirm the commitment of
the United States to promote the safety, health, and well-being
of refugees and displaced persons; urging the United States
government to uphold its international leadership role in
responding to displacement crises with humanitarian assistance
and to work with the international community and the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to find solutions to
conflicts and protect refugees; and urging the President of the
United States to continue to mitigate the burden placed on
frontline refugee host countries.
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 264
SHORT TITLE: SHOPPING BAG FEES & RECYCLING
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) JOSEPHSON
01/08/18 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/8/18
01/16/18 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/16/18 (H) CRA, L&C
01/30/18 (H) CRA AT 3:00 PM BARNES 124
01/30/18 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
02/10/18 (H) CRA AT 10:00 AM BARNES 124
02/10/18 (H) Heard & Held
02/10/18 (H) MINUTE(CRA)
02/13/18 (H) CRA AT 8:00 AM BARNES 124
BILL: HJR 30
SHORT TITLE: URGE U.S. SUPPORT OF REFUGEES
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) JOSEPHSON
01/24/18 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/24/18 (H) CRA, STA
02/13/18 (H) CRA AT 8:00 AM BARNES 124
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE ANDY JOSEPHSON
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HB 264.
LISA DELANEY, Staff
Representative Andy Josephson
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the hearing on HB
264, on behalf of Representative Josephson, prime sponsor.
PATRICIA CUE
Homer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 264.
DAVID NEES, Research Associate
Alaska Policy Forum
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the hearing on HB 264.
ANNEMIEKE POWERS
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the hearing on HB 264.
KARLA HART
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 264.
SUSIE HAYES, Volunteer
Valley Community for Recycling Solutions;
Member
Mat-Su Zero Waste Committee and Plastic Bag Committee
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the hearing on HB 264.
JAMES SQUYERS
Rural Deltana, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to HB 264.
WILLIAM HARRINGTON
Spenard, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the hearing on HB 264.
MICHELLE PUTZ, Member
Bags for Change
Sitka, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 264.
REPRESENTATIVE ANDY JOSEPHSON
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HJR 30.
GABBY WEISS
Homer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HJR 30.
NICHOLAS STEEN
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in opposition to HJR 30
ROBERT FAWCETT
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the hearing on HJR 30.
CHARLES DUNCAN
Kake, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the hearing on HJR 30.
MELISSA KEMBERLING
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the hearing on HJR 30.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:02:04 AM
CO-CHAIR JUSTIN PARISH called the House Community and Regional
Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:02 a.m.
Representatives Drummond, Lincoln, Kreiss-Tomkins (alternate),
and Parish were present at the call to order. Representative
Saddler arrived as the meeting was in progress.
HB 264-SHOPPING BAG FEES & RECYCLING
8:03:10 AM
CO-CHAIR PARISH announced that the first order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 264, "An Act relating to a fee for disposable
shopping bags; relating to the sale of reusable shopping bags;
relating to the recycling of disposable shopping bags; and
providing for an effective date."
8:03:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDY JOSEPHSON, Alaska State Legislature, as
prime sponsor, presented HB 264. He announced his staff would
offer answers to questions asked at the last hearing of HB 264,
on 2/10/18. He remarked that the research into the questions
brought to light that there were more communities seeking to ban
plastic bags than he had thought there were. He said he
believes a ban may be "the preferred route." He said he asked
Legislative Legal and Research Services how far out the
effective date could be, because a delayed effective date may
give communities more chance to prepare. He indicated that he
has not yet received an answer.
8:05:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS restated a question he had asked
on 2/10/18, which is whether plastic bags present more of a
problem than other forms of plastic or Styrofoam trash.
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON deferred to Ms. Delaney.
8:06:33 AM
LISA DELANEY, Staff, Representative Andy Josephson, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Josephson, prime
sponsor of HB 264, said she has not been able to find statistics
specific to Alaska but is still seeking an answer for
Representative Kreiss-Tomkins.
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS said the question is important to
his understanding the impetus of HB 264. He said he sees
Styrofoam as a greater problem in Southeast Alaska. He said he
is interested in solving "the greatest harm."
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON pointed to the handout in the committee
packet of answers that Ms. Delaney had compiled, and he said
[plastic bags] are second, after fishing gear, as attractants to
fish and birds.
8:08:43 AM
CO-CHAIR PARISH return to public testimony, [which had remained
open after commencing on 2/10/18].
8:09:29 AM
PATRICIA CUE testified in support of HB 264. She offered the
following information from the Environmental Working Group
regarding plastic bags: Americans use more than 100 billion
bags per year; use per person is more than 300 annually; average
length of use is 12 minutes; the expectancy of each bag is up to
1,000 years; during the 2011 International Coastal Cleanup,
volunteers collected 120,450 pounds of bags in the United
States; in the ocean bags break down into small, plankton-size
particles and can outnumber plankton 6:1, and the particles
collect toxins at levels up to 1 million times the level found
in sea water; marine wildlife often mistake plastic bags for
food, especially sea turtles hunting jellyfish; parts of plastic
bags have been found blocking the breathing passages and
stomachs of whales, dolphins, seals, puffins, and turtles; 85
percent of all sea turtles will be injured or killed by plastic,
including endangered leatherback turtles that summer in
Massachusetts Bay; and 80 percent of marine debris comes from
land-based waste - there are five "garbage patches" [gyres] in
the Pacific Ocean.
MS. CUE relayed that retail businesses spend more than $4
billion annually to provide plastic bags. She said at the time
the information was published by the Environmental Working
Group, nearly 100 cities, towns, and counties around the U.S.
had banned plastic bags around the U.S. - half of them in the
past year. She said she supports a total ban on plastic bags
and thinks "Alaska is capable of moving forward with this House
bill."
8:13:39 AM
DAVID NEES, Research Associate, Alaska Policy Forum, observed
that representatives from large grocery stores had not weighed
in on the issue. He said in Alaska there is a preference to use
local control over state government control. He acknowledged
that many communities in Alaska "have, indeed, enacted local
control measures." He noted that Washington, D.C., is the only
place that has imposed a fee on plastic grocery bags. He said
there are three states that have banned their use but "three
times as many states that prohibit the ban on plastic bags." He
related that four states decided that labeling plastic bags for
recycling purposes is "a much more effective way of having them
enter the environment." He clarified that the idea is to keep
plastic bags out of the environment by encouraging people to
recycle them. Mr. Nees reiterated that it is a small percentage
of the U.S. that has placed fees on plastic bags. He added that
some localities have enacted the fee, including Boulder,
Colorado, Brownsville, Texas, New York, New York, and Portland,
Maine. He repeated that elsewhere there are bans or
prohibitions against bans. He opined that recycling would be
more effective and "any cost that's incurred on this is going to
be passed on to the consumers, so it will have a negative
economic impact on the economy of Alaska." He concluded, "We're
not particularly in favor of this bill; we'd prefer a recycling
program."
8:16:25 AM
MR. NEES, in response to Representative Saddler, said his
research shows about 17 states have either "a ban or a ban" -
most want a recycling program. He offered his understanding
that charging a fee for a bag is opposed in one or two states -
mostly in large cities, such as New York City, where most people
walk to grocery stores and need something in which to carry
their groceries; in those areas the use of recyclable bags and
the recycling of plastic bags is encouraged. He offered to send
a link from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
outlining this information.
8:18:31 AM
ANNEMIEKE POWERS testified that she is a small business owner
and engineer, who has worked for the past 25-plus years cleaning
up contaminated sites. She stated her main concern with plastic
bags is the long-term environmental and economic impact of
pollution. She said even when people properly dispose of the
bags, too many of them blow out of trash bins and landfills and,
because they are so lightweight, are easily transported by water
and wind. She asked, "Who's going to clean up the pollution and
who's going to pay for it?" She added that her professional
experience has shown that "it is cheaper to prevent pollution at
the source than to pay for cleanup after the fact," and a bag
ban or fee does just that. She said in 2016 the World Economic
Forum predicted that at current rates of pollution, the world's
oceans would contain more plastic by weight than fish by the
year 2050. She said this impairment to the oceans and fishes
could have an economic impact to Alaskans. She said protecting
the fishing industry was one of the main reasons the City of
Cordova imposed a bag ban in 2016.
MS. POWERS said the effect of plastic bags on the food chains of
land mammals has not yet been assessed. At the Matanuska-
Susitna (Mat-Su) Experimental Farm, plastic bags have been found
in the stomachs of caribou and moose. She said Alaskans rely on
"the beauty and health of our land and waters for tourism,
hunting, and fishing," and she said she thinks Alaska should be
proactive in protecting these resources. She continued:
Since plastic pollution is widespread and not the sole
responsibility of any one person, incorporation, or
nation, most cleanup costs will likely be borne by
government entities, which means it will eventually be
paid for by the tax payers; that means by you and by
me. And if we don't act, our kids and grandkids will
bear any even larger cost, because this pollution
problem is not going to go away by itself, but if we
don't do anything, it will only grow. Banning or
imposing a fee on these bags certainly does not
eliminate all plastic pollution, but it is a very
simple means of eliminating one, widely used source,
and it's an easy way to start, because it's something
that can be controlled by the individual. I can't
control how companies package their goods, but I can
control how I carry them from the store to my car. My
household stopped using plastic grocery bags years
ago, and honestly it has not been a hardship at all.
8:21:26 AM
MS. POWERS, in response to Representative Saddler, said she
heard from one woman involved in the plastic bag ban in Cordova
that the ban has been successful. She said the plastic bag ban
passed in Wasilla would not go into effect until July.
8:23:09 AM
KARLA HART testified in support of HB 264. She said she has
traveled extensively in West Coast communities before and after
they banned plastic bags, and she has traveled globally in
China, Russia, Estonia, Finland, and Switzerland, and in all
those places it is routine for people who want a shopping bag to
pay for a thicker, reusable one. She offered her understanding
that people don't have an issue with this routine. She said the
framework for opposition from the National Federation of
Independent Business (NFIB) seemed to be based on concern that
store clerks would have difficulty estimating how many bags
customers would need, and she opined that is a weak argument
indicating the NFIB does not "have much against this ban,"
because in most of the communities she has visited, customers
decide how many bags they want to pay for and how they want to
bag their goods. Ms. Hart noted that the City of Seattle, whose
population she said she thinks is greater than that of the
entire state of Alaska, has had a bag ban in effect since [July
1, 2012], and all the major retailers in Alaska, such as Fred
Meyer and Safeway, also operate in Seattle and are already able
to handle [the ban]. Ms. Hart urged the committee to [impose
the fee on plastic bags, as proposed under HB 264], and then to
"tackle other plastic waste that Representative Kreiss-Tomkins
mentioned." She added, "There are certainly other things, but
this is available; it's a low-hanging fruit to start making a
change."
8:25:37 AM
SUSIE HAYES, Volunteer, Valley Community for Recycling
Solutions; Member, Mat-Su Zero Waste Committee and Plastic Bag
Committee, said she has lived in Alaska for 30 years and worked
for the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G) until
retirement two years ago. She said she participated in local
spring cleanups and picks up trash whenever recreating in
Alaska. She said there is a litter problem in the state, part
of which is plastic. She said people see plastic bags in trees
and along fences, but they don't see the remnants of plastic
bags that shred into small pieces and blow into creeks and
rivers and flow into the sea.
MS. HAYES expressed concern about "the amount of unnecessary and
... toxic waste going into landfills." She said plastic bags
may be reused in homes, but eventually they will take up space
in landfills. She said there are over 100,000 people in her
borough and growing, and if additional landfills are built, then
they will overtake trails and parkland. She opined that single
use plastic bags are not necessary and there are so many good
alternatives. Cloth bags can be used for years and easily
washed and air-dried; paper bags are an alternative that can be
repurposed, recycled, and burned. She said when she has offered
reusable bags to people, she has heard people decline the offer
because they say they already have reusable bags - they just
need the encouragement to use them. Ms. Hayes concluded by
asking the committee to listen to its constituents and construct
legislation that encourages shoppers to bring their own bags and
discourages stores from distributing any free plastic bags.
8:28:53 AM
JAMES SQUYERS testified in opposition to HB 264. He stated, "I
am appalled at the seemingly insatiable desire to increase the
size, scope, footprint, and influence of government. This is a
fine example of government overreach penalizing responsible
members of society for the actions of the irresponsible ones."
Mr. Squyers offered his understanding that there is already a
$100,000 fine established statewide for littering, which he said
is evident from all the signs posted. He suggested an effort be
made to "clean up the state one litterbug, one junkie, and one
totalitarian politician at a time." He encouraged the committee
chair to put the proposed legislation in a drawer and leave it
there. He remarked on the number of bills the legislature had
introduced with only a 90-day session scheduled.
8:30:09 AM
MR. SQUYERS, in response to Representative Saddler, confirmed
that stores in Rural Deltana issue plastic bags, and he
emphasized that those bags fit all his trash cans at home, thus,
"everything gets recycled out here."
8:30:43 AM
WILLIAM HARRINGTON opined that it is "the irresponsible use by
the people who get these plastic bags in the stores that are
causing the problem." He said the City of Spenard [plants]
flowers for the tourists every year, and at the end of the
season, those flowers are put into black plastic bags, loaded
into a truck, and taken to the dump. He said it seems crazy to
do that with organic material. He emphasized that it is not
just store bags that are causing the problem. He said he
recycles plastic store bags as garbage bags, and he questioned
who does not throw his/her garbage bags into a plastic bag of
some sort in the kitchen. He wished the committee good luck
with "all this."
8:32:55 AM
MICHELLE PUTZ, Member, Bags for Change, said there are about 40
people in the group and about a dozen volunteers, including
students. She said studies show that plastic is getting into
food sources; toxins from plastics are effecting reproductive
health in children and infants and could affect the health of
fish; plastic, which is made from petrochemicals, lasts forever
in the environment; plastic bags can damage and kill wildlife,
litter communities, and increase the amount of waste that must
be shipped south; and using sustainable bags is a sustainable
behavior that is "easy to choose and to change." She relayed
that she had spoken with a woman in Sitka whose boat almost ran
into the rocks when the motor sucked up a plastic bag and
overheated.
MS. PUTZ said Bags for Change is working to try to pass a fee
that would pay for tools and reduce electric rates. The group
conducted a reusable bag roundup and giveaway, as well as a
poster contest to help people remember to bring their reusable
bags when shopping. She said a fee may help with reduction of
plastic bag use, because it would incentivize behavior change
and force customers to make a conscious decision to purchase
bags. She added that it also gives people a choice. She said
there was a poll done in Sitka, and one of the questions asked
whether single use plastic bags should be "a), banned; b),
provided, but for a fee that would be used to support Sitka
schools and to reduce residents' electric costs; c), handed out
for free; or d), no opinion." She said the results will
hopefully be in, in the next couple weeks. She said the group
also held an informal poll on Sitka Chatters, a Facebook page
she described as not progressive, and the results were as
follows: 195 said take no action; and 225 said take action,
whether a ban or a fee.
MS. PUTZ, regarding HB 264, said she would like the words
"operate year-round" deleted from page 4, line 1. She said she
thinks whether or not a business operates all year, it should
help pay the fees. She opined that Alaska's visitors should
help pay the costs of "the things that we do in our
communities."
8:37:46 AM
CO-CHAIR PARISH, after ascertaining that no one else who wished
to testify, closed public testimony on HB 264.
CO-CHAIR PARISH announced that HB 264 was held over.
HJR 30-URGE U.S. SUPPORT OF REFUGEES
8:39:27 AM
CO-CHAIR PARISH announced that the final order of business would
be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 30, Urging the United States
Congress to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to
promote the safety, health, and well-being of refugees and
displaced persons; urging the United States government to uphold
its international leadership role in responding to displacement
crises with humanitarian assistance and to work with the
international community and the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees to find solutions to conflicts and protect
refugees; and urging the President of the United States to
continue to mitigate the burden placed on frontline refugee host
countries.
8:39:51 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDY JOSEPHSON, Alaska State Legislature, as
prime sponsor, presented HJR 30. He said the source for
legislation comes from a variety of sources, including citizens,
agencies, and the government. He revealed that the genesis for
HJR 30 came from Abby Weiss, an eighth-grade student at Colony
Middle School, in Palmer, Alaska. The proposed joint resolution
would encourage the federal government to do what it can in its
share of carrying the burden in caring for people displaced by
humanitarian crises occurring in their nations, including sexual
violence, human trafficking, persecution based on religion or
nationality, forced conscription, genocide, or exploitation. He
said there is no dispute about the crises; the dispute is over
what the federal role should be. He said he thinks it is
important for the legislature to take note of critical moments
in time.
8:44:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON said he and Legislative Legal and
Research Services reviewed the data in the proposed joint
resolution. He explained that the data is "a moving target"
depending on the status of a civil war or refugee crisis. Even
so, he said he confirmed that the data is "largely accurate -
certainly within a span of accuracy" and "grounded in fact." He
noted that Ms. Weiss had found her own set of data, which she
could share with the committee.
8:45:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER said there is a philosophical question
raised by HJR 30. He pointed to the phrase "40,300,000
internally displaced people", on page 1, line 11, and asked,
"Who are we, in the United States, to establish where people
should be inside the borders of their own countries?"
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON said the invasion of France, on June 6,
1944, is one example of a time when the U.S. intervened to
impact what is going on domestically [in another country]. He
said refugees are a biproduct of internally displaced people.
He added, "When people are persecuted within, they leave within
and move without." He said he thinks that is the significance
of the number Representative Saddler quoted.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER said certainly neither he nor anyone else
wishes to see people being displaced from their homes; however,
he questioned what the obligation of the U.S. is to take care of
the rest of the world and whether the U.S. is "the world's
policeman."
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON responded that he thinks there is a
sharing of the duty and many countries do not think the U.S. is
doing its share. He elucidated as follows:
... There was a system in place that ... scrutinized
refugees that might come to this country in a way that
was protective of those of us who live in the country,
and ... we have toughened those standards in a way
that is harmful to the world community, and as a
consequence, we haven't done our share of dealing with
displaced persons crises and ... we've asked for
Europeans, largely, and some countries like Jordan to
bear that ... burden.
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON said HJR 30 states that as a matter of
principle, the Alaska State Legislature is sympathetic and
believes [the U.S.] has the resources, power, and moral courage
to do its share "and be cognizant of the breadth of the
problem."
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER said the U.S. does not necessarily follow
the directives of other countries. He said the U.S. is involved
in the United Nations and gives foreign aid; therefore, he
opined that the country is doing "an awful lot for refugees."
He offered his understanding that the sponsor had said that the
U.S. has a refugee policy that is protective of its citizens but
tougher on the world community. He posited that that is an
appropriate function of the government, to consider the benefits
of its current residents over the benefits of potential
residents. He said most everyone wants to come to the U.S., as
it is a place of opportunity; however, he asked if the
obligation of the U.S. is to allow everyone to "join the United
States" who desires to do so.
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON offered his understanding that in 1916
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson "ran against helping Europe with
its war problem" and then "entered us into war within two
years"; therefore, "you can see how those things can change
quickly." He said he thinks President [Franklin D.] Roosevelt
would have like to get the country into war faster but "the
country wasn't interested." He added, "But then the problem
came to us anyway." He said he thinks that is why he likes HJR
30, because it is hard to not participate in the problems that
are "headed your way." He said he does not think the proposed
joint resolution would call for the U.S. to "house and care for
a certain number of refugees" but simply that the U.S. recognize
the crisis is there, be sympathetic to it, and play a role in
helping find a solution. He said resolutions tend to be
aspirational rather than spelling out "we will do X, Y, and Z."
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER reiterated that the US government
contributes heavily in the United Nations, whose mission is
"just this kind of international and intranational global
refugee enumeration."
8:53:40 AM
GABBY WEISS testified in support of HJR 30. She read her
written statement, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
Good morning, my name is Gabby Weiss and I am
from Palmer, Alaska. I have come here today to explain
the importance of House Joint Resolution No. 30 and to
urge all the committee members to help make this
resolution a reality.
First off, a brief recap of the magnitude of the
refugee crisis and refugees in general. According to
the Oxford Dictionary, a refugee is defined as "a
person who has been forced to leave their country in
order to escape war, persecution, or natural
disaster." That is all a refugee is. Just from the
definition, it is known that the term refugee means a
person, someone who is as human as you and me, who is
fleeing their country because it isn't safe. I think
that sometimes we people get caught up on the labels.
Because we are referring to the people who are fleeing
from violence as this new population, the "refugees,"
there is this barrier that is put up that makes us
humans feel like we are somehow very different from
each other.
Another aspect is that makes it very intangible
for us to grasp what refugees are going through
because right now, we are inside, dry and warm, fed
and watered, safe and sound, but there are men, women,
and children, who are fleeing from war, persecution,
or natural disaster...right now. And it isn't like it
is just hundreds of people, or thousand[s] of people,
and it's not even just a million people. No, according
to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
it is 22.5 million people, women, men and children,
fleeing for their safety. That means that if you take
the population of Alaska and multiply it by 30, that
number is still less than all the refugees in the
world. And guess how many of that number of refugees
are children. Is it a 10th, a 5th or a 3rd? No! More
than one half of those 22.5 million people are
children, under the age of 18. They didn't choose to
be born into an unsafe area.
That is a huge number of people facing adversity
and trauma, but don't worry, even though we can't help
everyone, we can still make a difference! If the
United States uses its leadership to start encouraging
other countries to take in refugees, as well as tries
to prevent and help out in the events that create
refugees, imagine how many lives we could lift up.
Also, the United States can benefit from taking
refugees in itself. In fact, the National Bureau of
Economic Research explains, an adult refugee will
generally pay 21,000 dollars more in taxes than they
will receive in benefits in their first 20 years in
the United States.
A common thought preventing Americans from
welcoming refugees is the idea that refugees are the
same thing as terrorists. As of 2015, expert Kathleen
Newland from the Migration Policy Institute says, "The
United States has resettled 784,000 refugees since
September 11, 2001. In those 14 years, exactly three
resettled refugees have been arrested for planning
terrorist activitiesand it is worth noting two were
not planning an attack in the United States and the
plans of the third were barely credible." To add to
this, the US Department of State explains, that on
average, it takes 18 to 24 months to process refugees
into the US. This process includes in depth vetting.
This long and vigorous process is another reason why
terrorists would not choose to act as refugees to get
into the US.
The last reason why we should help is because
these people, these refugees, need our help. The
refugee crisis has created horrible situations for all
refugees. Families become split apart and lives get
put on hold. According to United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, there are 3.5 million
refugee children who should be in school, but aren't.
Also, rates sometimes as high as 86% project post
traumatic stress disorder in refugees according to the
US Department of Veterans Affairs. Lastly, according
to the Mercy Corps Organization, one half of Syria's
population before the war, that is 11 million plus
people, have been killed or forced to abandon their
homes due to the Syrian conflict.
Because we are the lucky ones who get to have
meetings, and eat lunch, and read the newspaper, and
spend time with our friends and families, we need to
take it upon ourselves to care and support the other
humans who aren't as lucky as us. It is our duty
because if we were running away from violence and
persecution and natural disasters, we would want the
people who were safe and healthy to stand up and
support us. It is that simple. To conclude, I am
asking all the committee members to please vote for
House Joint Resolution No. 30. Thank you so much for
your time.
8:58:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER commended Ms. Weiss for her well-written
and ably presented testimony.
8:58:57 AM
CO-CHAIR PARISH concurred. He asked Ms. Weiss, "Why do you
think we have this responsibility?"
MS. WEISS answered that it is a moral responsibility, because
"if we were in that situation, we would want people to stand up
and help us."
9:00:07 AM
NICHOLAS STEEN testified in opposition to HJR 30. He opined
that the State of Alaska has no justification to interject
itself into the international refugee problem, because
international problems are reserved for the federal government.
He stated, "We have elected representatives in Washington, D.C.,
responsible for reflecting our views on these matters." He said
Alaska has a multitude of problems needing attention, including
crime, education, deteriorating roads and infrastructure, and
excessive spending depleting the state's spending account. He
said he has yet to speak to any of his friends that support HJR
30, and he encouraged the committee not to support it.
9:01:49 AM
ROBERT FAWCETT stated that he believes "we should help as much
as we can" but, considering "all of the stuff our government
struggles with," questioned who would be responsible for taking
on refugees, "financially, physically," and regarding housing.
9:03:15 AM
CHARLES DUNCAN opined that "we should take care of ourselves
before we bring in any refugees." He explained that he is not
worried about terrorists but about not being financially or
mentally prepared to take on "as many refugees as we want." He
continued:
Taking care of yourself should be more important than
taking care of other people. I know that doesn't
sound right, but it's true. We should focus on our
debt, our housing, and when we get to the point where
we can help other people, that's when we should.
9:04:37 AM
MELISSA KEMBERLING stated that testimony she has heard seems to
reflect that "it's an either/or solution." She countered that
she thinks the U.S. can take care of itself while working with
other countries "to be a leader," which she said the U.S. has
been viewed as for many years. As a leader, the U.S. could
bring others to the table to co-solve the issue and co-fund [the
efforts]. Ms. Kemberling said she does a lot of community work
in the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) area and problems are solved
through cooperative effort. She said she does not view this
issue as being any different.
9:06:08 AM
CO-CHAIR PARISH closed public testimony on HJR 30.
CO-CHAIR PARISH announced that HJR 30 was held over.
9:06:31 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee meeting was
adjourned at 9:06 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HJR030 ver D 2.6.18.pdf |
HCRA 2/13/2018 8:00:00 AM |
HJR 30 |
| HJR030 Sponsor Statement 2.6.18.pdf |
HCRA 2/13/2018 8:00:00 AM |
HJR 30 |
| HB264 - Opposing Document - NFIB 2.13.18.pdf |
HCRA 2/13/2018 8:00:00 AM |
HB 264 |
| HB264 Supporting Document 2.13.18.pdf |
HCRA 2/13/2018 8:00:00 AM |
HB 264 |
| HB 264 Opposing Documents 2.13.18.pdf |
HCRA 2/13/2018 8:00:00 AM |
HB 264 |
| HJR030 Supporting Document - Gabby Weiss 2.13.18.pdf |
HCRA 2/13/2018 8:00:00 AM |
HJR 30 |