Legislature(2025 - 2026)GRUENBERG 120

02/03/2026 10:00 AM House FISHERIES

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Audio Topic
10:00:39 AM Start
10:01:45 AM HJR29
10:10:59 AM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= HJR 29 BAN ON RUSSIAN SEAFOOD TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSHJR 29(FSH) Out of Committee
-- Public Testimony <Time Limit May Be Set> --
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
**Streamed live on AKL.tv**
                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
              HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES                                                                            
                        February 3, 2026                                                                                        
                           10:01 a.m.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Louise Stutes, Chair                                                                                             
Representative Rebecca Himschoot                                                                                                
Representative Chuck Kopp                                                                                                       
Representative Kevin McCabe                                                                                                     
Representative Bill Elam                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Bryce Edgmon, Vice Chair                                                                                         
Representative Sarah Vance                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 29                                                                                                   
Supporting the  extension of the  national emergency  declared in                                                               
Executive   Order  14024;   supporting  the   continued  national                                                               
prohibition  on Russian  seafood  imports  effected by  Executive                                                               
Orders 14024, 14066,  and 14068; and urging the  President of the                                                               
United States,  federal agencies, and the  United States Congress                                                               
to  maintain and  strengthen federal  measures  that ensure  fair                                                               
trade,  protect   the  state's  seafood  industry,   and  promote                                                               
sustainable and ethical seafood production.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     - MOVED CSHJR 29(FSH) OUT OF COMMITTEE                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
BILL: HJR 29                                                                                                                  
SHORT TITLE: BAN ON RUSSIAN SEAFOOD                                                                                             
SPONSOR(s): FISHERIES                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
01/23/26       (H)       READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS                                                                        

01/23/26 (H) FSH

01/27/26 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120

01/27/26 (H) -- Meeting Postponed to 9:00 am 1/29/26 --

01/29/26 (H) FSH AT 9:00 AM GRUENBERG 120

01/29/26 (H) Heard & Held

01/29/26 (H) MINUTE(FSH)

01/29/26 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120

01/29/26 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED -- 02/03/26 (H) FSH AT 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120 WITNESS REGISTER MATT GRUENING, Staff Representative Louis Stutes Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Reintroduced HJR 29, Version N, on behalf of the House Special Committee on Fisheries, sponsor, on which Representative Stutes serves as chair. BRUCE SCHACTLER, representing self Kodiak, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HJR 29. JEREMY WOODROW, Executive Director Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Answered a request during the committee hearing on HJR 29, Version N. ACTION NARRATIVE 10:00:39 AM CHAIR LOUISE STUTES called the House Special Committee on Fisheries meeting to order at 10:01 a.m. Representatives Stutes, Himschoot, Kopp, McCabe, and Elam were present at the call to order. HJR 29-BAN ON RUSSIAN SEAFOOD 10:01:45 AM CHAIR STUTES announced that the first only order of business would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 29, Supporting the extension of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14024; supporting the continued national prohibition on Russian seafood imports effected by Executive Orders 14024, 14066, and 14068; and urging the President of the United States, federal agencies, and the United States Congress to maintain and strengthen federal measures that ensure fair trade, protect the state's seafood industry, and promote sustainable and ethical seafood production. [before the committee, adopted as a working document on 1/29/26, was the proposed committee substitute (CS) for HJR 29, Version 34/LS1314\N, Bullard, 1/28/26.] 10:02:33 AM MATT GRUENING, Staff, Representative Louis Stutes, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of the sponsor, House Special Committee on Fisheries, on which Representative Stutes serves as chair. He explained that the proposed resolution would call on President Donald Trump to extend Executive Orders (EOs) 14024, 14068, and 14114 that currently prohibit the import of Russian origin seafood into the U.S. He reminded the committee that these orders were set to expire in April 2026. The resolution would further call on the President and other agencies to enhance federal enforcement of the EOs. He said that the U.S. is finally in a position where Russian origin seafood is not in domestic markets. This has had a positive impact on fishing activities in Alaska. 10:03:57 AM CHAIR STUTES opened public testimony on HJR 29. 10:04:23 AM BRUCE SCHACTLER, representing self, testified in support of HJR 29. He said that the last 50 years he has been a commercial fisherman in Kodiak. He thinks that this resolution might seem like a redundant thing, but it was pretty important. He said that as "iffy" as everything is regarding what might happen, it was important to let the administration know how important this proposal is to Alaska. That way when negotiations go into place for trade sanctions, the federal administration would know that a ban is supported. He said that perhaps based on Alaska's concerns maybe considerations could be made in future trade agreements. 10:06:15 AM CHAIR STUTES, after ascertaining that no one else wished to testify, closed public testimony on HJR 29. 10:06:30 AM CHAIR STUTES moved to adopt Amendment 1 to HJR 29, Version N, labeled 34-LS1314\N.1, Bullard, 2/2/26, which read as follows: Page 3, line 22, following "Commerce;": Insert "the Honorable Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative;" REPRESENTATIVE KOPP objected for the purpose of discussion. CHAIR STUTES explained that Amendment 1 came at the request of the industry and it would include the Honorable Jamieson Greer, the United States trade representative, to be included on the resolution. She said that Mr. Greer works on trade issues and was familiar with the issue. 10:06:57 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE remarked that he did some research on the proposed amendment. He said that previously he went into the former U.S. trade representative's website and he found that there was no mention of Alaska seafood on the website. He said that recently he did the same thing and there still was no mention of the Alaska Seafood on the website. He said that interestingly enough when scrolling through Alaska's pages, information related to Alabama comes up. He said that he wrote a letter to Mr. Greer to make this correction. He also urged the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) to write a similar letter to explain why Alaska seafood is not listed on the U.S. trade representative's website. He said this was disappointing. He said that ASMI needs to step up to ensure this. 10:09:05 AM JEREMY WOODROW, Executive Director, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, said that he fully understood Representative McCabe's sentiment. He noted that ASMI would draft a letter right away. 10:09:29 AM REPRESENTATIVE KOPP withdrew objection to Amendment 1. There being no further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted. 10:09:56 AM REPRESENTATIVE KOPP moved to report CSHJR 29, Version 34- LS1314\N, Bullard, 1/28/26, out of committee with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHJR 29(FSH) was moved from the House Special Committee on Fisheries. 10:10:59 AM ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the committee, the House Special Committee on Fisheries meeting was adjourned at 10:10 A.M.

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
HJR 29 Sponsor Statement 1.28.26 #1.pdf HFSH 2/3/2026 10:00:00 AM
HJR 29 ver N 1.28.26 #3.pdf HFSH 2/3/2026 10:00:00 AM
HJR 29 ver A 1.28.26 #2.pdf HFSH 2/3/2026 10:00:00 AM
HJR 29 Redline Comparison ver A to N #5.pdf HFSH 2/3/2026 10:00:00 AM
HJR 29
HJR29 Executive Orders 1.28.26 #6.pdf HFSH 2/3/2026 10:00:00 AM
HJR 29
HJR29 2026 Fiscal Note.pdf HFSH 2/3/2026 10:00:00 AM
HJR 29
HJR 29 Amendment #1.pdf HFSH 2/3/2026 10:00:00 AM
HJR 29