01/24/2012 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB247 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 247 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
January 24, 2012
1:02 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Dan Saddler, Co-Chair
Representative Steve Thompson, Co-Chair
Representative Alan Austerman
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Bob Miller
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Carl Gatto, Vice Chair
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 247
"An Act establishing July 30 each year as Alaska National Guard
Day."
- MOVED HB 247 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 247
SHORT TITLE: ALASKA NATIONAL GUARD DAY
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) LYNN, THOMPSON, SADDLER
01/17/12 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/6/12
01/17/12 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/17/12 (H) MLV, STA
01/24/12 (H) MLV AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 120
WITNESS REGISTER
CRAIG CAMPBELL, President & Chief Operating Officer
Alaska Aerospace Corporation
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Speaking for the Alaska Aerospace
Corporation and as a former Adjutant General of the Alaska
National Guard, testified in support of HB 247.
MARK LYNCH, City Manager
City of Cordova
Cordova, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 247.
JENNIFER GIBBINS, Editor
The Cordova Times
Cordova, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 247.
TIM JOYCE, Public Information Officer
City of Cordova
Cordova, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 247 and
answered a question.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:02:54 PM
CO-CHAIR DAN SADDLER called the House Special Committee on
Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting to order at 1:02 p.m.
Representatives Saddler, Thompson, Miller, Lynn, and Austerman
were present at the call to order. Representative Cissna
arrived as the meeting was in progress.
HB 247-ALASKA NATIONAL GUARD DAY
1:03:07 PM
CO-CHAIR SADDLER announced that the only order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 247, "An Act establishing July 30 each year as
Alaska National Guard Day."
1:03:57 PM
CO-CHAIR THOMPSON moved to adopt HB 247 as the working document.
[There being no objection, HB 247 was before the committee.]
1:04:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN referred committee members to the sponsor
statement and material in the committee packet, and added that
the Alaska National Guard has served citizens and protected
their interests from the snowdrifts of Cordova to the
battlefields of Iraq. He opined the legislature should honor
the Guard with a special day of recognition. Recently, the
Guard sent more than 50 members, supplies, and equipment and
"answered the call" from Cordova which was buried under record
snowfall. This is a typical response from the Guard; in fact,
the 4,000 members of the Alaska National Guard are trained to
react quickly and efficiently in an emergency and in disaster
relief missions, nationally if necessary. Representative Lynn
read from several newspaper headlines to illustrate the variety
of services provided by the Guard. He advised that the Alaska
National Guard has a presence in more than 75 communities
throughout Alaska and promotes positive examples and activities,
such as the Alaska National Guard Counterdrug Program. In
addition, since 2003, approximately 1,500 Guard members have
deployed overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and
Operation Enduring Freedom - Afghanistan. This bill recognizes
the value and dedication of the Guard and its role in the
economy, security, and overall well-being of our state and
country. Representative Lynn encouraged the legislature to
honor the Guard each year on July 30, which is the anniversary
of its authorization by Congress in 1948.
1:07:17 PM
REPRESENTATIVE AUSTERMAN said he was an ex-Guard member and that
the bill is "way past due." He was a member of the Guard for
seven years in the 1960s and he recalled the Guard's response
after the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake and tidal wave.
1:08:51 PM
CO-CHAIR SADDLER, as a co-sponsor of the bill, expressed his
support. The Guard also provides civil defense work, Operation
Deep Dig in Cordova, deploys overseas and does some fun things
too, for example, Operation Santa Claus. Although this
legislation is "somewhat symbolic" it will raise the profile,
awareness, and morale of the Guard and its work.
1:10:05 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MILLER agreed this was a good way to focus on the
achievements of the Guard and expressed his support.
CO-CHAIR THOMPSON pointed out that those employers of Guard
members make the members' service possible and give them the
time to train or deploy when needed.
1:11:11 PM
CRAIG CAMPBELL, President & Chief Operating Officer, Alaska
Aerospace Corporation, Department of Military & Veterans'
Affairs, informed the committee he is a former Adjutant General
of the Alaska National Guard and thanked the sponsors of the
bill. He stated that the National Guard is the oldest component
of the armed services in the U.S. This legislation acknowledges
the unique characteristic of the Guard as a federal and state
organization that is primarily established under the control of
a state governor until mobilized. The Guard traces its history
to 1636 when the first militia was formed by the Massachusetts
Bay Colony. The militia - now the National Guard - is the only
military with a dual role as its mandate includes the training
and appointing of officers by the states, except when mobilized
by the President for federal service. In 1947, Congress
transformed the militia into the National Guard, and it was
activated as a force in 1948. Today each state, territory, and
the District of Columbia have a National Guard organization
divided into army and air units, with total personnel exceeding
500,000 volunteers. The Guard was established for the Territory
of Alaska in 1939. Mr. Campbell provided a short history of the
Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG). Following World War II, the Air
National Guard was formed, with the first unit formed in Alaska
in 1952. At the present time there are over 4,000 men and women
serving in the Alaska Army and Air National Guard -
predominately on a part-time basis, as volunteer citizen-
warriors - and Mr. Campbell listed many of their missions,
stressing those of domestic support. He concluded by stating
his strong support of HB 247.
1:18:36 PM
MARK LYNCH, City Manager, City of Cordova, spoke on behalf of
the mayor and vice-mayor of Cordova. Mr. Lynch said that the
National Guard was asked to come to Cordova during the recent
snow emergency. They quickly responded and helped the people of
Cordova out of a "really tough spot." The community was
overwhelmed by significant snowfall in a short period of time,
and houses were in danger of collapse. He expressed his belief
that the action by the Guard saved property and probably lives.
Mr. Lynch urged the committee and the legislature to recognize
the Guard for its service to all of the citizens of the state,
and especially to the citizens of Cordova.
1:20:41 PM
JENNIFER GIBBINS, Editor, The Cordova Times, described the
difficult conditions caused by weeks of snowfall in Cordova.
The difficulties became an emergency in January with the threat
of the collapse of buildings and homes. With the help of the
U.S. Coast Guard and the National Guard, disaster was averted.
She relayed that a Guard member said he was rewarded by knowing
that the Guard had prevented a disaster from happening. House
Bill 247 is important because it recognizes the Guard for its
service and also for the example it sets, and she expressed her
belief Guard members have "an extraordinary ethic of service."
Ms. Gibbins stated her support of the bill.
1:23:27 PM
TIM JOYCE, Public Information Officer, City of Cordova, said he
was a former mayor of Cordova and served as the public
information officer during the snow emergency. Mr. Joyce said,
"I can personally attest that it would have been a disaster of
much higher scale if the National Guard had not mustered out to
help Cordova in our time of need." Cordova is grateful, and it
is appropriate for the state to recognize the National Guard on
the date of its founding. He also agreed with Co-Chair Thompson
that employers of Guard members need to be thanked. Mr. Joyce
advised Cordova is unified in its support of HB 247. In
response to a question from Co-Chair Thompson, Mr. Joyce said no
fishing boats were sunk in the harbor, although some in storage
were damaged, and a seine tender sank.
CO-CHAIR SADDLER, upon determining no one else wished to
testify, closed public testimony.
1:26:33 PM
CO-CHAIR THOMPSON moved to report HB 247 out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.
1:27:28 PM
There being no objection, HB 247 was reported out of the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.
1:28:00 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting was
adjourned at 1:28 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 247 Bill History.PDF |
HMLV 1/24/2012 1:00:00 PM |
HB 247 |
| HB0247A Copy of Bill.PDF |
HMLV 1/24/2012 1:00:00 PM |
HB 247 |
| HB 247 Relevant Statutes.pdf |
HMLV 1/24/2012 1:00:00 PM |
HB 247 |
| HB 247 Nat.Guard article.pdf |
HMLV 1/24/2012 1:00:00 PM |
HB 247 |
| HB 247 Nat. Guard State Press Releases.PDF |
HMLV 1/24/2012 1:00:00 PM |
HB 247 |
| HB 247 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HMLV 1/24/2012 1:00:00 PM |
HB 247 |
| HB 247 MLV fiscal note.pdf |
HMLV 1/24/2012 1:00:00 PM |
HB 247 |
| HB 247 DOA Fiscal Note.pdf |
HMLV 1/24/2012 1:00:00 PM |
HB 247 |
| HB 247 Lt. General Campbell testimony.pdf |
HMLV 1/24/2012 1:00:00 PM |
HB 247 |