02/17/2025 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HSCR1 | |
| HB79 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 79 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HSCR 1 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE RESOURCES STANDING COMMITTEE
February 17, 2025
1:00 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Robyn Niayuq Burke, Co-Chair
Representative Carolyn Hall
Representative Donna Mears
Representative Zack Fields
Representative George Rauscher
Representative Julie Coulombe
Representative Bill Elam
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Maxine Dibert, Co-Chair
Representative Dan Saddler
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE SPECIAL CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1
Disapproving Executive Order No. 136.
- CONSIDERED
HOUSE BILL NO. 79
"An Act naming the Vic Fischer Shoup Bay State Marine Park."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HSCR 1
SHORT TITLE: DISAPPROVE EO 136
SPONSOR(s): RULES
01/27/25 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/27/25 (H) RES, FIN
02/12/25 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
02/12/25 (H) Failed to Move Out of Committee
02/12/25 (H) MINUTE(RES)
02/17/25 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
BILL: HB 79
SHORT TITLE: NAMING VIC FISCHER SHOUP BAY MARINE PARK
SPONSOR(s): FIELDS
01/31/25 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/31/25 (H) RES
02/07/25 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
02/07/25 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
02/17/25 (H) RES AT 1:00 PM BARNES 124
WITNESS REGISTER
BENNET PIERCE, Staff
Representative Zack Fields
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: On behalf of Representative Fields, prime
sponsor, presented the sectional analysis for HB 79.
JANE ANGVIK, representing self
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke in support of HB 79.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:00:05 PM
CO-CHAIR ROBYN NIAYUQ BURKE called the House Resources Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. Representatives
Coulombe, Fields, Rauscher, Hall, Mears, Elam, and Burke were
present at the call to order.
HSCR 1-DISAPPROVE EO 136
1:00:45 PM
CO-CHAIR BURKE announced that the first order of business would
be HOUSE SPECIAL CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1, Disapproving
Executive Order No. 136. [HSCR 1 was heard on 2/12/25 and
failed to move from committee.]
1:00:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS moved to rescind the committee's action in
failing to move HSCR 1 [labeled 34-LS0464\A] from committee on
2/12/25.
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER objected.
1:01:06 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 1:01 p.m.
1:02:35 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER maintained his objection
1:02:06 PM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Fields, Hall,
Mears, and Burke voted in favor of rescinding the committee's
action in failing to move HSCR 1 from committee on 2/12/25.
Representatives Coulombe, Rauscher, and Elam voted against it.
Therefore, the motion to rescind the House Resources Standing
Committee's action in failing to move HSCR 1 from committee was
adopted by a vote of 4-3
1:03:23 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS moved to report HSCR 1 [labeled 34
LS0464\A] from the House Resources Standing Committee.
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER objected. He responded to Co-Chair
Burke's request that he speak to his objection, explaining, that
"We don't have a full committee."
CO-CHAIR BURKE clarified that the motion was to move HSCR 1 from
the committee.
1:04:00 PM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Fields, Hall,
Mears, and Burke voted in favor of moving HSCR 1 from committee.
Representatives Elam, Rauscher, and Coulombe voted against it.
Therefore, HSCR 1 was reported from the House Resources Standing
Committee by a vote of 4-3.
1:04:32 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 1:04 p.m. to 1:08 p.m.
HB 79-NAMING VIC FISCHER SHOUP BAY MARINE PARK
1:08:07 PM
CO-CHAIR BURKE announced that the next order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 79, "An Act naming the Vic Fischer Shoup Bay
State Marine Park."
1:08:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS, as prime sponsor, paraphrased the sponsor
statement for HB 79 [included in the committee packet], which
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
House Bill 79 recognizes the contributions of Vic
Fischer to Alaska by naming Shoup Bay State Marine
Park in Valdez after him.
In the 1960s, Vic Fischer was recruited from Alaska to
serve as the Assistant Secretary of the Housing and
Home Finance Agency in Washington, D.C, where he
managed Regional Planning for Urban Centers across the
nation. On March 27, 1964, Alaska was struck by the
largest-ever recorded earthquake in North America,
known as the Good Friday Earthquake. Situated in the
epicenter of the earthquake, the town of Valdez was
devastated by an underwater landslide and tsunami that
deemed the townsite uninhabitable.
Upon hearing the news, Vic Fischer immediately secured
a seat on Air Force One from Washington, D.C. to
return to Alaska to survey the damage. Fischer
witnessed overwhelming destruction to infrastructure,
businesses, and schools, and noted that without
significant intervention, the area would not survive
economically. Through his position, Vic Fischer was
instrumental in directing the federal finances of the
reconstruction of Valdez, Kodiak, and Anchorage.
Shoup Bay State Marine Park is located five miles
southeast of the Port of Valdez and is where the
largest tsunami wave of the 1964 earthquake
measuring over 200 feet in height was recorded.
Today, Shoup Bay State Marine Park boasts alder
forests, flower-filled meadows, stunning views of the
Shoup Glacier, and is visited by roughly 100,000
visitors a year, contributing an estimated $5 million
to the local economy.
One of Vic's legacies was sponsoring legislation in
1983 to establish a new system of state marine parks
across Alaska. His legislation designated thirteen
state marine parks, and more have been designated
since. Because of Vic's dedication to the
reconstruction of Valdez and preservation of Alaska's
marine parks, visitors for generations to come can
enjoy Shoup Bay State Marine Park and other wonders of
Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS also presented a PowerPoint titled, "HB
79: Vic Fischer Shoup Bay State Marine Park," which summarized
Mr. Fischer's career serving Alaska as well as his role in
rebuilding Valdez following the 1964 earthquake. The
presentation also highlighted Vic Fischer's role in passing
legislation to establish 13 marine parks in Alaska including the
marine park at Shoup Bay which would be renamed Vic Fischer
Shoup Bay State Marine Park in his honor. A zero fiscal note
was included with HB 79.
1:12:48 PM
BENNET PIERCE, Staff to Representative Fields, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Fields, prime sponsor,
presented the sectional analysis for HB 79 [included in the
committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
Sectional Analysis: HB 79
Section 1: This section modifies AS 41.21.304 to name
the marine park in Shoup Bay, Vic Fischer Shoup Bay
Marine State Park.
1:13:22 PM
CO-CHAIR BURKE opened public testimony on HB 79.
1:13:37 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 1:13 p.m.
1:13:48 PM
JANE ANGVIK, representing self, spoke in support of HB 79. She
briefly described some of the many outdoor adventures she shared
with her husband, Vic Fischer, and how he kayaked all over the
world. She explained that Valdez was special and described how
he and Valdez Mayor Kelsey walked all over the area after the
1964 earthquake in order to locate a new site for the city. She
said he led the fight for marine parks in Alaska and would have
recommended that all members of the Alaska State Legislature
find water and play in the water.
1:16:21 PM
CO-CHAIR BURKE, after ascertaining there was no one else who
wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 79.
[HB 79 was held over.]
1:16:27 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Resources Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 1:16 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 79 - AK State Parks History (13, 80-87).pdf |
HRES 2/17/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 79 |
| HB 79 - Sen. Vic Fischer CSB CSSB 128 (13th Legislature, 1983).pdf |
HRES 2/17/2025 1:00:00 PM |
|
| HB 79 - Bill Hearing 2.17 Presentation.pdf |
HRES 2/17/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 79 |
| HB 79 Sectional Analysis version A .pdf |
HRES 2/17/2025 1:00:00 PM SCRA 5/6/2025 1:30:00 PM |
HB 79 |
| HB 79 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HRES 2/17/2025 1:00:00 PM SCRA 5/6/2025 1:30:00 PM |
HB 79 |
| HB 79 - To Russia with Love VF Autobiography (199-210) compression.pdf |
HRES 2/17/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 79 |
| HB 79 written testimony received through 2.18.25_Redacted.pdf |
HRES 2/17/2025 1:00:00 PM |
HB 79 |