02/19/2015 11:15 AM Senate SPECIAL CMTE ON THE ARCTIC
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB1 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 1 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE ARCTIC
February 19, 2015
11:16 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Cathy Giessel, Co-Chair
Senator Lesil McGuire, Co-Chair
Senator Lyman Hoffman
Senator Gary Stevens
Senator Donald Olson
Senator Click Bishop
Senator John Coghill
Senator Berta Gardner
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 1(EDA) AM
"An Act declaring the Arctic policy of the state."
HEARD AND HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 1
SHORT TITLE: STATE ARCTIC POLICY
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) HERRON
01/21/15 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/9/15
01/21/15 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/21/15 (H) EDA, STA
01/27/15 (H) EDA AT 10:15 AM BARNES 124
01/27/15 (H) Heard & Held
01/27/15 (H) MINUTE(EDA)
02/05/15 (H) EDA AT 11:30 AM BARNES 124
02/05/15 (H) Moved CSHB 1(EDA) Out of Committee
02/05/15 (H) MINUTE(EDA)
02/06/15 (H) EDA RPT CS(EDA) 1DP 5NR
02/06/15 (H) DP: HERRON
02/06/15 (H) NR: JOHNSON, TILTON, WOOL, ORTIZ,
STUTES
02/10/15 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/10/15 (H) Moved CSHB 1(EDA) Out of Committee
02/10/15 (H) MINUTE(STA)
02/11/15 (H) STA RPT CS(EDA) 3DP 1NR 2AM
02/11/15 (H) DP: TALERICO, STUTES, LYNN
02/11/15 (H) NR: KELLER
02/11/15 (H) AM: KREISS-TOMKINS, GRUENBERG
02/13/15 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
02/13/15 (H) VERSION: CSHB 1(EDA) AM
02/18/15 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/18/15 (S) ARC,STA
02/19/15 (S) ARC AT 11:15 AM BUTROVICH 205
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HB 1.
ACTION NARRATIVE
11:16:31 AM
CO-CHAIR LESIL MCGUIRE called the Senate Special Committee on
the Arctic meeting to order at 11:16 a.m. Present at the call
to order were Senators Hoffman, Stevens, Coghill, Co-Chair
Giessel, and Co-Chair McGuire. Senators Olson and Bishop arrived
shortly thereafter.
Video: "The Arctic"
11:17:22 AM
CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE said the committee meeting would begin by
watching a video entitled "The Arctic", produced by the
Institute of the North, in conjunction with others. The movie
portrays the beauty and lifestyle of the people in Nome,
Kotzebue, and Barrow. It depicts the need to consider the voices
of the people in the Arctic in all resource development
decisions.
11:26:26 AM
CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE noted the film is available to all who would
like it. She noted recent decisions by the federal government
that do not include Alaskans. She shared the theme of the video,
"We're meeting you; are you meeting us half way?" She stressed
that the federal government must listen to the people of Alaska.
She mentioned a resolution on the Senate floor where there was
testimony in Barrow that the Native people living there would
like to see the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) drained
because elders know there has been forty years of success in
maintaining the Porcupine Caribou herd as well as success in
growing jobs. She concluded that the people in the video are
saying, "Please listen." She thanked the Institute of the North
for assisting the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission (AAPC) in this
endeavor.
HB 1-STATE ARCTIC POLICY
CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE stated that the committee would take up HB 1,
an Act declaring the Arctic policy for the state. [CSHB 1(EDA)AM
was before the committee.] She related that HB 1 and its
companion bill SB 16 are the products of the Alaska Arctic
Policy Commission's work over the last two years. She said she
and Representative Bob Herron served as co-chairs of AAPC. She
noted that Senators Olson, Stevens, and Giessel also served on
the commission and worked on the bill.
CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE noted the presence of Senator Olson and Senator
Stevens.
CO-CHAIR GIESSEL moved to adopt the proposed SCS for CSHB 1,
version 29-LS0013\S, as the working document. There being no
objection, version S was before the committee.
11:30:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BOB HERRON, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of
HB 1, explained that the bill is AAPC's statutory responsibility
to deliver a bill that all 26 members worked on. The report has
three products, the Final Report, the Implementation Plan, and
Executive Summary. He said HB 1 puts people first and will
benefit the entire state. It strengthens Alaska's position in
the Arctic with the federal government and other Arctic nations,
and will lead to economic benefit in the Arctic region.
He said there are eight findings in Section 1 of the bill. The
one that is the most important is that Alaskans are Arctic
experts. He related in Section 2, the bill declares the Arctic
policy will uphold the state's commitment to economically
vibrant communities sustained by development activities
consistent with the state's responsibility for a health
environment, collaborate with all appropriate entities to
achieve transparency and inclusiveness in Arctic decision
making, enhance Alaska security, and strengthen the resilience
of communities and integrate local knowledge. The Arctic policy
of the state includes promoting economic development, addressing
the infrastructure gap in the Arctic, supporting healthy
communities, and strengthening Alaskan Arctic science and
research.
11:32:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON stated support for version S. He clarified
that on page 4, line 22, the words "resource management decision
making" were deleted. He said he thought the commission's target
was the federal government. He said he explained to Secretary
Jewell that the state is the local jurisdiction and should be
included. In spite of concern for that part of the sentence, he
said he supports the SCS.
11:34:03 AM
SENATOR OLSON pointed out that there also has been a deletion
related to the ratification of the Law of the Sea. He requested
Representative Herron's comments.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON said there was not unanimous support by
the commission to include that provision, however, there was a
healthy dialogue. In the end, it is an issue before the Senate.
He concluded that it is out of place in this document which
relates to Arctic policy. He agreed that the Law of the Sea is
important to many in the state, but Alaska needs to address its
relationship with the federal government.
SENATOR HOFFMAN referred to Representative Herron's comments on
resource management decisions and said the federal government is
going to contact and involve people of the Arctic, particularly
those in the Northwest Arctic Borough and in the North Slope. He
suggested there should be a dialogue whether that wording should
be included or not in the document. By excluding it, it seems
that the federal government, on those issues, are going to
contact the people of the Arctic. He emphasized that the federal
government should also consult the state of Alaska.
11:36:20 AM
SENATOR COGHILL agreed. He said line 23 (b) is important. It is
not a subset, but a main point. "Enhances security of the Arctic
Region" would be a subset of that main point. He opined it is
emphatically stated. He said he could go either way on it.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON pointed out that there has been vigorous
debate in previous hearings. He recalled the model legislation
which became HB 1 and SB 16 was not about coastal zone
management. He noted the deletion is not a deal breaker. He
emphasized that Artic policy is about the state dealing with the
federal government and other international countries, not
internal issues.
11:38:51 AM
SENATOR OLSON spoke as the senator most impacted by federal
decisions. He concurred with Senator Hoffman's comments.
SENATOR COGHILL referred to the intent language on page 1 of the
bill. It includes the entirety of the state and residents of the
state. He suggested it should be in the codifying section of the
bill.
SENATOR GIESSEL asked for clarification.
CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE explained that the committee is working off of
the S draft and comparing it to I.A version of the bill [that
passed the House.] The language being discussed is found in
version S on page 4, lines 21 and 22 (E). In version I.A it is
found on page 4, lines 23-25. The comparison is between the old
language "to encourage more effective integration of local and
traditional knowledge into conventional science, research, and
resource management decision making," and the new draft, which
deletes "resource management decision making." She summarized
that Senator Hoffman requested the old version remain.
SENATOR COGHILL said he missed the point and was thinking about
including the state. However, the sponsor is saying it refers to
strengthening the debate within the state.
SENATOR HOFFMAN asked how to include the idea, but not in this
section, in order to make the point at the federal level that
the state needs to be consulted on resource management issues.
He stressed the importance of the state being at the table. He
added that it was the message at the meeting in Kotzebue.
11:42:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON pointed out that many repeated this
message to Secretary Jewell in private and in public
discussions. The national strategy for the Arctic Region and the
latest presidential executive order emphatically state that they
will consult and have dialogue with the state of Alaska and
Alaskan indigenous people. He added that Alaska has internal
debate about resource management decision making, but this
wording is a clear message that the feds "will do what they said
they would do." He agreed that it is not elsewhere in the
uncodified section.
SENATOR HOFFMAN maintained that it needs to be included
somewhere. He stated that the federal government is going to
consult the indigenous people on many different levels. We, as a
state, want to also be at the table along with everyone else
regarding resource development. Excluding the wording gives more
power to the indigenous people when dealing with the federal
government.
SENATOR GIESSEL said she did not see that element being
excluded. She opined that lines 8 - 22 on page 4 all focus on
the notion to value and strengthen the resilience of communities
and respect and integrate the culture, language, and knowledge
of Arctic peoples. They all emphasis a seat at the table,
especially (C) - employ integrated, strategic planning that
considers scientific, local, and traditional knowledge. She said
to call it out in terms of management decision making, raises
concerns of the interpretation. She suggested leaving it
broader.
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON referred to page 3, lines 13 - 15, the
"need to collaborate with all levels of government, tribes,
industry, and nongovernmental organizations to achieve
transparent and inclusive Arctic decision making." In the
codified section, all subjects are included. He said the
commission learned a new phrase in Kotzebue; a new definition of
"non-government organizations" is called ENGO's, with the E
standing for "environment." He said ENGO's are not included in
this section.
11:47:19 AM
SENATOR OLSON pointed out if you don't consult the local people,
you don't get all the opinions. The legislators and the Alaska
Federation of Natives were of one mindset; however, the people
south of the Brooks Range were not in agreement.
11:48:09 AM
CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE called Senator Bishop's forthcoming amendment -
Amendment I.
SENATOR BISHOP moved to adopt conceptual Amendment I, to add a
new (G) under Section 2: "Encourage the connection between the
state public and private education systems with business,
government, and labor to ensure that state residents are
receiving workforce readiness skills throughout the education
process."
SENATOR COGHILL objected.
SENATOR BISHOP explained that Amendment I fits into the spirit
of the entire bill. He said at the beginning of the meeting, the
committee heard numerous indigenous people talk about the value
of education and the ability to make a living in the Arctic. He
read the amendment: "Encourage the connection between the state
public and private education systems with business, government,
and labor to ensure that state residents are receiving workforce
readiness skills throughout the education process."
He said the state is already doing that but he felt that it was
imperative that it is stated in the bill to meet the spirit of
the intent of the people living in the Arctic.
11:49:55 AM
CO-CHAIR GIESSEL countered that the state has no jurisdiction
over private education systems. The amendment calls out three
entities - business, government, and labor, as though labor were
a specific entity when 87 percent of the state is not a member
of a labor union. She said she is not sure what government's
role in the workforce is. She argued that there are multiple
workforce plans in place. She suggested reworking the amendment
to call out a continued effort on workforce readiness and the
connection between education and business.
SENATOR BISHOP clarified that labor does not imply organized
labor. Training plans through the Department of Labor encompass
all types of education systems to deliver the workforce; public
and private. This is not reinventing the wheel; the delivery
mechanisms are in the state. He said his intention is to embed
them in the Arctic policy to ensure that all Alaskans have the
skills necessary to work in the Arctic.
11:52:32 AM
At ease
11:53:26 AM
CO-CHAIR MCGUIRE brought the meeting back to order. She said the
committee would work on an amendment on workforce development in
the Arctic. She recessed the meeting to a call of the chair.
[The committee did not reconvene until the next scheduled
meeting on 2/26/15.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB1 - Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SARC 2/19/2015 11:15:00 AM |
HB 1 |
| HB 1 Summary of Changes.pdf |
SARC 2/19/2015 11:15:00 AM |
HB 1 |
| HB1 (EDA) am Legislation.PDF |
SARC 2/19/2015 11:15:00 AM |
HB 1 |
| HB1 Fiscal Note DEC-Spar.PDF |
SARC 2/19/2015 11:15:00 AM |
HB 1 |
| HB1 Fiscal Note DEC-Water.PDF |
SARC 2/19/2015 11:15:00 AM |
HB 1 |
| HB1 Fiscal Note DHS.PDF |
SARC 2/19/2015 11:15:00 AM |
HB 1 |
| HB1 Fiscal Note LEG.PDF |
SARC 2/19/2015 11:15:00 AM |
HB 1 |
| HB1 - Sectional Analysis.pdf |
SARC 2/19/2015 11:15:00 AM |
HB 1 |
| Senate CS for CS for HB1 Version S.pdf |
SARC 2/19/2015 11:15:00 AM |
HB 1 |