HJR 43-FED. FUNDING: DOMESTIC SEAFOOD MARKETING    10:25:30 AM CHAIR EDGMON announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 43, Urging the federal government to provide funding for domestic seafood marketing and promotional activities. 10:26:13 AM TIM CLARK, Staff, Representative Bryce Edgmon, Alaska State Legislature, presented HJR 43, a resolve to promote Alaska harvested seafood, paraphrasing from the sponsor statement, which read [original punctuation provided]: HJR 43 communicates to the Obama Administration, the Alaska Congressional Delegation, and Congress the Legislature's support for using a portion of federal revenues generated from duties on imported seafood and fish products for marketing American seafood-including that harvested in Alaska. Since the 1990s, well over fifty percent of the fish consumed annually by American families is the product of foreign countries. And every year the governments of many of these countries bankroll multi-million- dollar campaigns to market their seafood to Americans. While the Alaska seafood industry as well as the state of Alaska contribute millions in funding for marketing purposes, the amounts are not adequate to finance the vigorous, consistent, and innovative promotion that our products require in the face of foreign competition. Meanwhile, each year hundreds of millions of dollars are derived from duties on these imported fish and fish products that so aggressively compete with American seafood. Yet only an insignificant fraction of this revenue has ever been employed to promote domestically produced seafood. HJR 43 endorses putting a portion of these revenues to work in developing and maintaining the robust domestic markets that healthy, sustainable Alaskan seafood deserves. The resolution urges Congress to pass legislation dedicating such funding for the effective domestic marketing of American seafood. And it asks the Alaska Delegation in Congress to work together with representatives from other seafood producing states to accomplish these goals 10:29:31 AM JULIE DECKER, Representative, United Fisherman of Alaska (UFA), National Seafood Marketing Coalition, stated support for HJR 43, and said that United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA), and the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), have identified a spectrum of areas that the derived duties could be directed towards: marketing of seafood products; funding for regions to improve product value; economic growth and job creation. UFA has begun the process of building a coalition to present the need for these funds to Congress. 10:32:14 AM BRUCE WALLACE, Representative, United Fishermen of Alaska (UFA), National Seafood Marketing Coalition, Board Member, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), stated support for HJR 43, and said the aggregation of marine states will produce a decision on how to take the steps to create the relationship that is called for. He stressed the important position that Alaska holds, as a standard for state government working hand- in-hand with the fishing industry. 10:34:01 AM REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ asked if there are other boards similar to ASMI, elsewhere in the nation. MR. WALLACE answered no, and reported that six states are building legislation, and ASMI is the model being cited. 10:34:55 AM CHAIR EDGMON asked for an elaboration on regional organizations, and what type of funding could be expected. MS. DECKER responded that the concept being put forward is to create nine regional boards across the nation. Funding is targeted at $100 million, with half coming from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) duties on imported fish, and fish products, and the remainder from anti-dumping countervailing duties. To a follow up question, she said the idea has been well received in the lower states and it was seen as a bright star on the horizon for many of the organizations involved. MR. WALLACE interjected that the expectation is to bring federal money into regions and allow spending discretion at that level. General spending rules will not be applied across the board, but the structure used will be standardized. 10:38:05 AM CHAIR EDGMON opened public testimony, and hearing none, closed public testimony. 10:39:09 AM REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ moved to report HJR 43, 26-LS1432\R, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, HJR 43 was reported from the House Special Committee on Fisheries. The committee took an at-ease from 10:39 a.m. to 10.42 a.m.