SENATE BILL NO. 109 "An Act extending the termination date of the Citizens' Advisory Commission on Federal Management Areas in Alaska; and providing for an effective date." 9:13:00 AM Vice-Chair Fairclough returned the gavel to Co-Chair Meyer. 9:13:39 AM CHAD HUTCHISON, STAFF, SENATOR JOHN COGHILL, explained that SB 109 would extend the sunset date of the Citizen's Advisory Commission of Federal Areas (CACFA). The extension would be from June 30, 2014 to June 30, 2021. He provided some background on the commission. He said that the commission was currently particularly important because of the federal executive branch's behavior as it related to natural resource development and land access issues in the state. He shared that the commission held hearings related to land management and access, and natural resource development. He related that the commission held 2 summits in 2013 that were attended by several Alaskan politicians concerned with federal overreach. He expounded on the many ways the commission fought against federal overreach. He shared that CACFA was creating and electronic database that would analyze and review the Memorandums of Agreement (MOA's) and Memorandums of Understanding (MOU's) between state departments and federal agencies with the intend of establishing a database that regular citizens could use to understand potential legal repercussions when trying to move forward with development on federal land. He spoke to the benefits of the commission and of the database and of the development projects championed by CACFA. 9:21:36 AM SENATOR JOHN COGHILL, believed that the commission should be extended. He warned that Alaska shared a lot of land with the federal government and the state not having legislation that established legitimate citizen input into management and access issues would be a failure. He asserted that the federal government had a different perspective on land usage than the people of Alaska; the federal government wanted to go from conservation to preservation and the state wanted to go from production to conservation. He believed that the commission was a good forum for conversations between the state and the federal government. 9:23:39 AM Vice-Chair Fairclough wondered if the commission had ever been audited. Mr. Hutchison deferred to Mr. Leaphart. Co-Chair Meyer stressed that many boards and commissions in Alaska were subject to audit, but that the CACFA board was not subject to audit. Senator Olson queried the significant actions of the commission over the years. 9:25:03 AM Mr. Hutchison remarked that the most significant impact of the commission related to the allowance of the public to comment on land management plans. He added that the recommendations provided by the commission had been effective in changing policy as it pertained to natural resource development issues. He said that without CACFA there were no assurances that the federal government would honor its MOA's and MOU's. 9:26:55 AM Senator Olson asked if the list of members on Page 3 of the annual report was up-to-date. Mr. Hutchison responded in the affirmative. Senator Olson wondered where Chokosna was located within the state. Mr. Hutchison deferred the question to Mr. Leaphart. 9:28:02 AM STAN LEAPHART, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMISSION ON FEDERAL AREAS IN ALASKA (via teleconference), stated that Chokosna was located within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. 9:29:28 AM Co-Chair Meyer noted that at the initial establishment of the commission the budget was $246 million and was now up to $285 million. Mr. Leaphart explained that he was a full-time employee of the commission and that the other position in the budget was funded for 9.2 months of the year. He assumed that the budget increase had been for additional travel costs and standard inflation. Co-Chair Meyer queried the job descriptions of the commission's staff. Mr. Hutchison responded that the 2 staff members created recommendations, organized summits, organized committees, exchange policy ideas with commissioners around the state, and analyze the regulations and compendiums coming from the federal government. 9:32:28 AM Vice-Chair Fairclough wondered if the commission had a set of bylaws. Mr. Leaphart responded yes. He added that they were updated in 2007 and could be provided to the committee. 9:33:06 AM Vice-Chair Fairclough asked if the bylaws were available online. Mr. Leaphart responded that he did not know. He agreed to update the website. He agreed to send a copy of the bylaws to Vice-chair Fairclough. Senator Hoffman wondered if the commission members had term limits, and whether there were guidelines for membership appointment. Mr. Leaphart responded that the regional appointments were staggered. He remarked that the statutory guidelines specified that the federal land users must be geographically represented. He explained that there were various members from different areas across the state. 9:35:31 AM Co-Chair Meyer queried the commission's relationship with the Department of Law (LAW) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Mr. Leaphart replied that the commission worked closely with the DNR Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) coordination program. 9:37:55 AM Co-Chair Meyer asked whether the commission would be amenable to an audit. Mr. Hutchison responded that he could offer no compelling reason that an audit should not be done. 9:39:26 AM JEAN DAVIS, DIRECTOR, SUPPORT SERVICES DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, stated that the commission could be audited. Co-Chair Meyer queried Ms. Davis's interaction with the commission. Ms. Davis replied that her primary role was in budget creation. She said that she did not work directly with the commission's program function. Senator Bishop asked whether any of the members on the commission represented any non-profits or native corporations. Mr. Leaphart responded that Mr. Frank Woods was a commercial fisherman from Dillingham who worked for the Bristol Bay Native Association. 9:41:44 AM Senator Hoffman remarked that over 95 percent of private lands in the state were owned by the native corporations. He wondered how much of the focus of the commission was related to oversight of private lands as in relation to overreach by the federal government. Mr. Leaphart replied that the commission placed significant focus on the matter. 9:44:07 AM Co-Chair Meyer CLOSED public testimony. SB 109 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further consideration.