SB 78-ESTABLISH MAY 31 AS KATIE JOHN DAY  1:37:08 PM CHAIR SHOWER announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 78, "An Act establishing May 31 of each year as Katie John Day." 1:37:28 PM DARWIN PETERSON, Staff, Senator Click Bishop, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, introduced SB 78 reading the following: • Senate Bill 78 proposes to amend Alaska Statutes - Title 44, Chapter 12, by adding a new section st designating May 31 as Katie John Day in honor of her legacy. • Katie John was a highly respected Athabascan elder from Mentasta Lake. She passed away on May 31, 2013. She was 97 years old. • Katie John grew up on the banks of the Copper River near the present day community of Slana and the seasonal fishing village of Batzulnetas. Her parents were Ahtna Chief Charley Sanford and Sarah Sanford. • Katie John was raised off the land like her ancestors. o She was a consummate teacher of her ancestral traditions, culture and history. o She was a member of the Ahtna Regional Native Corporation. o She was very passionate about preserving the Athabascan culture. o She was also very involved in the preservation and teaching of her Athabascan language and helped create the first alphabet for the Ahtna dialect. • Katie John became well known throughout Alaska starting in 1985 when she and another Athabascan elder, Doris Charles, filed suit against the State of Alaska in federal Court to resolve a longstanding quarrel over customary and traditional fishing rights. • The dispute arose in 1964 after the State Board of Fish banned subsistence fishing at Batzulnetas which is located on the Copper River at the confluence of Tanada Creek. This village site had been used for hundreds of years by the Ahtna people to harvest sockeye salmon. • The case against the State went through many iterations and ultimately, another lawsuit (Katie John vs. United States of America) was filed in 1990 on behalf of Katie John, Doris Charles and the Mentasta Village Council. • The Katie John Case as it became widely known was brought forward in the hopes of broadening the definition of "public lands" in Section 102 of ANILCA to include navigable waters. ANILCA is the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Carter in 1980. The Katie John Case also sought the creation of a federal subsistence fishery in the Batzulnetas area which was included in the Wrangell- St. Elias National Park through the passage of ANILCA. • This case also went through many iterations and appeals but ultimately it was resolved on July 3, 2013, when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision that during times of shortage, the federal government may provide a rural subsistence fishing priority on navigable waters in Alaska. st • Finally, on March 31, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately decided to reject a petition filed by the State of Alaska to overturn Katie John, bringing to a close almost three decades of litigation. • Sadly, Katie John didn't live long enough to witness the final resolution of her peaceful struggle to preserve the traditional way of life for her people. With the passage of SB 78, we can do our part to honor her memory and to recognize the accomplishments of her life's work. • Katie John and her husband, Chief Fred John (who passed away in 2000), raised 14 children and 6 foster children. Together, they leave behind approximately 250 grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great- great-grandchildren. • In your packets, we have letters and resolutions of support from the Mentasta Traditional Council and the Alaska Federation of Natives. 1:41:46 PM SENATOR KAWASAKI asked why the bill honors Katie John on the day of her passing rather than the day of her birth. MR. PETERSON answered that the Alaska Federation of Natives passed a resolution requesting that date. It not only honors her passing but also recognizes the final resolution of her life- long battle. SENATOR COGHILL noted that he signed on as a co-sponsor in recognition of Katie John's tenacity. Her name is famous and worthy of honor, regardless of where you stand on the issue, he said. 1:43:53 PM CHAIR SHOWER opened public testimony on SB 78. 1:44:15 PM KATHERINE MARTIN, Senior Vice President, Ahtna, Inc., Glennallen, stated that as one of Katy John's granddaughters she wants to recognize Grandma Katie and honor what she has done for all Native people of Alaska for subsistence. She related that another reason that May 31 was chosen as the date to honor Katie John is that it is the first day that fishwheels can be placed in the river in the Ahtna region. 1:45:26 PM MICHELLE ANDERSON, President, Ahtna, Inc., Glennallen, stated that it might not be a coincidence that the corporation is in Mentasta Village on the day of this hearing. She said she feels that Grandma Katie is part of this. She reported that Ahtna, Inc. and a number of other Native corporations have been trying to get May 31 designated as Katie John Day since a year after she passed. She thanked Representative Neil Foster and Senator Click Bishop for their support and for realizing the importance of recognizing Alaska Native leaders. She continued to say: We have a huge history in Alaska and it's pretty rare to find any day where our people are recognized. Katie John is a Civil Rights leader in my mind, not just to Alaska Natives but to all Alaskans. She stood her ground. She stood for fighting for traditional fishing rights and she is known by her name. Very few Alaskans have that prestige and honor. Not just for those of us who are alive today, I want people for generations down the road to know who she was, how important she was to all of us and that she deserves her day of recognition. 1:47:20 PM NICHOLAS OSTROVSKY, Managing Counsel, Ahtna, Inc., Glennallen, stated that Katie John spearheaded the most significant legislation about subsistence and cultural rights in the history of Alaska. Her tenacity and willingness to stand up for her people helped to protect the customary and traditional way of life for all Alaska Natives. It is fitting to mark a specific day to honor that she effectively changed how subsistence hunting and fishing is defined in Alaska today. 1:48:14 PM EILEEN EWAN, President, Gulkana Village Council, Gulkana Village, stated that on behalf of GVC she supports May 31 as Katie John Day to recognize her fight for traditional rights for the people of Alaska. It is also a way to pay respect to a forceful leader "who stood her ground till the end of her days." 1:49:04 PM SENATOR MICCICHE joined the committee. 1:49:12 PM NICOLE BORROMEO, General Counsel, Alaska Federation of Natives, Anchorage, stated that members had copies of the AFN resolution in their packets and said she wanted to echo the comments in strong support of SB 78, particularly the comments of Senator Coghill and Nicholas Ostrovsky. She emphasized that Katie John was an extraordinary Alaska Native who made significant contributions to the state. Her spirit should be honored by declaring May 31 as Katie John Day. 1:50:27 PM KIM REITMEIER, Executive Director, ANCSA Regional Association, Anchorage, stated that the association represents the presidents and CEOs of the 12 land-based Alaska regional Native corporations. Their mission is to promote and foster the continued growth and economic strength of Alaska Native corporations on behalf of more than 130,000 shareholders. She said Alaskans respected Katie John for her tireless leadership in protecting traditional hunting and fishing rights. Ensuring these protections continue is a policy priority of the association. "Our members have an acute understanding that our traditional Alaska Native way of life [is] the thread that binds us to our land and to our culture." She said the many sacrifices she made to ensure that future generations of Alaska Natives would not be denied the right she fought so hard to defend is the reason the association supports SB 78. She noted the association also submitted written testimony. 1:51:54 PM CHAIR SHOWER closed public testimony on SB 78. He advised that written testimony could be submitted to senate.state.affairs@akleg.gov. 1:52:16 PM At ease 1:56:10 PM CHAIR SHOWER reconvened the meeting and asked the will of the committee. 1:56:26 PM SENATOR COGHILL moved to report SB 78, version U, from committee with individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note(s). CHAIR SHOWER found no objection and SB 78 was reported from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.