00                             HOUSE BILL NO. 249                                                                          
01 "An Act prohibiting the use of genetically engineered seeds or plants to produce or grow                                
02 agricultural products for sale."                                                                                        
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1. AS 03.05 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                  
05            Sec. 03.05.033. Use of genetically engineered seeds and plants. (a) A person                               
06       may not knowingly use a seed or plant organism produced with genetic engineering to                               
07       produce or grow an agricultural product to sell.                                                                  
08            (b)  Nothing in this section prohibits a person from using or selling a seed or                              
09       plant organism produced with traditional selective breeding, conjugation,                                         
10       fermentation, hybridization, in vitro fertilization, non-directed mutagenesis, or tissue                          
11       culture.                                                                                                          
12            (c)  In this section,                                                                                        
13                 (1)  "genetic engineering" means a process whereby the genetic                                          
14       material of an organism or organisms is changed through                                                           
01                      (A)  the application of in vitro nucleic acid techniques,                                          
02            including recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid techniques and the direct                                        
03            injection of nucleic acid into cells or organelles; or                                                       
04                      (B)  fusion of cells, including protoplast fusion, or hybridization                                
05            techniques that overcome natural physiological, reproductive, or recombination                               
06            barriers, where the donor cells or protoplasts do not fall within the same                                   
07            taxonomic group, in a way that does not occur by natural multiplication or                                   
08            natural recombination;                                                                                       
09                 (2)  "in vitro nucleic acid techniques" means                                                           
10                      (A)  recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid techniques, ribonucleic                                     
11            acid techniques, or other techniques that use vector systems; and                                            
12                      (B)  techniques involving the direct introduction into an                                          
13            organism of hereditary material prepared outside of the organism through                                     
14            methods such as micro-injection, chemoporation, electroporation, micro-                                      
15            encapsulation, and liposome fusion;                                                                          
16                 (3)  "organism" means a biological entity capable of replication,                                       
17       reproduction, or transferring of genetic material.                                                                
18    * Sec. 2. AS 03.05.100 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read:                                               
19                 (5)  "knowingly" has the meaning given in AS 11.81.900(a).                                              
20    * Sec. 3. AS 03.05.090(f) is repealed.