00 SENATE BILL NO. 269 01 "An Act restructuring the Board of Fisheries; and providing for an effective date." 02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03  * Section 1. AS 16.05.221(a) is amended to read: 04 (a) For purposes of the conservation and development of the fishery resources 05 of the state, [THERE IS CREATED] the Board of Fisheries is created, made up of  06 three regional boards established under (e) of this section and composed of 15 07 [SEVEN] members, with five members serving on each regional board, appointed 08 by the governor, subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of the 09 legislature in joint session. The governor shall appoint each member based on [THE 10 BASIS OF] interest in public affairs, good judgment, knowledge, and ability in the 11 field of action of the board, and with a view to providing diversity of interest and 12 points of view in the membership. Each regional board established under (e) of this  13 section shall have a member who is actively engaged in the commercial fishing  14 industry, a member who is actively engaged in the sport fishing industry, a  15 member who is actively engaged in subsistence or personal use fisheries, and two  01 members of the public. The appointed members shall be residents of the state and 02 shall be appointed without regard to political affiliation or geographical location of 03 residence. The commissioner is not a member of the Board of Fisheries, but shall be 04 ex officio secretary. 05  * Sec. 2. AS 16.05.221 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 06 (e) The Board of Fisheries is made up of three regional boards, the Southeast 07 Board of Fisheries, the Central Board of Fisheries, and the Western Board of 08 Fisheries. Each regional board established under this subsection is composed of five 09 members appointed by the governor under (a) of this section, subject to legislative 10 confirmation. 11  * Sec. 3. AS 16.05 is amended by adding a new section to read: 12 Sec. 16.05.225. Administration of regional boards. (a) Subject to (b) of this 13 section, the administration of each regional board of the Board of Fisheries established 14 under AS 16.05.221(e) is set by boundaries based on the following: 15 (1) fisheries in and the bodies of water that drain into the Gulf of 16 Alaska shall be administered by the Board of Southeast Fisheries; 17 (2) fisheries in and the bodies of water that drain into the Bering Sea 18 shall be administered by the Board of Central Fisheries; and 19 (3) fisheries in and the bodies of water that drain into the Chukchi and 20 Beaufort Seas shall be administered by the Board of Western Fisheries. 21 (b) The commissioner shall set the boundaries of the region administered by 22 each regional board in regulation. The commissioner shall, to the extent possible, use 23 the boundaries of existing administrative units to set boundaries under this section. 24 (c) Each regional board shall adopt regulations for the fisheries and bodies of 25 water over which the board has jurisdiction. If the boundaries of a fishery or other 26 management unit are not contained within a single region established under this 27 section, the affected regional boards shall exercise jurisdiction jointly over the fishery 28 or management unit. The three regional boards shall jointly address issues of state 29 concern or statewide management. 30  * Sec. 4. AS 16.05.300(a) is amended to read: 31 (a) The Board of Game and the three regional Boards of Fisheries  01 meeting jointly [EACH BOARD] shall each hold at least one meeting a year and as 02 many other meetings as the boards consider [IT CONSIDERS] necessary. Each  03 regional board of the Board of Fisheries under AS 16.05.221(e) shall also hold at  04 least one joint meeting. Each board shall select the time and place in the state for the 05 transaction of business. Each board shall maintain an [ITS] office at the principal 06 office of the department. 07  * Sec. 5. AS 16.05.305 is amended to read: 08 Sec. 16.05.305. Clerical assistance for boards. Each regional board of the  09 [THE] Board of Fisheries under AS 16.05.221(e) and the Board of Game are 10 authorized to hire and set the compensation for one clerical assistant for each board. 11  * Sec. 6. AS 16.05.315 is amended to read: 12 Sec. 16.05.315. Joint board meetings. One or more regional board of the  13 [THE] Board of Fisheries under AS 16.05.221(e) and the Board of Game may hold a 14 joint meeting upon the call of the commissioner or a board to resolve any conflicts in 15 regulations of the boards and to consider matters, as determined by the commissioner 16 or a board, that require the consideration of the [BOTH] boards. 17  * Sec. 7. AS 16.05.320 is amended to read: 18 Sec. 16.05.320. Quorum. A majority of the members of a board constitutes a 19 quorum for the transaction of business, for the performance of any duty, and for the 20 exercise of any power. However, a majority of the full board membership is required 21 to carry all motions, regulations, and resolutions. A majority of the members of each  22 regional board of the Board of Fisheries under AS 16.05.221(e) acting at a joint  23 meeting and a majority of the members of the Board of Game [THE BOARDS OF 24 FISHERIES AND GAME] constitute a quorum for the transaction of business in a 25 joint board meeting. A majority of the membership of each board [THE BOARDS] is 26 required to carry all joint motions, regulations, and resolutions of the boards. 27  * Sec. 8. AS 16.05.940 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 28 (39) "Board of Fisheries" means a regional board of fisheries 29 established under AS 16.05.221(e), two regional boards acting jointly under 30 AS 16.05.221(e), or all three regional boards acting together, as AS 16.05.225 and 31 context require. 01  * Sec. 9. AS 16.43.990 is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 02 (12) "Board of Fisheries" has the meaning given in AS 16.05.940. 03  * Sec. 10. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 04 read: 05 TRANSITION. A person who is a member of the Board of Fisheries on the effective 06 date of secs. 1 - 9 of this Act shall serve the term to which the person was appointed, subject 07 to AS 16.05.280. The governor shall appoint new members to the Board of Fisheries, subject 08 to AS 16.05.221(a), as amended by sec. 1 of this Act, and in accordance with 09 AS 16.05.221(d). 10  * Sec. 11. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 11 read: 12 TRANSITION: REGULATIONS. The Department of Fish and Game and the Board 13 of Fisheries may adopt regulations to implement the changes made by this Act. The 14 regulations take effect under AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act) but not before the 15 effective date of the law implemented by the regulation. 16  * Sec. 12. Section 11 of this Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 17  * Sec. 13. Except as provided in sec. 12 of this Act, this Act takes effect January 1, 2027.