00HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 57                                                                                         
01 Supporting passage of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 by the                                              
02 United States Congress.                                                                                                 
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                              
04  WHEREAS Representative Don Young has introduced H.R. 701, the "Conservation                                          
05 and Reinvestment Act of 1999," and Senator Frank Murkowski has co-sponsored S. 25, a                                    
06 companion bill in the Senate; and                                                                                       
07  WHEREAS H.R. 701 and S. 25 would deliver up to $160,000,000 annually in new                                          
08 federal dollars to the State of Alaska; and                                                                             
09  WHEREAS H.R. 701 and S. 25 have broad bipartisan support, with more than 280                                         
10 members of Congress as cosponsors; and                                                                                  
11  WHEREAS H.R. 701 and S. 25 would share revenues from federal outer continental                                       
12 shelf development with coastal states; and                                                                              
13  WHEREAS these funds rightfully belong to states, as they are generated by the                                        
14 extraction of nonrenewable resources off state coasts; and                                                              

01  WHEREAS this new federal funding would help reduce the gap between state revenue                                     
02 and spending and provide assistance to Alaska municipalities; and                                                       
03  WHEREAS this legislation would give each state the flexibility to fund projects with                                 
04 the greatest benefits to its residents; and                                                                             
05  WHEREAS Alaska would also receive up to $17,000,000 for wildlife conservation                                        
06 each year; and                                                                                                          
07  WHEREAS Alaska would receive an additional $3,000,000 for outdoor recreation                                         
08 projects, such as ball fields, trails, basketball courts, and other recreation facilities in urban                      
09 and rural areas in Alaska; and                                                                                          
10  WHEREAS, without similar funding, the State of Alaska would not have been able                                       
11 to develop many of the state's most popular local parks and playing fields; and                                         
12  WHEREAS, by providing needed funding for recreation projects and wildlife                                            
13 conservation, these bills would improve the quality of life for all Alaskans and help Alaska's                          
14 tourism industry remain a strong segment of our economy; and                                                            
15  WHEREAS, under this legislation, local governments in Alaska will also receive up                                    
16 to $10,000,000 in payments in lieu of taxes;                                                                            
17  BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature finds that H.R. 701 and S. 25,                                      
18 the "Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999," would provide substantial benefits to the                              
19 people of Alaska and the communities in which we live; and be it                                                        
20  FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports these bills and                                          
21 urges the United States Congress to promptly pass H.R. 701 or S. 25.                                                    
22  COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Strom Thurmond, President                                   
23 Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Trent Lott, Majority Leader of the U.S.                                   
24 Senate; the Honorable Don Nickles, Assistant Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the                                    
25 Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable                                
26 Dick Armey, Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable Tom                                     
27 DeLay, Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives; and to the Honorable Ted                                     
28 Stevens and the Honorable Frank Murkowski, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young,                                  
29 U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.