2022-03-11                     Senate Journal                      Page 1990
                  Introduction and Reference of Senate Bills                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SB 227                                                                                                                        
SENATE BILL NO. 227 BY THE SENATE RULES COMMITTEE                                                                               
BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR, entitled:                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
               "An Act relating to state ownership of submerged                                                                
                land within and adjacent to federal areas; and                                                                 
          providing for an effective date."                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
was read the first time and referred to the Resources Committee.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
The following fiscal information was published today:                                                                           
 Fiscal Note No. 1, zero, Department of Natural Resources                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Governor's transmittal letter dated March 10:                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Dear President Micciche:                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Under the authority of Article III, Section 18, of the Alaska                                                                   
Constitution, I am transmitting a bill relating to state ownership of                                                           
submerged lands and authority over navigable waters. This bill                                                                  
expands on existing law identifying the State’s title interest in                                                               
submerged lands underlying navigable waters at the time of statehood                                                            
by clarifying and affirmatively asserting the State’s ownership of those                                                        
submerged lands that came to be located within or adjacent to federal                                                           
areas pursuant to federal legislation enacted after statehood.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
The bill identifies 1,873 water bodies within and adjacent to federal                                                           
areas in which the State has a title interest to the submerged lands and                                                        
directs the Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources                                                                 
(DNR) to conduct ongoing research to identify navigable waters in                                                               
federal areas to determine the State’s title interest to the submerged                                                          
land, and report annually to the Legislature any additions,                                                                     
modifications, or other changes to the list of waters in the bill. The bill                                                     
defines the legal and technical terms key to conducting this research                                                           
and codifies the criteria to be considered by the DNR Commissioner in                                                           
determining the State’s title interest in these submerged lands.