Legislature(2025 - 2026)
2025-04-07 House Journal
Full Journal pdf2025-04-07 House Journal Page 0619 HOUSE JOURNAL ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE FIRST SESSION Juneau, Alaska Monday April 7, 2025 Seventy-seventh Day Pursuant to adjournment the House was called to order by Speaker Edgmon at 10:42 a.m. Roll call showed 39 members present. Representative Nelson was absent and later excused (page 624). The invocation was offered by the Chaplain, Pastor Dani Cherian of Valley Church. Representative Story moved and asked unanimous consent that the invocation be spread on the journal. There being no objection, it was so ordered. Dear Lord Jesus, God I give you praise, for you alone are the source of joy, your river of grace brings new strength to those who are in need. Those who ask you will find new strength to face the tasks before them. I ask you Lord to guide and give wisdom to our representatives. Your holy bible says in Psalm 46:4-5 NLT: A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. Lord, I repent of pride. Now please, forgive, and fill our city and state with your river of grace; fill our lands with restoration and peace. It is you who will protect us. 2025-04-07 House Journal Page 0620 I ask that you remain steadfast to protect our representatives, their staff, and their families during this busy time. I ask you for new strength as they make decisions for the people in our great state of Alaska. In Jesus’ name, Amen. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Representative Schrage. CERTIFICATION OF THE JOURNAL Representative Kopp moved and asked unanimous consent that the journal for the 73rd, 74th, 75th, and 76th legislative days be approved as certified by the Chief Clerk. There being no objection, it was so ordered. MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR SB 43 A message dated April 3 was read stating the Governor signed the following bill and is transmitting the engrossed and enrolled copies to the Lieutenant Governor's office for permanent filing: SENATE BILL NO. 43 "An Act establishing the month of March as Women's History Month." Chapter No. 3, SLA 2025 Effective Date: July 2, 2025 MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE SB 15 A message dated April 4 was read stating the Senate concurred in the House amendment to SB 15, thus adopting: HOUSE CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 15(L&C) "An Act relating to the sale of alcohol; relating to the posting of warning signs for alcoholic beverages; and providing for an effective date." 2025-04-07 House Journal Page 0621 A message dated April 4 was read stating the Senate passed the following, and it is transmitted for consideration: FIRST READING AND REFERENCE OF SENATE RESOLUTIONS SJR 12 CS FOR SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 12(TRA) by the Senate Transportation Committee: Urging the United States Congress and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to address outages of National Data Buoy Center stations. was read the first time and referred to the Transportation Committee. COMMUNICATIONS Letters of disclosure received from the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics, as required by AS 24.60, were published in House Journal Supplement No. 4. A message dated April 3 was received stating the Speaker made the following appointments: Governor's Advisory Council on Opioid Remediation (AS 44.19.145(c)) Representative Mina Statewide Suicide Prevention Council (AS 44.29.300) Representative Hannan National Conference on State Legislatures (NCSL) Task Force State Coordinator Representative Carrick The following were received: Dept. of Commerce, Community, & Economic Development Alaska Division of Insurance 2024 Annual Report (as required by AS 21.06.110) 2025-04-07 House Journal Page 0622 Alaska Railroad Corporation FY 2024 Annual Report (as required by AS 42.40.260) REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES HB 117 The Resources Committee considered: HOUSE BILL NO. 117 "An Act relating to commercial set gillnet fishing; and providing for an effective date." and recommends it be replaced with: CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 117(RES) (same title) The report was signed by Representatives Burke and Dibert, Co- chairs, with the following individual recommendations: Do pass (6): Coulombe, Hall, Saddler, Mears, Burke, Dibert The following fiscal note(s) apply to CSHB 117(RES): 1. Zero, Dept. of Fish & Game 2. Zero, Dept. of Public Safety HB 117 was referred to the Rules Committee. INTRODUCTION OF CITATIONS The following citation was introduced and taken up later as a Special Order of Business: Honoring - Alaska Folk Festival, 50th Anniversary By Representatives Hannan, Story; Senator Kiehl 2025-04-07 House Journal Page 0623 The following citations were introduced and referred to the Rules Committee for placement on the calendar: Honoring - Edra Morledge By Representatives Coulombe, McCabe, Tomaszewski In Memoriam - Samuel "Sam" Wright III By Representatives Story, Hannan; Senator Kiehl In Memoriam - Erna Cucurull By Senators Wielechowski, Dunbar; Representative Mears In Memoriam - Ronald "Ron" Keith Sternberg By Senator Wielechowski; Representatives Mears, Stutes In Memoriam - Adriana Pérez Brooks By Senator Wielechowski; Representative Mears In Memoriam - Julius Pleasant Sr. By Senators Olson, Hoffman; Representative Foster INTRODUCTION, FIRST READING, AND REFERENCE OF HOUSE RESOLUTIONS HJR 16 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 16 by Representatives McCabe, Vance, and Rauscher: Urging the Export-Import Bank of the United States to prioritize funding for domestic projects, including the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas project, that do not compete with long-term national export goals. was read the first time and referred to the House Special Committee on Energy and the Resources Committee. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS Representative Kopp moved and asked unanimous consent that the notice and publication requirements be waived and the citation, 2025-04-07 House Journal Page 0624 Honoring - Alaska Folk Festival, 50th Anniversary, be taken up as a Special Order of Business. There being no objection, it was so ordered. Representative Kopp moved and asked unanimous consent that the House approve the citation. Representative Hannan objected to the citation, Honoring - Alaska Folk Festival, 50th Anniversary, offered remarks, and withdrew the objection. There being no further objection, the following citation was approved and sent to enrolling: Honoring - Alaska Folk Festival, 50th Anniversary By Representatives Hannan, Story; Senator Kiehl Representative Kopp moved and asked unanimous consent that Representative Nelson be excused from a call of the House today. There being no objection, it was so ordered. INTRODUCTION, FIRST READING, AND REFERENCE OF HOUSE BILLS HB 173 HOUSE BILL NO. 173 by Representatives Jimmie and Prax, entitled: "An Act relating to occupational therapist licensure; relating to occupational therapy assistant licensure; and relating to an occupational therapist licensure compact." was read the first time and referred to the Labor & Commerce and Finance Committees. HB 174 HOUSE BILL NO. 174 by Representative Burke, entitled: "An Act relating to the regional educational attendance area and small municipal school district fund; relating to Mt. Edgecumbe High School; and relating to teacher housing." 2025-04-07 House Journal Page 0625 was read the first time and referred to the Education and Finance Committees. CONSIDERATION OF THE DAILY CALENDAR LEGISLATIVE CITATIONS Representative Kopp moved and asked unanimous consent that the House approve the citations on the calendar. There being no objection, the following citations were approved and sent to enrolling: Honoring - Dr. Lewis Pagel By Representative Burke; Senator Olson Honoring - South Anchorage Civic Leadership Program By Representatives Holland, Coulombe; Senator Giessel Honoring - Gene Stone By Senator Olson; Representatives Foster, Burke Honoring - The New York Café, 100th Anniversary By Senator Stedman; Representative Bynum In Memoriam - Sean Griffin By Senator Stedman; Representative Bynum In Memoriam - Richard "Dick" Olson By Senator Kawasaki; Representatives Dibert, Prax UNFINISHED BUSINESS Representative Kopp moved and asked unanimous consent that the following member be excused from a call of the House. There being no objection, the member was excused as noted: Representative Rauscher – from 10:00 p.m., June 10 to 10:00 p.m., June 12 2025-04-07 House Journal Page 0626 HJR 14 Representative Saddler added as a cosponsor to: HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 14 Supporting the completion of the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension and the Northern Rail Extension; supporting the increase in defensive capabilities at Fort Greely, Alaska; encouraging a renewed commitment by the Alaska Railroad to a community- minded approach to future rail expansion; and encouraging the development of critical Arctic infrastructure. HB 25 Representatives Burke and Hannan added as cosponsors to: HOUSE BILL NO. 25 "An Act relating to disposable food service ware; and providing for an effective date." HB 52 Representative Burke added as a cosponsor to: HOUSE BILL NO. 52 "An Act relating to the rights of minors undergoing evaluation or inpatient treatment at psychiatric hospitals; relating to the use of seclusion or restraint of minors at psychiatric hospitals; relating to a report published by the Department of Health; relating to inspections by the Department of Health of certain psychiatric hospitals; and providing for an effective date." HB 133 Representative Mina added as a cosponsor to: HOUSE BILL NO. 133 "An Act establishing a 30-day deadline for the payment of contracts under the State Procurement Code; establishing deadlines for the payment of grants, contracts, and reimbursement agreements to nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and Alaska Native organizations; relating to payment of grants to named recipients that are not municipalities; and providing for an effective date." 2025-04-07 House Journal Page 0627 HB 143 Representative Saddler added as a cosponsor to: HOUSE BILL NO. 143 "An Act relating to the privacy of firearm transactions; relating to discrimination against firearm retailers by financial institutions and payment networks; relating to the disclosure of financial records by financial institutions and payment networks; and amending Rules 65 and 82, Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure." HB 150 Representative Saddler added as a cosponsor to: HOUSE BILL NO. 150 "An Act requiring the Department of Family and Community Services to develop a shared screening methodology; requiring shelters for runaway minors to screen minors for victimization relating to sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and commercial sexual exploitation; requiring the Department of Family and Community Services to screen children in need of aid for victimization relating to sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and commercial sexual exploitation; and relating to the duty of the Department of Family and Community Services to investigate the experiences of missing children in need of aid who have been located." HB 152 Representative Mina added as a cosponsor to: HOUSE BILL NO. 152 "An Act establishing an education tax on the income of individuals, partners, shareholders in S corporations, trusts, and estates; repealing tax credits applied against the tax on individuals under the Alaska Net Income Tax Act; and providing for an effective date." HB 153 Representative Carrick added as a cosponsor to: HOUSE BILL NO. 153 "An Act relating to generation of electricity from renewable 2025-04-07 House Journal Page 0628 energy resources; relating to a renewable portfolio standard; relating to power cost equalization; and providing for an effective date." SB 47 Representative Holland added as a cross sponsor to: CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 47(RES) "An Act relating to Chugach State Park; and providing for an effective date." ANNOUNCEMENTS House committee schedules are published under separate cover. ADJOURNMENT Representative Kopp moved and asked unanimous consent that the House adjourn until 10:30 a.m., April 9. There being no objection, the House adjourned at 11:04 a.m. Crystaline Jones Chief Clerk