01/30/2024 01:30 PM Senate FINANCE

CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 26(TRB)                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act  relating to  the  official  languages of  the                                                                    
     State of  Alaska; renaming  the Alaska  Native Language                                                                    
     Preservation and  Advisory Council  as the  Council for                                                                    
     Alaska Native  Languages; and  relating to  the Council                                                                    
     for Alaska Native Languages."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:17:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ANDI  STORY,  SPONSOR, discussed  the  bill.                                                                    
Since  the  bill  was  heard in  Senate  State  Affairs  the                                                                    
previous year,  the council had updated  its recommendations                                                                    
in a report.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:22:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MIRANDA KAAGWÉIL WORL, STAFF  FOR REPRESENTATIVE ANDI STORY,                                                                    
addressed a Sectional Analysis (copy on file):                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Section  1: Amends  AS 44.12.310(a)  to add  Cup'ig and                                                                    
     Weta                                                                                                                       
  (Ts'etsa'ut) as  official  languages of  Alaska,                                                                              
     and divide  Tanana into  the Benhti  Kokhwt'ana Kenaga'                                                                    
     (Lower  Tanana) and  Sahcheeg  xut'een xneege'  (Middle                                                                    
     Tanana) languages.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2: Amends AS 44.33.520(a)  to simplify the name                                                                    
     of   the   Council   from   "Alaska   Native   Language                                                                    
     Preservation  and  Advisory  Council" to  "Council  for                                                                    
     Alaska Native Languages."                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3:  Amends AS  44.33.520(c) by  changing voting                                                                    
     members from "five" to "seven.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Section   4:   Provides   the  Governor   appoint   the                                                                    
     additional two  voting members, under  Sec. 3,  as soon                                                                    
     as practicable after the effective date.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:23:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
XUNEI  LANCE   TWITCHELL,  CHAIR,  ALASKA   NATIVE  LANGUAGE                                                                    
PRESERVATION  AND ADVISORY  COUNCIL, emphasized  that Alaska                                                                    
Native  languages  were  currently  not a  priority  of  the                                                                    
state. He  encouraged the governor  to look to  the Interior                                                                    
of Alaska  and people working  in the Dine'  language field.                                                                    
He addressed  the provision that  proposed a name  change to                                                                    
the council.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:29:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Olson wondered  how the  funding  would work  when                                                                    
other funding was needed for other funding.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Twitchell  suggested looking  at what could  happen with                                                                    
state  advocacy.  He  pondered  how to  get  the  governor's                                                                    
office and  legislature, and emphasized building  a stronger                                                                    
partnership He  pondered the percentage  of the  budget that                                                                    
was going  to the  council and considered  the amount  to be                                                                    
embarrassing.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:33:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson queried the successes of the council.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Twitchell  thanked Co-Chair Olson for  years of support.                                                                    
Two of the elders on the  council had led efforts to support                                                                    
the languages.  He mentioned "language  nests" and  used the                                                                    
example   of  the   Tlingit  language,   where  there   were                                                                    
preschools that had language immersion nests.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:35:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Wilson  looked at AS  44.12.320, and asked  for more                                                                    
detail.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:36:40 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:37:57 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Representative Story  offered to  get back to  the committee                                                                    
at a later time with a thorough answer.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:38:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DR.   WALKIE  CHARLES,   MEMBER,   ALASKA  NATIVE   LANGUAGE                                                                    
PRESERVATION  AND  ADVISORY  COUNCIL  AND  DIRECTOR,  ALASKA                                                                    
NATIVE LANGUAGE CENTER (via  teleconference), shared that he                                                                    
had  been taken  from his  home and  placed in  the Wrangell                                                                    
Institute. He spoke on further history with the council.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:42:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BERNADETTE  YAAYUK  ALVANNA-STIMPFLE,   VICE  CHAIR,  ALASKA                                                                    
NATIVE  LANGUAGE  PRESERVATION  AND  ADVISORY  COUNCIL  (via                                                                    
teleconference),   addressed  the   proposed  council   name                                                                    
change.  She  discussed  adding  additional  languages,  and                                                                    
asserted that all Alaska Native  languages were as important                                                                    
as the English language.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson OPENED public testimony.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:48:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MAXINE DIBERT,  spoke in  support of  HB 26.                                                                    
She   relayed  that   her   Koyukon   Athabaskan  name   was                                                                    
Neelthdinlo,  and   shared  that  her  name   meant  "strong                                                                    
runner." She  recounted hearing the Koyukon  language in her                                                                    
home  growing up.  Her  father came  from  Kokrines and  her                                                                    
mother came from Rampart.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:50:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PRINCESS   DAAZHRAII    JOHNSON,   SELF,    FAIRBANKS   (via                                                                    
teleconference), testified  in favor  of the bill.  She gave                                                                    
an introduction  in Gwichin.  She  shared that her  name was                                                                    
given  to  her by  her  late  grandmother. She  thanked  the                                                                    
committee for  hearing her testimony  and for its  work. She                                                                    
underscored the concepts of  healing and reconciliation. She                                                                    
supported simplification  of the council name  and expansion                                                                    
of membership, as  well as inclusion of  an additional three                                                                    
languages.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Representative   Story  mentioned   that  the   bill  packet                                                                    
contained a summary of recommendation (copy on file).                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Olson discussed committee business.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CSHB 26(TRB)  was HEARD  and HELD  in committee  for further                                                                    
consideration.