05/13/2021 01:30 PM Senate TRANSPORTATION

         HB 34-NAMING VIETNAM HELI. PILOTS' MEM. BRIDGE                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:31:56 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MYERS announced the consideration  of HOUSE BILL NO. 34 "An                                                               
Act naming the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots' Memorial Bridge."                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:32:34 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE  LADDIE SHAW,  Alaska  State Legislature,  Juneau,                                                               
Alaska, sponsor  of HB  34, stated  that he  served two  tours of                                                               
duty in  Vietnam. He related  that he  is an associate  member of                                                               
the  Vietnam   Helicopter  Pilots  Association  as   a  certified                                                               
helicopter   pilot   and   a   Vietnam   veteran.   He   credited                                                               
Representative Tilton with the original  idea for this bill since                                                               
the  bridge is  in  her  district. However,  she  allowed him  to                                                               
sponsor HB 34 due to  his helicopter pilot experience in Vietnam.                                                               
He  also  acknowledged  the  work  on  HB  34  by  Representative                                                               
Tilton's staff,  Health Hilyard.  He informed members  that every                                                               
veteran signed on as a co-sponsor of HB 34.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:34:20 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE SHAW related one  of his personal experiences from                                                               
his time in Vietnam. He  referred to a photograph dated September                                                               
20, 1970, identifying  the person in the  lower right-hand corner                                                               
of  the   photograph  as  himself.   The  photo   emphasized  the                                                               
importance  of helicopters  to the  troops in  Vietnam. The  Huey                                                               
helicopter  shown  arrived  within seven  minutes  and  evacuated                                                               
three of  his teammates to  Dang, Vietnam, but sadly,  two others                                                               
died. One of  the injured teammates was put into  an induced coma                                                               
due to  the severity  of his wounds.  He credited  his teammate's                                                               
survival  to  the  radio  strapped  on his  back  and  the  quick                                                               
evacuation. Thirty-seven years later,  he crossed paths with this                                                               
friend, who  recovered from his  injuries and worked 20  years in                                                               
law enforcement.  He retired  as Chief  of Police  in Horseheads,                                                               
New York.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SHAW said  he previously  served as  the Military                                                               
and Veterans Affairs  director. He reviewed several  peaks in the                                                               
Chugach  Mountains   that  were  named  in   honor  of  veterans,                                                               
including Mount POW/MIA  and Gold Star Peak. Both  of those peaks                                                               
look down on the bridge that HB 34 proposes to name.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:36:27 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE  SHAW  emphasized  the  value  of  honoring  these                                                               
helicopter pilots. He noted that  the bill carries a small fiscal                                                               
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:37:18 PM                                                                                                                    
JOSH  WALTON, Staff,  Representative  Laddie  Shaw, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  Juneau,  Alaska,  stated  that  HB  34  would  name                                                               
bridges  1124 and  1889 the  Vietnam Helicopter  Pilots' Memorial                                                               
Bridge. He explained  that these bridges span both  the north and                                                               
southbound bridges over  the Matanuska River at mile  30.4 of the                                                               
Glenn Highway. He  stated that anyone who  travels from Anchorage                                                               
to the Mat-Su Valley crosses over  one of these bridges. He noted                                                               
that members' packets contain photos  of the bridges. He referred                                                               
to  a  1994  article,  "The  Coming  of  Age:  The  Role  of  the                                                               
Helicopter in  the Vietnam War," which  characterized the Vietnam                                                               
conflict as  the first actual helicopter  conflict. Several other                                                               
articles emphasize the heroism of  helicopter pilots, including a                                                               
September 15,  2016, Time magazine  article and a  September 2015                                                               
Air &  Space Magazine  article, he  said. He  reviewed additional                                                               
support for the bill.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:39:46 PM                                                                                                                    
LYNN  KILE,  President,   Vietnam  Helicopter  Pilot  Association                                                               
(VHPA), Anchorage, Alaska,  stated that he is  a Vietnam veteran.                                                               
He stated that VHPA's membership  in Alaska consists of 85 pilots                                                               
and crewmembers.  He estimated an  additional 300 pilots  live in                                                               
Alaska but  he was  unsure of  the number  of crewmembers  in the                                                               
state.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. KILE  said the story  Representative Shaw mentioned  was just                                                               
one  of many  experienced  by helicopter  crews  and pilots.  The                                                               
medevac helicopters  flew over  500,000 missions  evacuating over                                                               
900,000 soldiers  and troops  with an  82 percent  survival rate.                                                               
From  logistics to  medical evacuations,  helicopter pilots  flew                                                               
thousands of missions.  He said he is honored  that the committee                                                               
is taking up  this bill. Naming these bridges  represents a small                                                               
token  of  thanks to  honor  the  contributions these  helicopter                                                               
pilots made  to the state  and nation. He recalled  that veterans                                                               
did not  receive a warm  welcome home  like WWI or  WWII veterans                                                               
did  so  now  is  the  time  to  honor  their  contributions  and                                                               
sacrifices  made to  the nation  and state  by the  dedication of                                                               
these  small  landmark bridges  over  the  Matanuska River.  This                                                               
landmark memorial will remind those who  see it of the trials and                                                               
tribulations  of the  Vietnam  conflict and  to  honor those  who                                                               
dedicated their skills to our state and country.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:42:24 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR SHOWER thanked  the sponsor for introducing  the bill. He                                                               
said his  father-in-law served  three tours  of duty  in Vietnam;                                                               
and half of  his academy class died in Vietnam.  Further, his son                                                               
was airlifted in  Iraq due to significant  injuries he sustained.                                                               
He acknowledged  the importance of helicopter  evacuation because                                                               
treatment can begin on board.  This bill is important because the                                                               
Vietnam   veterans   served   their  country   but   were   often                                                               
disrespected, he said.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:44:55 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:45:15 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MYERS reconvened the meeting.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
2:45:23 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR KIEHL said it was his  privilege to work in civilian life                                                               
under  four Vietnam  veterans. He  stated that  he learned  about                                                               
duty and hard work from them  but it cannot begin to compare with                                                               
the comments  and service  of Senator Shower  and the  sponsor of                                                               
the bill. He thanked them for their service.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:46:11 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MICCICHE said he was honored  to support HB 34. He stated                                                               
that  when  he  worked  offshore  in  Cook  Inlet  he  relied  on                                                               
helicopters.  He commended  the skills  of the  helicopter pilots                                                               
who helped many survive the Vietnam War.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:47:24 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  MYERS opened  public testimony  on HB  34 and  after first                                                               
determining no one wished to  testify, closed public testimony on                                                               
HB 34.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:47:48 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MICCICHE  referred to the  fiscal notes.  He acknowledged                                                               
the importance of  respecting the fiscal note  on bills. However,                                                               
he related  his understanding that  bridge signs are  often taken                                                               
out by  snowblowers, car  crashes or wear  and tear  so replacing                                                               
signs was  common. Thus,  he said he  grapples to  understand the                                                               
necessity  for  a fiscal  note  to  replace  this sign  when  the                                                               
department will  need to replace  it at  some point and  the sign                                                               
honoring these veterans seems worthy, he said.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:49:00 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. MILLS agreed  that signs are replaced but he  was not certain                                                               
of the  mechanism to do so.  He said the department  provided the                                                               
sponsor's office  with several options. The  fundamental issue of                                                               
zeroing out a  fiscal note was that it would  escalate the number                                                               
of requests to rename bridges  and require numerous new signs. He                                                               
related his  understanding that the Department  of Administration                                                               
has a  specialty plate  mechanism whereby the  costs are  paid by                                                               
user fees.  He suggested that  a similar concept could  be worked                                                               
out. The  department cannot pursue  it within  this legislature's                                                               
timeframe given that the legislative  session was nearly over. He                                                               
stated that the department believes  in equal treatment but would                                                               
like to address this at a later date.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR MICCICHE  said he  hopes the  legislature could  create a                                                               
method for  people to  donate privately.  He said  he understands                                                               
how important it is for people to do so.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR SHOWER  also offered  his support  to find  a way  to get                                                               
receipt authority so those who wished  to cover the cost of signs                                                               
could do so.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:53:11 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR SHOWER  moved to  report HB  34, work  order 32-LS0265\A,                                                               
from  committee  with  individual  recommendations  and  attached                                                               
fiscal note(s).                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MEYERS found  no objection and HB 34 was  reported from the                                                               
Senate Transportation Standing Committee.