03/19/2013 10:00 AM House FISHERIES

        HB  49-CHINOOK RESEARCH & RESTORATION ENDOWMENT                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
10:12:59 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO. 49,  "An  Act  establishing the  Alaska  Chinook                                                               
salmon research  and restoration  endowment fund and  relating to                                                               
grants from the fund."                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
10:13:39 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HERRON moved  to adopt  the committee  substitute                                                               
(CS) for HB 49, Version 28-LS0143\N,  as the working draft.  With                                                               
no objection Version N was before the committee.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
10:14:22 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ROB  EARL,  Staff  to Representative  Bob  Herron,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, explained  the changes represented in  the CS, which                                                               
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1,  line 2:   INSERT  "providing for  an effective                                                                    
     date"                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Page 4,  lines 7-20:   Boundaries in  (B) and  (C) were                                                                    
     redefined  to   move  Kodiak  and  the   entire  Alaska                                                                    
     Peninsula drainages that flow  into Cook Inlet from the                                                                    
     Southcentral region to the Southwest region.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Page  5,  lines 10-15:    Adds  language directing  the                                                                    
     Governor to appoint at least  one Board member for each                                                                    
     of   the   following   Chinook   salmon   stock   uses:                                                                    
     subsistence,  personal  use,  commercial  harvest,  and                                                                    
     sport fishing.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Page  5,  lines 16-18:    Adds  language directing  the                                                                    
     Governor    to    take     into    consideration    the                                                                    
     recommendations  of  the  fish advisory  committees  in                                                                    
     which the board member resides.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Page 5, lines 21-23:   Except when awarding grants when                                                                    
     all six public members  must act unanimously as already                                                                    
       provided in AS 37.14.680(b)(5), the board acts on                                                                        
     majority vote.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Page 7,  line 27  thru Page  8, line  1:   Provides for                                                                    
     transition  language  so  that grants  can  be  awarded                                                                    
     immediately rather than having to  wait for the Fund to                                                                    
     accrue  a three  year  average, as  is  required in  AS                                                                    
     37.14.660 (page 2 lines 16-23).                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
       Page 8, Line 2:  Adds an effective date of July 1,                                                                       
     2013.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
10:16:30 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON asked  if board  members can  participate in  votes                                                               
telephonically.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. EARL answered  yes, and pointed out that this  change is part                                                               
of Version N on page 5, lines 22 and 23.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   GATTIS  asked   whether  the   intent  is   that                                                               
participation is limited exclusively to the use of a telephone.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. EARL responded no.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON stated the intent is  to allow all possible means of                                                               
electronic participation by members.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHNSON objected  to  accepting  messages from  a                                                               
facsimile   machine   or  email   as   an   electronic  form   of                                                               
communication.        He    specified    "in-person    electronic                                                               
communications."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FEIGE  stressed  the  importance  of  having  the                                                               
identification  of  the member  calling  assured,  as well  as  a                                                               
reliable two-way  communication.   Precautions are  necessary, he                                                               
cautioned.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GATTIS agreed.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SEATON  clarified that  the  intent  is to  have  positive                                                               
identification and two-way communication  that will allow members                                                               
to participate and vote via electronic means.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON moved Conceptual Amendment 1, to wit:                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
    Insert   language   to   define   the   parameters   of                                                                     
     telephonically to in-person and two-way communication                                                                      
     by a person whose identity is confirmed.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Without objection Conceptual Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON reopened public testimony on HB 49, as amended.                                                                    
10:21:32 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
ART   NELSON,  Director,   Policy   and   Outreach,  Bering   Sea                                                               
Fishermen's    Association,    expressed    his    organization's                                                               
unqualified support for  HB 49, the CS and  amendments, and urged                                                               
passage.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SEATON, after  ascertaining no one else  wished to testify,                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
10:23:45 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FEIGE moved  to  report  the CS  for  HB 49,  28-                                                               
LS0143\N,   as  amended,   out  of   committee  with   individual                                                               
recommendations  and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.    Without                                                               
objection  CSHB  49(FSH)  was reported  from  the  House  Special                                                               
Committee on Fisheries.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
10:24:23 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 10:24 a.m. to 10:26 a.m.