02/28/2001 01:35 PM House FIN

HOUSE BILL NO. 72                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     An Act relating to an assistant adjutant general for                                                                       
     national missile defense in the Department of Military                                                                     
     and Veterans' Affairs.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CAROL  CARROLL,  DIRECTOR,  DIVISION   OF  SUPPORT  SERVICES,                                                                   
DEPARTMENT  OF NATURAL  RESOURCES AND  MILITARY AND  VETERANS                                                                   
AFFAIRS  explained that  the bill would  create an  Assistant                                                                   
Adjutant General  for National Missile Defense.  The position                                                                   
would be authorized  for the duration of the  development and                                                                   
deployment  of the  missile defense  system  in Alaska.  Only                                                                   
the  legislature has  the authority  to  create positions  of                                                                   
Assistant  Adjutant  General.  Currently, the  department  is                                                                   
authorized  an  Assistant  Adjutant   General  for  the  Army                                                                   
National  Guard and  an Assistant  Adjutant  General for  the                                                                   
Air National  Guard. The position  would be federally  funded                                                                   
and  would   be  in   effect  during   the  development   and                                                                   
deployment  of the missile  system in  Alaska. The  Assistant                                                                   
Adjutant  General for  National  Missile Defense  would be  a                                                                   
member of  the Alaska National  Guard and the  site commander                                                                   
for  the  development  of  missile  defense  in  Alaska.  She                                                                   
stressed  the importance  of  filling  the position  with  an                                                                   
Alaskan and member  of the Alaska National Guard  in order to                                                                   
promote Alaska jobs and training.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
In response  to a question  by Vice-Chair Bunde,  Ms. Carroll                                                                   
clarified  that  the  position  has  not  been  created.  The                                                                   
legislation would  require that the  position be a  member of                                                                   
the National Guard.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Bunde   asked  how  the  position   would  affect                                                                   
training.   Ms. Carroll replied  that an Alaskan  perspective                                                                   
would increase  the likelihood  that Alaskans would  be hired                                                                   
and  that training  needed  to deploy  the  system in  Alaska                                                                   
would occur.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Foster inquired  what a chain of command would                                                                   
look like.   Ms. Carroll  replied that  they would  report to                                                                   
the Adjutant  Commander.  They  would work with  the National                                                                   
Missile  Defense Joint  Program  Office, which  would be  the                                                                   
site Activation Command in Alaska.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Representative Harris  asked if the Governor  had submitted a                                                                   
name for  the position.  Ms.  Carroll could not  confirm that                                                                   
any name had been  indicated.  To her knowledge,  no name had                                                                   
been submitted.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative Hudson MOVED to  report HB 72 out of Committee                                                                   
with the accompanying fiscal note.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Bunde  OBJECTED for comment.  He  pointed out that                                                                   
the legislation  would increase  the budget by  $200 thousand                                                                   
dollars per year.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
There being NO  FURTHER OBJECTION, HB 72 was  reported out of                                                                   
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
HB  72  was  REPORTED  out of  Committee  with  a  "do  pass"                                                                   
recommendation and with a fiscal  impact note by the Military                                                                   
and Veterans Affairs.