04/26/2023 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

            HB 98-STATE OWNERSHIP OF SUBMERGED LAND                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
[Contains discussion of SB 92.]                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:21:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY  announced that the  next order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO. 98,  "An  Act  relating  to state  ownership  of                                                               
submerged land  underlying navigable water within  the boundaries                                                               
of and adjacent to federal  areas; and providing for an effective                                                               
date."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:21:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RAUSCHER moved  to adopt  the proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)   for  HB  98,  Version   33-LS0432\S,  Bullard,                                                               
4/22/23, as a working document.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:22:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER,  as prime sponsor, presented  the summary                                                               
of  changes for  Version S  [included in  the committee  packet],                                                               
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Change 1:  The phrase "and adjacent to was removed                                                                         
                throughout the bill (7 locations).                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Change 2: A technical correction was made to the                                                                           
               definition of "navigable water" to point to                                                                      
               the correct statute (page 3, line 17)                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Change 2: A technical correction was made to delete                                                                        
               the errant "1491" (page 63, line 13)                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Change 3: Mendenhall Lake and River was deleted from                                                                       
               the list (version A page 69, line 27)                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Change 4: Further clarification was added to the                                                                           
               definition of "Federal Area" to ensure that                                                                      
               it cannot be interpreted to include private                                                                      
               lands (Beginning page 87, line 22)                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER explained the  changes were made to better                                                               
match SB  92, the  companion bill  in the  Senate.   He continued                                                               
that the first change would clarify  that when a piece of federal                                                               
land is  adjacent to a waterway,  the ownership line would  be in                                                               
the  center of  the waterway.   He  added that  the third  change                                                               
would  delete the  Mendenhall River  from the  list of  state and                                                               
federal  areas,  as the  river  is  currently  the subject  of  a                                                               
lawsuit  between  the  state and  federal  governments,  and  the                                                               
lawsuit  would need  to be  resolved  before the  river could  be                                                               
included.    He  stated  that the  fourth  change  would  further                                                               
specify what federally  owned areas would be.  He  added that the                                                               
final  change  would clarify  that  this  would not  include  any                                                               
Native lands included in the  Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act                                                               
(ANCSA).                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:25:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MEARS  questioned  the status  of  the  companion                                                               
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER  stated that SB  92 is being heard  in the                                                               
Senate Rules Standing Committee.   He expressed the understanding                                                               
that when SB 92 is before the House,  it should be the same as HB
.  In  response to a follow-up question, he  reiterated that SB
 and the current version of HB 98 should be the same.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:26:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MCKAY removed  his objection  to the  motion to  adopt the                                                               
proposed CS for HB 98,  Version 33-LS0432\S, Bullard, 4/22/23, as                                                               
a working document.  There  being no further objection, Version S                                                               
was before committee.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:26:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY announced that HB 98, Version S, was held over.