02/03/2026 03:15 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

           HB 202-NAME STATE VEGETABLE GIANT CABBAGE                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:17:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CARRICK  announced that the  first order of  business would                                                               
be HOUSE BILL  NO. 202, "An Act designating giant  cabbage as the                                                               
official state vegetable; and providing for an effective date."                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:17:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  CARRICK  noted  that  the   committee  would  entertain  a                                                               
committee substitute following presentation of the bill.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:17:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DELENA  JOHNSON,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  as                                                               
prime  sponsor, presented  HB 202.   She  explained how  the bill                                                               
came to her, highlighting some  historical information.  She said                                                               
Alaska does not  have a state vegetable, which would  serve as an                                                               
advertising feature  of Alaska's  success in agriculture.   There                                                               
are 16  other states that have  a state vegetable.   She provided                                                               
cabbage facts and trivia.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:23:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANDREW EVANS, Staff, Representative  Delena Johnson, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on behalf of  Representative Johnson, prime sponsor,                                                               
provided  a  sectional  analysis  of HB  202,  [included  in  the                                                               
committee  file], which  read  as  follows [original  punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Sec.  1: Amends  AS 44.09  to add  a new  section, Sec.                                                                    
     44.09.055,  establishing  the Giant  Cabbage  (Brassica                                                                    
     oleracea  var.  capitata)  as Alaska's  official  state                                                                    
     vegetable.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
       Sec. 2: Sets an immediate effective date under AS                                                                        
     01.10.070(c).                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:25:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  EVANS  began  a  PowerPoint   [hard  copy  included  in  the                                                               
committee packet],  titled "HB-202  An Act Designating  the Giant                                                               
Cabbage  as  the  Official  State Vegetable."    He  stated  that                                                               
vegetable cultivation in  Alaska began in the  1870s and expanded                                                               
to  the  Tanana  Valley  in  the   1920s.    In  1935,  with  the                                                               
establishment  of  the  Matanuska  colony in  Palmer,  it  became                                                               
firmly  established in  Alaska.   Alaska's most  iconic of  these                                                               
crops  is  the  giant  green cabbage  and  gets  worldwide  media                                                               
attention.   On slide  4, "Alaska  Cabbage Analytica,"  he shared                                                               
statistics  about  cabbage and  details  about  the world  record                                                               
cabbage, on slide  6.  He emphasized that cabbage  is symbolic of                                                               
Alaska's agriculture.   On slide 7, he showed a  map of the other                                                               
states  that have  a  state vegetable.   On  slide  6, he  shared                                                               
Alaska's  official  insignia  with  none  listed  for  the  state                                                               
vegetable.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:26:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked where the samples were.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR. EVANS replied that he  had thought about bringing corned beef                                                               
and cabbage.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:27:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HIMSCHOOT  expressed  concerns  as  there  aren't                                                               
giant  cabbages  in Southeast  Alaska.    She had  thought  about                                                               
amending the bill to include a lapel pin.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON  replied that Stinky Rose  is another name                                                               
for the cabbage.  It could be a lapel pin.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:28:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  CARRICK  noted  that  the  lapel  pins  are  done  through                                                               
Legislative Council,  which is the  mechanism for  this activity.                                                               
She shared  that Representative  Himschoot was holding  images of                                                               
potential lapel pins.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT shared one  of just cabbage which covers                                                               
the whole state and one of  cabbage in a wheelbarrow to represent                                                               
the giant cabbage for context.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:29:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY  moved  to  adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute (CS) for HB 202,  Version 34-0753\N, Gunther, 1/21/26,                                                               
as a working document.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CARRICK objected for discussion.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:30:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
STUART  RELAY,  Staff,  Representative Ashley  Carrick,  provided                                                               
changes  in the  amendment  as outlined  in  the committee  file,                                                               
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Section  1: Updates  the scientific  name of  the Giant                                                                    
     Cabbage. Specifically,  it changes the  scientific name                                                                    
     from Brassica  oleracea var. capitata  in Version  A to                                                                    
     the   O-S  Cross   cabbage   (Brassica  oleracea   var.                                                                    
     capitata) in Version N.                                                                                                    
     Section 2: No changes                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:30:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  CARRICK   removed  her  objection  and   with  no  further                                                               
objection,  Version N  was  adopted by  the  House State  Affairs                                                               
Standing Committee.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:31:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  CARRICK opened  public  testimony on  HB  202, Version  N.                                                               
After ascertaining  there was no  one who wished to  testify, she                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:31:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STORY pointed out there are letters of support.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:31:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE thanked the bill sponsor.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:32:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:32 to 3:35.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:35:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CARRICK summarized  comments that had been  made during the                                                               
at-ease.  There was discussion about moving HB 202 along today.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:35:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY  moved  to  report CSHB  202,  Version  34-                                                               
LS0753\N,  Gunther, 1/21/26,  out  of  committee with  individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no objection, CSHB  202(STA) was reported out of  the House State                                                               
Affairs Standing Committee.