04/30/2007 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

       CSHB 220(JUD)-BAN COMPUTER-ASSISTED REMOTE HUNTING                                                                   
5:02:14 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   HUGGINS   announced   CSHB   220(JUD)  to   be   up   for                                                               
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH,  sponsor of HB  220, related that  26 states                                                               
have already  banned computer-assisted remote hunting  and others                                                               
are in the process of it. When  he first heard about this type of                                                               
hunting, he thought it  was a joke, but then he  found out it was                                                               
not.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
He said  that Internet hunting is  when a person anywhere  in the                                                               
world can  shoot animals  from their living  rooms by  hooking up                                                               
their computers  to a  rifle through Internet.  They are  able to                                                               
control  the aiming  and firing  of the  rifle from  the computer                                                               
keypad  and to  make a  kill with  the click  of the  mouse. This                                                               
practice  began in  Texas in  2005 when  an entrepreneur  offered                                                               
people  the ability  to shoot  big game  on his  land via  remote                                                               
control technology.  The Texas legislature  shut him  down. Since                                                               
then, 26 states have passed  legislation to ban this practice and                                                               
legislation in 8 other states  is currently pending. HB 122 would                                                               
prohibit this despicable practice in Alaska.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH  concluded, "As everyone knows,  we have some                                                               
of the best big game in the world  in Alaska. We need to ban this                                                               
practice before  it hits. I  want to make  sure the guys  who are                                                               
doing this don't come here."                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
He  said  that HB  122  prohibits  individuals from  engaging  in                                                               
Internet  hunting  in  Alaska.  It  also  prohibits  anyone  from                                                               
providing   services   or    operating   facilities   to   enable                                                               
computerized hunting activities.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
5:04:47 PM                                                                                                                    
MATT ROBUS,  Director, Division of Wildlife  Conservation, Alaska                                                               
Department  of  Fish   and  Game  (ADF&G),  said   he  wanted  to                                                               
specifically  address section  (b), which  addresses people  with                                                               
disabilities  and the  Americans  with Disabilities  Act. He  was                                                               
supportive  of  it,  but  said  today  he  became  aware  of  the                                                               
existence  of an  idea to  add an  amendment that  would prohibit                                                               
another type  of hunting activating  using remote TV  cameras for                                                               
something called "electronic patterning."                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
He related  how he had  a discussion with the  executive director                                                               
of the  Alaska Outdoor  Council (AOC) and  the Department  of Law                                                               
before  coming to  the meeting  to figure  out language,  but the                                                               
consensus was that language to  prohibit that type of activity is                                                               
not simple  and has a lot  of nuances. It's the  type of activity                                                               
that is usually prohibited through  5 AAC 92.080, which prohibits                                                               
the use of  cell phones, radios, pits, and fires  and things like                                                               
that for the  taking of wildlife. Electronic  patterning seems to                                                               
be the type of  activity that might fit into that  and if so, the                                                               
Board of  Game has a  statewide regulatory meeting  scheduled for                                                               
January  2008 in  which that  particular section  of the  code is                                                               
open. So he  thought that type of language could  be hammered out                                                               
there through  the public proposal  process better than  here. He                                                               
said  that  Rod  Arno,  Executive  Director,  AOC,  expressed  an                                                               
interest in going in that direction.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  HUGGINS thanked  him and  said HB  220 would  be held  for                                                               
further coordination and passed out  on Wednesday. There being no                                                               
further business to  come before the committee,  he adjourned the                                                               
meeting at 5:08:11 PM.