05/15/2007 11:19 AM Senate FIN

                                                                                                                                
     CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 244(FIN)                                                                                             
     "An Act creating an Alaska Decoration of Honor and                                                                         
     establishing criteria for awarding the decoration."                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This was  the first hearing for  this bill in the  Senate Finance                                                               
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
11:48:54 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
KELLY HUBER, Staff to Representative  Nancy Dahlstrom, the bill's                                                               
sponsor and  Co-Chair, House of Representatives  and Senate Joint                                                               
Armed  Services Committee  (ASC), reminded  the Committee  that a                                                               
concurrent  resolution  creating an  Alaska  Medal  of Honor  was                                                               
passed by the House and  Senate during the 24th Legislature. That                                                               
resolution tasked  this Legislature  with creating the  medal and                                                               
its guidelines.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Huber  reviewed the components  of the bill, noting  that due                                                               
to differing amendments offered in  each house, the provisions of                                                               
this bill varied slightly from  the current version of its Senate                                                               
companion bill.  That bill  had been  introduced by  ASC Co-Chair                                                               
Senator Bill Wielechowski.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Huber  declared that the  purpose of this legislation  was to                                                               
recognize "those  men and women  who give the  ultimate sacrifice                                                               
in the  line of duty". The  original name proposed for  the honor                                                               
has been changed from the "Medal  of Honor" to the "Decoration of                                                               
Honor" in  order to avoid  confusion with, and not  diminish, the                                                               
Congressional Medal of Honor.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Huber  specified that the  State's adjutant general  would be                                                               
responsible for  compiling the names of  individuals eligible for                                                               
the  Decoration.  The  initial   list  submitted  to  the  Senate                                                               
President and the  Speaker of the House would  be a comprehensive                                                               
list  of individuals  since Statehood.  Names would  be submitted                                                               
annually thereafter.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Huber  noted  that  the   adjutant  general  would  also  be                                                               
responsible   for  maintaining   a   complete   listing  of   the                                                               
individuals receiving the Decoration.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Huber  informed the Committee  that the Joint  Armed Services                                                               
Committee  would   be  tasked  with   designing  the   honor  and                                                               
developing the criteria for being  awarded it. This would include                                                               
consideration of how to present the honor to the families.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
11:51:38 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Senator Huggins inquired to the process for designing the medal.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Huber replied  that the Joint Armed  Services Committee would                                                               
make that  determination. They would  develop a list  of criteria                                                               
and  then find  an  entity  to design  the  medal  based on  that                                                               
criteria.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Huggins commended  the effort  exerted by  Ms. Huber  to                                                               
advance this recognition.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
11:52:48 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Hoffman  moved to  report the  bill from  Committee with                                                               
individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
There  being no  objection, CS  HB 244(FIN)am  was REPORTED  from                                                               
Committee  with   previous  $55,000  fiscal  note   #2  from  the                                                               
Legislative Affairs Agency and previous  zero fiscal note #1 from                                                               
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.