01/22/2002 03:30 PM Senate STA

        HCR  4-AFRICAN-AMERICAN CITIZEN RECOGNIT'N MONTH                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The single order  of business was CSHCR 4(STA)am  and he asked the                                                              
sponsor, Representative Fred Dyson to introduce the bill.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FRED  DYSON thanked  the committee for  hearing the                                                              
bill.  He  said  he  was  pleased   when  a  number  of  activists                                                              
approached him a year ago and asked  him to introduce a resolution                                                              
establishing February  of this year as  a month that is  set aside                                                              
to  recognize  the  contributions  Black Americans  have  made  in                                                              
Alaska's history.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
He  said  this is  a  subject  that  holds  his interest  and  his                                                              
anecdotal  research  includes  the  Black  regiment  stationed  in                                                              
Skagway in the  early 1900's, the Blacks that worked  to build the                                                              
Alaska  Highway and  Roaring Mike  Healy, a skipper  for the  U.S.                                                              
Revenue Service aboard  the Bear and the Corwin.  He found a model                                                              
of  the Corwin  in a  Portland museum  and  is in  the process  of                                                              
getting it transferred to an Alaska museum.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  THERRIAULT  asked  whether  page  1, line  8  wording  of                                                              
"approximately 27,617  persons" represents the most  recent census                                                              
data.  He  then   commented  the  number  was   specific  and  not                                                              
approximate.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DYSON  said that is the number given  to him by the                                                              
community activist  that approached him  and he cannot  defend it.                                                              
He admitted the wording is inconsistent.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  THERRIAULT  responded  the wording  doesn't  change  the                                                              
intent of the resolution.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DAVIS pointed out census numbers are available.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT  agreed but didn't  think it was  necessary to                                                              
propose a committee substitute.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Committee members  had no  questions and  there was no  additional                                                              
testimony.  The  zero  fiscal  note in  committee  packets  is  an                                                              
updated version for the new fiscal year.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT asked for the will of the committee.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DAVIS moved  CSHCR  4(STA)am and  zero  fiscal note  from                                                              
committee with individual recommendations.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, the resolution moved from committee.