03/26/2013 11:15 AM House ECON. DEV., TRADE & TOURISM

        HCR  6-EST. LEG. TASK FORCE ON UNMANNED AIRCRAFT                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
11:41:14 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HUGHES announced that the first order of business would be                                                                
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO.  6, Recognizing the Alaska Center                                                               
for Unmanned  Aircraft Systems Integration  at the  University of                                                               
Alaska  Fairbanks  as  a national  leader  in  unmanned  aircraft                                                               
research  and  development;  and  relating to  a  Task  Force  on                                                               
Unmanned Aircraft Systems.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
11:41:37 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HERRON  moved  to adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)  for  HCR  6,  [Version  28-LS0655\N],  Gardner,                                                               
3/23/13,  as the  working document.   There  being no  objection,                                                               
Version N was before the committee.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
11:42:10 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
GINGER BLAISDELL, Staff,  Representative Shelley Hughes, speaking                                                               
on behalf  of Representative Hughes,  sponsor of HCR  6, informed                                                               
the committee of  the changes reflected in Version N.   Version N                                                               
correctly  identifies the  Alaska  Center  for Unmanned  Aircraft                                                               
Systems Integration by its original  title, the Unmanned Aircraft                                                               
Systems Program.   Also,  to facilitate the  review of  rules and                                                               
guidelines  for  the use  of  unmanned  aircraft, the  resolution                                                               
establishes a task force consisting  of about 15 members from the                                                               
aeronautics industry  and commissioners  or their  designees from                                                               
agencies that  use unmanned  aircraft.   The proposed  task force                                                               
would present a  preliminary report in January 2014,  and a final                                                               
report of recommendation in January 2015.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
11:43:51 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HUGHES opened public testimony.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
11:44:06 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
STEVE COLLIGAN,  President, E-Terra, LLC,  said he is  a graduate                                                               
of the University of Alaska  Fairbanks (UAF), owns a professional                                                               
technology  firm,  and has  been  involved  with model  airplanes                                                               
since his youth  in Fairbanks.  The Academy  of Model Aeronautics                                                               
(AMA)  is a  self-regulating and  self-insured organization  that                                                               
has been  following legislation related to  unmanned aircraft for                                                               
many  years.   Mr. Colligan  said  the passage  of HCR  6 is  the                                                               
responsible  way to  examine rulemaking  by the  Federal Aviation                                                               
Administration  (FAA)   and  other  agencies,  and   to  finalize                                                               
legislation  that can  support this  activity.   He opined  model                                                               
aviation  is no  different than  the commercial  use of  unmanned                                                               
aircraft except  for the element  of compensation.  Both  UAF and                                                               
Mr. Colligan -  as a private individual and business  owner - buy                                                               
products  that are  integrated  into  unmanned aircraft  systems.                                                               
The National Aeronautics and Space  Administration (NASA) and AMA                                                               
have   educational  programs   to  involve   youth  in   aviation                                                               
technology  and  technology development.    He  pointed out  that                                                               
similar  discussion about  regulating  model  airplanes began  in                                                               
1910.    Mr.   Colligan  asked  the  committee   to  support  the                                                               
legislation as  a responsible way  to promote rules  and testing,                                                               
and to examine related FAA publications.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
11:48:00 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
LISA HERBERT,  Executive Director,  Greater Fairbanks  Chamber of                                                               
Commerce (GFCC), informed the committee  GFCC represents over 700                                                               
businesses  and organizations  throughout the  Interior, and  its                                                               
primary  purpose  is  business  advocacy.   In  addition,  GFCC's                                                               
ongoing priority is to increase  the military presence in Alaska;                                                               
in  fact, it  believes Alaska's  immense land  mass and  airspace                                                               
present opportunities  for flight testing and  training unmatched                                                               
by any  other state.  She  said GFCC supports all  aspects of HCR
.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
11:49:56 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
STUART  THOMPSON  stated he  is  a  private Alaskan  citizen  and                                                               
voter.    Mr. Thompson  said  the  resolution needs  work  before                                                               
passage  and  that  the resolution  is  a  propaganda  resolution                                                               
similar to  that which justified the  war in Iraq.   Mr. Thompson                                                               
expressed his support  of establishing a task  force to recommend                                                               
state  and  federal  regulation  of  unmanned  aircraft  systems;                                                               
however,  the  task force  must  balance  special interests  with                                                               
public representation  by the appointment of  public members with                                                               
constitutionally-driven  interests.     He  suggested   that  the                                                               
membership of  the current task  force is not fully  competent to                                                               
advise  on citizen  privacy.   Mr.  Thompson  said the  following                                                               
section of the resolution is false and read:                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     WHEREAS  unmanned   aircraft  systems  may   present  a                                                                    
     substantial risk  to privacy,  but neither  the Federal                                                                    
     Aviation Administration nor any  other state or federal                                                                    
     agency  currently has  specific statutory  authority to                                                                    
     regulate privacy matters  relating to unmanned aircraft                                                                    
     systems;                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR.  THOMPSON stated  that  constitutions  are supreme  statutory                                                               
authority,  and  the U.  S.  Constitution  and the  Alaska  State                                                               
Constitution  already regulate  the use  of unmanned  aircraft in                                                               
conducting population  surveillance.   He opined that  privacy is                                                               
also  a  protected right  by  the  Third  Amendment to  the  U.S.                                                               
Constitution.  He urged for HCR  6 to be returned to its sponsors                                                               
for correction.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
11:53:42 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
LUKE HOPKINS,  Mayor, Fairbanks North Star  Borough, informed the                                                               
committee the  Fairbanks North Star  Borough (FNSB) is  a signing                                                               
partner with UAF on  the application to FAA to be  one of the six                                                               
unmanned  aircraft  systems  program sites,  and  is  undertaking                                                               
efforts  on its  own  behalf to  continue  post-selection on  the                                                               
applicants'  team.    Also,  FNSB  is  in  full  support  of  the                                                               
expansion of the  Joint Pacific Range Complex  (JPARC) to include                                                               
unmanned aerial vehicles.  As  president of the Alaska Conference                                                               
of  Mayors,  he  urged  for  the  addition  of  a  local  elected                                                               
representative to the membership of the task force.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
11:55:33 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  HUGHES, after  ascertaining  that no  one  else wished  to                                                               
testify, closed  public testimony.   She referred  to previously-                                                               
expressed  concerns regarding  privacy and  said the  committee's                                                               
intention is  to uphold the  Constitution.   Furthermore, privacy                                                               
concerns are of  the upmost importance, as is good  policy at the                                                               
state level.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GATTIS expressed  her  support of  HCR 6  because                                                               
unmanned   aircraft,  remote   control  airplanes,   and  general                                                               
aviation will have an opportunity to work out details.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND  appreciated the previous  testimony that                                                               
linked  this  new technology  to  school  districts and  programs                                                               
promoting science, technology, engineering, and math.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HIGGINS  called attention to the  fact that travel                                                               
and  per diem  expenses would  be paid  for members  of the  task                                                               
force.   He  asked whether  the committee  will look  at expenses                                                               
after the task force is established.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
12:00:04 PM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HUGHES  said the  resolution is not  referred to  the House                                                               
Finance Committee at this point.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HIGGINS surmised  this  issue  must be  addressed                                                               
eventually.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR HUGHES indicated not at this time.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT  clarified that  the task force  is created                                                               
in  the  legislature and  will  become  part of  the  legislative                                                               
budget.  In  further response to Representative  Higgins, he said                                                               
the  resolution  will  create  the   task  force  and  the  costs                                                               
associated  "are totally  separate from  just creating  this task                                                               
force."                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
12:01:50 PM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HERRON moved to report  the proposed CS for HCR 6,                                                               
Version  28-LS0655\N, Gardner,  3/23/13,  out  of committee  with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
There  being no  objection, CSHCR  6(EDT) was  reported from  the                                                               
House  Special  Committee  on  Economic  Development,  Trade  and                                                               
Tourism.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
12:02:39 PM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MICHAEL  CERNE,  Executive  Director,  Alaska  Seafood  Marketing                                                               
Institute  (ASMI),  introduced  himself   as  the  new  executive                                                               
director and  reported on ASMI's successful  participation at the                                                               
International Boston Seafood Show in Boston, Massachusetts.