04/06/2016 08:30 AM Senate TRANSPORTATION

                                                                                                                              
        HCR 17-SUPPORT AVIATION INDUSTRY; USE STATE LAND                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
8:30:27 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MICCICHE announced the consideration  of HCR 17 and noted a                                                               
further  referral  to  the  Senate  Resources  Committee.  [CSHCR
(TRA) was before the committee.]                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
8:30:51 AM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE  SHELLEY HUGHES,  sponsor of  HCR 17,  thanked the                                                               
committee  for  hearing  the resolution.  She  related  that  the                                                               
Unmanned  Aircraft  Systems  Legislative Task  Force  which  will                                                               
continue until June  30, 2017, is co-chaired  by Senator Micciche                                                               
and  herself.  The task  force's  primary  focus is  privacy  and                                                               
safety, however, HCR  17 does not pertain to  that in particular.                                                               
One duty  of the task force  is to promote the  unmanned aircraft                                                               
systems industry  (UAS), and that  is what  HCR 17 is  about. She                                                               
pointed out  that Alaska  has excellent  potential for  growth in                                                               
UAS.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:32:08 AM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES  listed the  three purposes  of HCR  17: it                                                               
encourages Alaska to welcome UAS  to the state, it encourages the                                                               
establishment of local  UAS businesses, and to  make state lands,                                                               
as appropriate,  available for research,  manufacturing, testing,                                                               
training, management, and operations of those systems.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
She noted  when you compare  the state of Alaska  landholdings to                                                               
the entire  U.S., it equals  5 percent of  the U.S. If  that land                                                               
were to  be available to  the industry, it would  be advantageous                                                               
to it. Space  is a rare commodity and it  is appropriate to offer                                                               
it for the launching and landing of unmanned aircraft.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES concluded  that HCR 17 is  good for Alaska,                                                               
especially in light  of the fiscal climate. It  has potential for                                                               
many high-paying tech jobs. She  encouraged the committee to pass                                                               
the resolution.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
8:34:04 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MICCICHE commented that he  helped write the resolution and                                                               
thanked the sponsor for her work on it.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
He opened  public testimony and  seeing no testifiers,  closed it                                                               
again.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
He concluded  that HCR  17 is  a simple resolution  and he  is in                                                               
support of it.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
8:34:31 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BISHOP moved to report  CSHCR 17(TRA) from committee with                                                               
individual recommendations  and attached zero fiscal  note. There                                                               
being no objection, the motion carried.