04/19/2018 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

       HCR 19-GOVERNOR: ALASKA NATIVE LANGUAGES EMERGENCY                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:40:24 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  MEYER  announced  the consideration  of  House  Concurrent                                                               
Resolution 19 (HCR 19).                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:42:05 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:42:51 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER called the committee back to order.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:42:55 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GIESSEL  moved to adopt  the Senate  committee substitute                                                               
(CS) for CSHCR 19, version 30-LS1402\T, as the working document.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:43:08 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER  announced hearing  no objection,  the Senate  CS was                                                               
before  the committee.  He  asked Ms.  Marasigan  to explain  the                                                               
changes.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:43:18 PM                                                                                                                    
CHRISTINE   MARASIGAN,  Staff,   Senator   Meyer,  Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature, Juneau,  Alaska, provided the following  overview of                                                               
the Senate CS for CSHJR 19:                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     After the meeting on Tuesday,  I consulted with Senator                                                                    
     Coghill's   office,  Senator   Giessel's  office,   and                                                                    
     Representative Ortiz's staff  and the following changes                                                                    
     were made:  On page 1,  line 2 and  on page 2,  line 24                                                                    
     the following  language was added: the  urgent need for                                                                    
     language revitalization efforts.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MEYER  noted that he meant  to object to hear  the changes.                                                               
He asked if there were other changes in the bill.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS. MARASIGAN answered  no, just at the beginning and  end of the                                                               
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:44:25 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER removed  his objection and announced  that the Senate                                                               
CS was before the committee.  He asked Representative Ortiz if he                                                               
was satisfied with the changes.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:44:52 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE  DAN  ORTIZ,  Alaska  State  Legislature,  Juneau,                                                               
Alaska, sponsor of HCR 19, replied as follows:                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     I'm not going to oppose the  CS that was put before you                                                                    
     for HCR 19; with that  said, language loss is a serious                                                                    
     problem in the communities  I represent and beyond. The                                                                    
     district I  represent is home  to three of  the state's                                                                    
     Native  languages: Tlingit,  Haida, and  Tsimshian; two                                                                    
     of  these languages,  Haida  and  Tsimshian have  fewer                                                                    
     than 10 fluent speakers left  in the state, Tlingit has                                                                    
     less  than  100  speakers.   We  recognize  the  people                                                                    
     carrying the  languages and thank  them for  their hard                                                                    
     work.  If  the  CS  brings  us  to  a  step  closer  to                                                                    
     revitalizing these languages, then  I fully support the                                                                    
     CS.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:46:18 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  MEYER  announced  that the  committee  will  hear  invited                                                               
testimony. He noted that the  testifiers were chosen on behalf of                                                               
the individuals attending the committee meeting.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:46:50 PM                                                                                                                    
XH'UNEI  LANCE  TWITCHELL,   representing  self,  Juneau  Alaska,                                                               
testified  in support  of HCR  19. He  disclosed that  he is  the                                                               
Assistant  Professor-Alaska Native  Languages for  the University                                                               
of Alaska Southeast. He disclosed  that he speaks and teaches the                                                               
Tlingit language.  He said  he has  spent a  good portion  of his                                                               
life  studying the  root causes  of language  death in  Alaska as                                                               
well as  effective measures of language  revitalization. He noted                                                               
that Sarah Dybdahl,  Director for the Central  Council of Tlingit                                                               
& Haida Indian  Tribes of Alaska's Cultural  Heritage & Education                                                               
program,  suggested  in October  to  the  Alaska Native  Language                                                               
Preservation  and Advisory  Council that  the governor  declare a                                                               
state of emergency for native  languages. He asserted that Alaska                                                               
natives  that work  on Alaska  native languages  daily understand                                                               
what is  going on. He  said he  has seen Alaska  native languages                                                               
creep closer and closer to language death.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
He recounted  the historical decline  in Alaska  Native speakers.                                                               
He  said  he   questioned  the  use  of   "urgency"  rather  than                                                               
"emergency" in the resolution. He continued as follows:                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     We are asking you to move this forward. If changing a                                                                      
     word and saying, "Well, it's not quite an emergency,"                                                                      
     if that's your stance, then that is fine.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR.  TWITCHELL  said  there  was  no need  to  debate  and  asked                                                               
legislators to, "talk to them."                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:55:09 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   MEYER  commented   that  committee   members  were   very                                                               
respectful in what  the testifiers were hoping to do.  He said he                                                               
guessed that the bill would move out of committee.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:56:27 PM                                                                                                                    
DAVID  ROBERT  BOXLEY,  representing  self,  Metlakatla,  Alaska,                                                               
testified in support of HCR 19.  He revealed that he was 36 years                                                               
old and  when he was born  there were 150 fluent  speakers of his                                                               
language  in  his  village  and currently  there  were  5  fluent                                                               
speakers. He  said the  efforts to revive  his language  has been                                                               
met with  modern-world problems that  are not of  Alaska natives'                                                               
choosing. He noted  that he is part of  a non-profit organization                                                               
in Metlakatla to  revive the Tsimshian language.  He continued as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Whether we  argue about  the semantics  of a  couple of                                                                    
     words  at  this moment  is  not  going to  benefit  our                                                                    
     hopes, but  I do  want to reiterate  that if  there was                                                                    
     ever a reason  to call something an  emergency, I can't                                                                    
     think of a better reason.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
4:00:11 PM                                                                                                                    
PAULETTE  MARY  MORENO,  Grand   Vice  President,  Alaska  Native                                                               
Sisterhood Grand  Camp, Juneau,  Alaska, testified in  support of                                                               
HCR 19.  She emphasized that  words are important and  asked that                                                               
the resolution  be passed because Alaska  natives have everything                                                               
to lose.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:05:07 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:08:02 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER called the committee to order.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:09:08 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GIESSEL  moved to report  SCS CSHCR 19(STA),  version 30-                                                               
LS1402\T  from  committee  with  individual  recommendations  and                                                               
attached zero fiscal note.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:09:22 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  MEYER  announced  that  being   no  objection  the  motion                                                               
carried.