Legislature(2011 - 2012)HOUSE FINANCE 519
02/29/2012 01:30 PM House FINANCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB252 | |
| HCR24 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 252 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HCR 24 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 24
Relating to the establishment and operation of a state
food resource development working group.
3:19:44 PM
Representative Wilson MOVED to ADOPT the proposed committee
substitute for HCR 24, Work Draft 27-LS1383/A (Bannister,
2/16/12) as a working document.
Representative Doogan OBJECTED for the purpose of
discussion.
REPRESENTATIVE BILL STOLTZE, SPONSOR, explained that the
resolution was a broad ranged approach that attempted to
improve the local purchases of Alaskan wild caught seafood
and agricultural products. He offered that although the
legislation was only a resolution, it already had support
within the administration. The legislation worked to
encourage existing agencies to work together to enhance
food security in order to improve the amount of wild
Alaskan seafood and agricultural products that people were
buying, without the creation of a lot of new programs. He
opined that one of the failures of agriculture in Alaska
had been too much innovation and expansion and offered that
this was true of fish plants, dairies, and silos. He stated
that Alaska had a lot of good, hard-working fisherman and
farmers who knew how to harvest from the seas and land. The
resolution was an attempt to encourage the state to do more
with its resources. He discussed including nutritious food
in classrooms and offered that the state had already
"ceded" nutrition when Taco Bell and Pizza Hut were both
accepted vendors in schools. He shared his view that
Alaskan seafood should be served in schools as often as
possible. He stated that Commissioner Bell from the
Department of Commerce Community and Economic Development
had indicated that the application of the resolution was
doable. He suggested that due to the nature of bureaucracy,
state agencies often did not communicate well with each
other and that the legislation was an effort to develop and
purchase more Alaskan products in order to get better food
into the state's pantries, school programs, and food-
security warehouses. He believed that the opportunities
were "boundless" and pointed out that the legislation was
not currently requesting any funding.
3:24:46 PM
Co-Chair Stoltze related that he had benefited from serving
on the Alaskan Seafood Marketing Institute for eight years,
as well as from representing an agricultural district that
contained large and small farmers. He discussed the high
quality of agricultural products from his district and
shared a personal story about a trip to Barrow. He observed
that there was a possible market in Barrow for Alaskan-
grown carrots during the winter. He discussed integrating
Alaskan food with the Department of Corrections'
dormitories and shared the value of the state buying its
own products. He stated the importance of having an
integrated plan that would get the state's commissioners to
work together to promote Alaska's local seafood and
produce. He observed that the larger amount of economic and
year-round value would be in Alaskan seafood, but that the
resolution would be a big win for the state's growers as
well. He offered that the Alaskan agricultural industry
could grow more, but that it needed to develop markets
before it expanded. He concluded that Alaska had smart,
capable, innovative, and productive fisherman and farmers,
and that the state could do a lot more than it had in the
past. He pointed out that he would like to see Alaskan
seafood and agricultural products in the state's
correctional facilities, universities, and school lunch
programs and stated that he was willing to set aside money
in the capital budget for the creation of a "commodities
food bank." He reiterated displeasure that Taco Bell and
Pizza Hut were served in Alaskan schools.
3:29:03 PM
Representative Guttenberg supported the resolution. He
discussed that in many ways, the state was at a critical
point. He mentioned the loss of federal funding for
Alaska's agricultural research and the "crisis" at the
experimental farm at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He
inquired how Alaska found itself in the position of a
crisis and commented that the state used to have a robust
agriculture industry. He recalled that mission schools used
to have "huge gardens" and discussed greenhouses that used
to be at various hot springs. Co-Chair Stoltze responded
that he was unsure how the state had de-evolved to such
poor food choices. He mused how society had gotten to the
point where a raw carrot was often a "foreign substance"
for a child. He offered that successful farmers in Alaska
were successful not because of government, but in spite of
it and opined that the Department of Natural Resources'
(DNR) Division of Agriculture could use a lot of
improvement. He furthered that the Division of Agriculture
had carried some "political baggage" over the years and
that it had internal issues. He stated that DNR was
responsible for helping the state produce its minerals,
oil, gas, as well as other land resources and that given
those responsibilities, it had been difficult for the
department to stay focused on agriculture; the difficulties
within the department regarding the promotion of the
state's agriculture was one of the reasons the sponsor had
brought up the resolution. He reiterated that he was
pleased that the administration had embraced the resolution
and mentioned that while it might not be very substantive,
it was a good place to start. The resolution attempted to
get agencies involved and working together. He concluded
that the legislation was not a perfect document, but that
it was a best effort to examine who was involved;
furthermore, it had been successful as a talking point and
a working document.
Representative Edgmon indicated that he would be happy to
work with Co-Chair Stoltze on the resolution. He stated
that he would like regional non-profit associations to be
listed somewhere in the legislation. He mentioned the
Bristol Bay Native Association's work with the local food
bank and nearby schools and talked of trading local foods
within the areas of Alaska. He related that his local
school district had initiated a program whereby local
fisherman donated fresh salmon to local processers, which
was then served every Friday in school. He offered that the
resolution would help promote other programs that were
similar to the fish program in his constituency's school
district. Co-Chair Stoltze agreed that Representative
Edgmon's region gave a lot of good ideas in regard to what
works locally. He discussed visiting with fish processors
from Togiak and spoke of the value of using local
facilities and people in Togiak, rather than building a new
fish plant in Anchorage. He offered that it was a good idea
to give regional producers the economic opportunity of
producing a product.
3:35:39 PM
Representative Doogan WITHDREW his OBJECTION. There being
NO further OBJECTION, Work Draft 27-LS1383/A was ADOPTED.
Vice-Chair Fairclough commented that the locally-grown
carrots from Co-Chair Stoltze's district were some of the
sweetest and most nutritious carrots that could be found in
America. She noted that the local growers were doing a
fabulous job producing carrots. She referenced Alaska's
high rates of obesity, particularly in schools, and opined
that the resolution was a creative idea that would benefit
students, farmers, and fishermen.
3:36:54 PM
BARRY CREIGHTON, PRESIDENT, IONIA, INC., KENAI, spoke in
support of the resolution. He explained that Ionia Inc. was
a non-profit organization that consisted of a group of 25
families who all had history of behavioral health problems;
the families had banded together for peer support and
quickly realized that food was the foundation of their
world. He related that Iona Inc. used simple food, such as
grains, vegetables, or seaweed. He shared that Ionia Inc.
had applied for a grant through the Alaska Science and
Technology and the Alaska Conservation Foundations to find
grain that would grow in Alaska. Through the grant, Ionia
had purchased a tractor and had cleared land. Ionia had
found 40 different heirloom seeds from around the world,
one of which was a barley seed from the Himalayas. The
Himalayan barley had a very short growing season, grew in
poor soil, and flourished in turned-over muskeg without any
assistance. The term "heirloom" meant that a seed had not
been hybridized. He explained that Iona Inc. had produced
over 1,000 lbs. of seed from one seed packet, consumed 800
lbs. of whole grain per month, had cleared 30 acres of
land, and were in the process of building a 12,000 square
foot barn. He furthered that Ionia Inc. had 2,000 feet of
raised garden beds, as well as three 50-foot-long
greenhouses. He related that the group had about 15-20
children in the Connections Homeschool Program. He pointed
out that he had been on the board of the federal health
clinic in Soldotna for the last 10 years and that over that
period, the rates of diabetes and obesity in Alaska had
risen drastically. He offered that food could be used as a
frame of reference to countermeasure some of society's
problems, particularly in the area of mental health. He
shared that many of Ionia Inc. families had used heavy
psychotropic drugs prior to joining the group, but that
after adopting a "food frame of reference", the families
had been drug free for 25 years. He stated that using food
did not cure anything, but that it brought the "symptoms
down the pendulum to idiosyncratic behavior, instead of
socio." He stated that from a fiscal perspective, not one
member of Ionia Inc. spent time at the Alaska Psychiatric
Institute, which had a cost to the state of $1,200 per day.
He offered that Ionia Inc.'s peer support and food had
provided its members with a foundational frame of reference
to approach their problems and achieve a restorative life.
3:40:38 PM
CATHY CREIGHTON, IONIA, INC., KENAI, testified in support
of the resolution and related that Ionia had a dedicated
website. She stated that Ionia Inc. had been growing
healthy food for 25 years in Alaska. She related that the
group had been mostly isolated, but that over the past year
people from the state had been coming to Ionia Inc.
desiring information and cooking classes. She shared that
all the local health organizations were interested in
healthy food, as well as gardening clubs and related that
Iona was no longer alone in its desire for healthy foods.
She opined that Alaskan-grown vegetables were strong,
sweet, and nutritious and had very special qualities. She
discussed Alaska's grass-roots appetite and related that
having the partnership of the government would be
encouraging and beneficial to "this movement." She
furthered that the legislation would be beneficial to
health organizations, the state's economics, as well as
children in schools. She added that Diane Peck, who was the
chair of the Alaska Food Policy Council and an employee of
Department of Health and Social Services, had requested
that the Department of Environmental Conservation be added
to the resolution's list of state organizations.
Co-Chair Stoltze replied that he would take a look at the
resolution.
Mr. Creighton stated that the prior year, the Rasmussen
Foundation had started the Health Food Initiative, which
would serve as a means to deal with health issues across
the state, and related that the foundation was willing to
"pour money" into the initiative.
3:44:23 PM
DARREN SNYDER, BOARD MEMBER, ALASKA FOOD POLICY COUNCIL,
voiced strong support for the resolution. He related that
the resolution recognized the importance of developing a
strong and secure food system that could provide jobs,
support healthy communities, and increase food security to
feed the hungry and insulate the state from potential
disruptions in food supply. Currently, over 130 Alaskans
had joined the Alaska Food Policy Council due to concerns
they had over the food challenges facing Alaska. He shared
that the council consisted of farmers, fisherman, food
banks, subsistence users, school districts, food safety
regulators, processors, educators, families, as well as
others and that the members had realized that more progress
could be made towards healthy Alaska communities by working
together. The Alaska Food Policy Council had developed a
strategic plan to guide positive actions towards
strengthening Alaska's food systems. He shared that HCR 24
and the proposed State Food Resource Work Group were
perfectly aligned with the vision, mission, goals, and
strategies of the Alaska Food Policy Council. He related
that the council was pleased with the inclusion of each of
the departments that were in the legislation, but requested
that the Department of Environmental Conservation be added
because it played a key role within Alaska's food system.
He addressed an earlier question from Representative
Guttenberg regarding how the state had found itself in the
position it was in. He discussed America's lower cost of
food since the 1950s and explained that the Lower 48 had
"priced out" Alaska's ability to compete. He related that
part of the Alaska Food Policy Council's strategic plan
involved strengthening enforcement language in the local
agriculture and fisheries product preference statute, AS
36.15.050; strengthening this statute would incentivize
people to purchase Alaskan products. He related a story
about the famous and successful Anway strawberry, which had
been developed in Haines. He related that the Anway
strawberry had diminished partly because people did not
recognize the importance of a tasty, delicious, and fresh
product and because purchasers had opted for the
convenience of frozen strawberries. He addressed
Representative Edgmon's question regarding the inclusion of
some Native corporations and health consortiums in the
resolution and related that he fully supported that
concept. He concluded that the Alaska Food Policy Council
had worked hard to make sure it had representation for
everyone on its governing board.
3:49:29 PM
LESLIE HOUSTON, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE
SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, expressed the
Department of Correction's (DOC) support of the resolution.
She discussed that the department had tracked its Alaskan
grown purchases at the end of FY 08 and that the number of
purchases was "not that great," being anywhere from 30,000
to 60,000. She related that in FY 10, Representative
Stoltze had brought DNR, DOC, and some of the Mat-Su Valley
farmers into discussions regarding Alaska purchases; the
meeting had been an education process for DOC, as well as
the farmers regarding the best way to sell products to the
state under DOC's procurement code. After the meeting was
held, the next year's purchasing in FY 11 increased from
30,000 to 60,000 per year; currently, the number of
purchases was at 105,000 per year and the department
expected FY 12's purchases to exceed that number. She
mentioned that the effort to buy local foods had been
successful, the nutritional value of the food was high, and
that inmates within DOC had commented on the quality of the
food. She pointed out that DOC had worked closely with DNR
on local purchasing and that currently, DOC was in the
process of working with the Matanuska Creamery to purchase
cheese. She stated that she was also initiating a process
to start the purchasing of local seafood and concluded that
DOC was fully supportive of the resolution.
Co-Chair Stoltze observed that the state's departments had
been very cooperative in getting the resolution to this
point.
3:51:47 PM
JOE BALASH, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL
RESOURCES, voiced the department's strong support for the
resolution. He discussed the economical value and food
supply that came with a strong agricultural sector and
related that the department would assist with the
resolution's effort in anyway it could.
RAY RIUTTA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALASKA SEAFOOD MARKETING
INSTITUTE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT, vocalized the institute's support for the
resolution. He shared that seafood was a "brain food." He
related that there was an increasing trend to buy local and
that the timing for the resolution was right. He stated
that Alaska had great products and that the Alaska Seafood
Marketing Institute (ASMI) was committed to work together
with all the parties that were involved with the
resolution. He pointed out that ASMI was serving 90 lbs. of
Mat-Su Valley carrots at the Boston Seafood Show, where
ASMI would serve seafood to 800 to 900 of Alaska's best
customers.
Representative Wilson asked whether ASMI had sales through
the schools or whether local districts made that
complicated. Mr. Riutta responded that the sales were
primarily handled on a local level, but that ASMI was
currently working on a national level school feeding
program, which would serve Pollock.
Representative Wilson wondered whether the national level
program included Alaskan schools. Mr. Riutta responded that
it should include all schools.
3:54:43 PM
Representative Gara pointed to the less than desirable
school lunches and asked Mr. Riutta to take the issue to
the ASMI board. He related that he would like to see ASMI
file school nutrition legislation in order to have some
real guidelines for food in Alaskan schools. Mr. Riutta
replied that he would take the issue to the board.
3:55:39 PM
BRYCE WRIGLEY, ALASKA FARM BUREAU, DELTA JUNCTION (via
teleconference), expressed the bureau's support of the
resolution and related that it offered a collaborative and
comprehensive effort to address food security in Alaska. He
reported that Alaska imported about 95 percent of the food
it consumed and that the state had a three-day to one-week
supply of food if a transportation breakdown occurred. He
explained that agriculture and fishing were the only two
industries in Alaska that produced food. He related that
the resolution encouraged a collaborative effort between
the Alaska Food Policy Council, the Division of
Agriculture, the Department of Fish and Game, the
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development,
the Department of Health and Social Services, the
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the
Department of Education and Early Development. The
legislation also encouraged participation from 4-H, the
Future Farmers of America, the Alaska Farm Bureau, as well
as encouraging research by the University of Alaska. He
furthered that the resolution was an effort to secure food,
improve health, and strengthen Alaska's economy. He
directed the committee's attention to page 1, lines 8
through 10, which showed that Alaska spends $1.5 billion
annually on food; if the amount that Alaska produced
increased by 30 percent, it would represent almost $500
million in additional sales and at least $2 billion of
increased economic activity to the state. He shared that in
2011, the state's oil revenue had been about $5.3 billion
and that $2 billion would represent almost 40 percent of
Alaska unrestricted oil revenue from the prior year. He
opined that the state had focused for a long time on
keeping oil flowing in the pipeline and that it had
forgotten about the importance of producing its own food.
DANNY CONSENSTEIN, STATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FARM SERVICE
AGENCY, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGGRICULTURE, ANCHORAGE
(via teleconference), voiced the United States Department
of Agriculture's (USDA) support for the resolution and
mentioned that he was also a member of the governing board
of the Alaska Food Policy Council, which also supported the
resolution. He offered that the USDA was excited about
being a partner in the resolution and that local food
production was a priority for the department because it
benefited local communities by helping to create jobs,
improving nutrition, and increasing food security. He added
that Alaska was vulnerable to disruptions in its food
supply and related that he was looking forward to being a
partner with the state and its agencies to improve and
strengthen Alaska's food systems.
4:00:20 PM
Co-Chair Stoltze thanked the committee and the public for
suggestions regarding the resolution. He noted that he
tried to be as inclusive as possible when selecting the
legislation's participants and that he appreciated
Representative Edgmon's suggestion. He explained that any
omissions were not intentional and stated that he wanted to
include the Department of Environmental Conservation in the
resolution for the areas that it had a constructive role
in, while still acknowledging that the department had
implemented policies that were not always popular. He
mentioned that he would work to add provisions to the
resolution and would bring it back before the committee at
a future date. He related that he was pleased to see more
people discussing Alaskan fisheries and agriculture
together and offered that there was a constructive spirit
of cooperation towards the goals of better food security
and increasing local, nutritious purchases. He agreed that
Alaskan salmon was a brain food and that Pollock would be a
preferable alternative to serve in tacos for school
lunches.
Vice-Chair Fairclough CLOSED public testimony.
4:03:23 PM
Representative Joule shared that he was excited about the
resolution. He recalled a personal story about living in
the Alaskan communities and related that the community he
was living in would take one day a month in its schools "to
be Inupiat people;" during this time, one of the things the
community brought into the schools was local food. He
shared that families had worked together during the harvest
times and that it was fun to watch families, the community,
and the schools to be able to enjoy the good food. He
related that there were nutritional issues in Alaska's
schools, jails, residential facilities, state hospitals,
and other facilities and that the discussion surrounding
the resolution was great. He stated that years prior, there
had been a funding request for a pilot program that would
have replicated blueberries in Alaska, but that that it had
been vetoed. He related that he often wondered what
possibilities Alaska had lost as a result of the veto. He
observed that he managed the Department of Health and
Social Services' budget and that obesity cost Alaskans
somewhere between $459 million to $477 million per year;
the state's investment to fight that issue was $400,000.
Representative Guttenberg mentioned that there was a new
strain of blueberries that grew in clumps like grapes. He
offered that normally, the problem with harvesting
commercial blueberries was that they fruited in a sparse
pattern; however, an experimental farm in Fairbanks was
working with local farmers on the new blueberries. He
related that there was a lot of research being conducted on
and off university campuses regarding the benefits of
Alaskan blueberries and mentioned that the state's
blueberries contained incredibly high levels of
antioxidants. He shared that agricultural programs outside
of Alaska were requesting samples of the state's
blueberries in order to try to grow them elsewhere. He
stated that hopefully, the secret to Alaska's blueberries
was the state's extended periods of light during the
growing season.
4:07:46 PM
Representative Wilson remarked on the importance of
nutrition in the state's schools. She observed that the
state spent a considerable amount of money on serving
breakfasts and lunches in schools, but that the meals had
very little nutritional value. She offered that the value
in healthy food was found not only in eating well, but also
in learning and teaching others to grow their own food. She
mentioned that the school in Tok already had a greenhouse
on location and that the middle school in North Pole, which
was in her district, was making efforts in that regard. She
concluded that time spent with family and having
nutritional food could not be replaced by a can from a
store.
Representative Gara believed that one of his failings as a
legislator had been that he had never introduced a school
nutrition bill. He opined that if the state was serious
about fighting obesity and creating a market for local
foods, part of the solution had to be standards for school
lunches. He pointed out that school lunches contained
simple carbohydrates, high amounts of saturated fats, and
sometimes trans fats, all of which caused obesity. He
expressed regret that he never carried a bill with better
standards for school lunches and hoped that someone would
introduce such a bill in the future.
Vice-Chair Fairclough discussed a zero fiscal note from the
Legislature. She requested that amendments for the
resolution be submitted to Co-Chair Stoltze's office.
Co-Chair Stoltze requested that suggestions for the
resolution come in the form of concepts or ideas, rather
than amendments. He opined that it would be more efficient
to incorporate changes into a committee substitute. He
reiterated that he was open for ideas and that the
resolution was an inclusive document; however, it would
probably not be quite as open to all comers as the Alaska
Food Policy Council due to certain restrictions and efforts
to keep the document focused. He stated that his office
could figure out how integrate the changes with the
existing language of the resolution.
Vice-Chair Fairclough noted that the Alaska Food Policy
Council's strategic plan was included in member's packets.
4:11:24 PM
HCR 24 was HEARD and HELD in Committee for further
consideration.
Vice-Chair Fairclough discussed the following meeting's
agenda.