03/13/2023 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

        HJR 10-NAT'L PARK SERVICE; HUNTING IN PRESERVES                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:02:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY announced  that the first order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 10,  Disapproving the proposed rule by                                                               
the  National  Park   Service  limiting  non-subsistence  hunting                                                               
methods; and  urging the  National Park  Service to  withdraw the                                                               
rule.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:03:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MIKE CRONK,  Alaska State  Legislature, presented                                                               
HJR  10,  as  the  prime  sponsor.   He  read  from  the  sponsor                                                               
statement  [included  in the  committee  packet],  which read  as                                                               
follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     This resolution is a companion to SJR  8 and lays out                                                                      
         a history of Alaska's right to manage fish and                                                                         
     wildlife.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     It further lays out the most recent federal erosion of                                                                     
     those rights.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Finally, HJR   10  expresses strenuous objection to the                                                                    
     National   Park   Service   incursion   into   Alaska's                                                                    
     management prohibiting  long-standing hunting practices                                                                    
     allowed under state law.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
        No matter how opinions may differ on management                                                                         
      practices, there should be no disagreement about our                                                                      
     state's right to manage fish and wildlife.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     I would ask for your support for HJR  10.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:04:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVE STANCLIFF,  Staff, Representative  Mike Cronk,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of  Representative Cronk,  prime sponsor,                                                               
stated  that HJR  10  objected to  [the  National Park  Service's                                                               
proposed  rule,   "Alaska;  Hunting  and  Trapping   in  National                                                               
Preserves"], as  explained in a  letter dated 2/28/34,  which was                                                               
signed by  Alaska's congressional delegation.   The objection was                                                               
based  on the  proposed rule  being written  without consultation                                                               
with the  State of Alaska  or affected stakeholders,  and because                                                               
it  would  effectively  reimpose  a  2015  rule  that  prohibited                                                               
harvest  methods  allowed  under  Alaska state  law  without  any                                                               
supporting  scientific data.   Furthermore,  the rule  disregards                                                               
the  importance  of  traditional   hunting  practices  of  Alaska                                                               
Natives   residing  in   non-rural  areas   and  ignores   recent                                                               
congressional actions  to overturn  a substantively  similar rule                                                               
barring specific hunting techniques  promulgated by the U.S. Fish                                                               
and  Wildlife Service  (USFWS).   He  summarized the  issue as  a                                                               
"simple  case"  of  either allowing  the  ruling  or  strenuously                                                               
objecting to  it by  trying to assert  what was  guaranteed under                                                               
statehood  and upheld  by  the courts  regarding  the ability  to                                                               
manage fish and wildlife on lands in Alaska.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY sought questions from members of the committee.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:06:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER  asked about ongoing litigation  in regard                                                               
to the National Park Service's proposed rule.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. STANCLIFF  shared his understanding  that there  was pressure                                                               
on  the  decision, which  offered  a  timelier  way to  voice  an                                                               
objection.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCCABE  commented  on   the  recognition  of  the                                                               
state's natural resources  in the Alaska State  Constitution.  He                                                               
opined  that the  [proposed rule]  was a  clear violation  of the                                                               
state constitution,  which gave  Alaska the  right to  manage its                                                               
own resources.   Furthermore,  he argued  that the  proposed rule                                                               
was   in  violation   of  the   Tenth  Amendment   to  the   U.S.                                                               
Constitution.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT  asked whether  there was  a time  limit to                                                               
respond to [the National Park Service].                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR.  STANCLIFF said  he  had not  seen  a hard  time  limit.   He                                                               
remarked,  "As in  all things  political, when  the door  opens a                                                               
little  wider, the  input  that you  give here  in  Alaska has  a                                                               
little bit more chance to permeate the political atmosphere."                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:08:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK  urged members to  act on the  offensive and                                                               
pass the legislation out of committee without hesitation.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WRIGHT  agreed  with  Representative  Cronk  that                                                               
urgency was key.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER   conveyed  that  there  were   too  many                                                               
instances of the federal government  breaking promises and trying                                                               
assert  its  power.   He  said  it  was  essential to  push  back                                                               
vigorously  and clearly  and applauded  the sponsor  for bringing                                                               
the resolution forward.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PATKOTAK  urged  members to  find  a  correlation                                                               
between "something  like this" and  actions related  to statehood                                                               
defense in the Finance Committee.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:10:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:11:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY  explained that  it was  the will  of the  members to                                                               
move HJR  10 out of committee  today.  He noted  that there would                                                               
be an opportunity for public  testimony on this resolution in the                                                               
other body.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:13:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CRONK mentioned  that  the NPS  had extended  the                                                               
comment period to March 27, [2023].                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RAUSCHER thanked  the  committee for  recognizing                                                               
the necessary expediency.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:14:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:14:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER moved  to report HJR 10  out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  There being no objection,  HJR 10 was reported out of the                                                               
House Resources Standing Committee.