02/03/2026 10:00 AM House FISHERIES

                 HJR 29-BAN ON RUSSIAN SEAFOOD                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
10:01:45 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STUTES announced  that the  first only  order of  business                                                               
would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION  NO. 29, Supporting the extension                                                               
of  the national  emergency declared  in  Executive Order  14024;                                                               
supporting the continued national  prohibition on Russian seafood                                                               
imports  effected by  Executive Orders  14024, 14066,  and 14068;                                                               
and urging the President of  the United States, federal agencies,                                                               
and  the  United  States  Congress  to  maintain  and  strengthen                                                               
federal  measures that  ensure fair  trade,  protect the  state's                                                               
seafood  industry, and  promote sustainable  and ethical  seafood                                                               
production.    [before  the  committee,   adopted  as  a  working                                                               
document on  1/29/26, was the proposed  committee substitute (CS)                                                               
for HJR 29, Version 34/LS1314\N, Bullard, 1/28/26.]                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
10:02:33 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MATT GRUENING,  Staff, Representative Louis Stutes,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of the  sponsor, House  Special Committee                                                               
on  Fisheries, on  which Representative  Stutes serves  as chair.                                                               
He  explained   that  the  proposed  resolution   would  call  on                                                               
President Donald  Trump to extend  Executive Orders  (EOs) 14024,                                                               
14068, and  14114 that currently  prohibit the import  of Russian                                                               
origin  seafood into  the U.S.   He  reminded the  committee that                                                               
these orders  were set to expire  in April 2026.   The resolution                                                               
would  further  call  on  the President  and  other  agencies  to                                                               
enhance federal  enforcement of the EOs.   He said that  the U.S.                                                               
is finally in  a position where Russian origin seafood  is not in                                                               
domestic  markets.   This has  had a  positive impact  on fishing                                                               
activities in Alaska.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:03:57 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES opened public testimony on HJR 29.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
10:04:23 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
BRUCE SCHACTLER,  representing self, testified in  support of HJR
.   He said  that the last  50 years he  has been  a commercial                                                               
fisherman in Kodiak.   He thinks that this  resolution might seem                                                               
like a  redundant thing, but  it was  pretty important.   He said                                                               
that as "iffy"  as everything is regarding what  might happen, it                                                               
was important to  let the administration know  how important this                                                               
proposal is to Alaska.  That  way when negotiations go into place                                                               
for trade  sanctions, the federal administration  would know that                                                               
a  ban is  supported.   He said  that perhaps  based on  Alaska's                                                               
concerns  maybe  considerations could  be  made  in future  trade                                                               
agreements.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
10:06:15 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STUTES, after  ascertaining  that no  one  else wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on HJR 29.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
10:06:30 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES  moved to adopt  Amendment 1  to HJR 29,  Version N,                                                               
labeled 34-LS1314\N.1, Bullard, 2/2/26, which read as follows:                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, line 22, following "Commerce;":                                                                                    
          Insert "the Honorable Jamieson Greer, United                                                                          
     States Trade Representative;"                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KOPP objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES  explained that Amendment  1 came at the  request of                                                               
the industry and  it would include the  Honorable Jamieson Greer,                                                               
the United  States trade  representative, to  be included  on the                                                               
resolution.   She said that Mr.  Greer works on trade  issues and                                                               
was familiar with the issue.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:06:57 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE remarked  that he did some  research on the                                                               
proposed amendment.   He  said that previously  he went  into the                                                               
former  U.S. trade  representative's  website and  he found  that                                                               
there was no  mention of Alaska seafood on the  website.  He said                                                               
that  recently he  did  the same  thing and  there  still was  no                                                               
mention  of the  Alaska Seafood  on the  website.   He said  that                                                               
interestingly  enough  when  scrolling  through  Alaska's  pages,                                                               
information related to  Alabama comes up.  He said  that he wrote                                                               
a letter  to Mr. Greer  to make this  correction.  He  also urged                                                               
the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute  (ASMI) to write a similar                                                               
letter to  explain why Alaska seafood  is not listed on  the U.S.                                                               
trade representative's website.   He said this was disappointing.                                                               
He said that ASMI needs to step up to ensure this.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
10:09:05 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
JEREMY  WOODROW,  Executive  Director, Alaska  Seafood  Marketing                                                               
Institute, said that he  fully understood Representative McCabe's                                                               
sentiment.  He noted that ASMI would draft a letter right away.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
10:09:29 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KOPP withdrew  objection to  Amendment 1.   There                                                               
being no further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
10:09:56 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KOPP  moved  to  report  CSHJR  29,  Version  34-                                                               
LS1314\N,  Bullard, 1/28/26,  out  of  committee with  individual                                                               
recommendations and  accompanying fiscal  notes.  There  being no                                                               
objection, CSHJR 29(FSH) was moved from the House Special                                                                       
Committee on Fisheries.