Legislature(2017 - 2018)GRUENBERG 120
02/01/2018 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB293 | |
| HJR29 | |
| HB293 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 293 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HJR 29 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HJR 29-REAUTHORIZE SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS ACT
3:16:03 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that the next order of business
would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 29, Urging the United States
Congress to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Communities
Self-Determination Act of 2000.
3:16:42 PM
DARRELL BREESE, Staff, Representative George Rauscher, Alaska
State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Rauscher, prime
sponsor of HJR 29, directed the committee members' attention to
the letters of support from the communities that would be
impacted by HJR 29, included in the committee packet,
3:17:19 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS opened public testimony on HJR 29.
3:17:37 PM
CLAY KOPLIN, Mayor, City of Cordova, testified that the City of
Cordova is surrounded by the beautiful Chugach National Forest
(CNF). He said that while the forest provides world-class
subsistence and recreational opportunities for Cordova, there
are very limited economic opportunities. He maintained that the
community of Cordova invests heavily in its educational system,
which is nationally recognized at both the elementary and high
school levels; Cordova has funded its schools at the cap [state
limit on local contribution to school funding] for many years
until last year.
MR. KOPLIN relayed that as Cordova struggles to "make ends meet"
and to accommodate opportunities for business and new fisheries
by expanding the harbor and providing land and waterfront,
school funding has never been more important for the community,
and the [Secure Rural Schools (SRS)] Program has never been more
important. He expressed his appreciation for the proposed
resolution.
3:19:32 PM
KATHIE WASSERMAN, Executive Director, Alaska Municipal League
(AML), testified that in her 15 years with AML, she has been
actively working on timber receipt for secure rural school
funding. She expressed her appreciation for the proposed
resolution and stated that she has encouraged legislators to
advocate for this issue for many years, knowing that the funding
would someday "dry up." She relayed that Southeast Alaska alone
has experienced a loss of almost $75 million per year because of
timber receipts and [stumpage] fees; for the CNF the loss is
over $2 million per year. These payments mostly contributed to
secure funding for rural schools. She reported that the [Secure
Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act of 2000]
has been expired for two years; she has encouraged legislators
to realize that the expiration would be imminent; and now the
act needs to be reauthorized. She emphasized that more effort
is needed to advocate to Congress and urged the committee to
move the resolution out of committee.
3:22:39 PM
MARY WEGNER, PhD, Superintendent, Sitka Public Schools,
paraphrased from her written statement, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
My name is Dr. Mary Wegner, and I am the
superintendent of the Sitka School District. I am
testifying today in support of HJR 29, Reauthorize
Secure Rural Schools Act.
Thank you for your consideration of advancing support
for the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools
and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. Secure
Rural Schools funding is critically important to the
Sitka School District, as well as many other school
districts around Alaska. The Sitka School District
resides in the Sitka Borough of which 95% is comprised
of Tongass National Forest. Around Alaska local
municipalities have a limited ability to generate
local tax revenue to support schools and roads due to
the surrounding national forests, which is why it is
so imperative that this act is immediately
reauthorized and funded. The loss of Secure Rural
Schools funding places an onerous burden upon our
local citizenry, and federal assistance is appropriate
compensation for the surrounding federal land.
In your advocacy on behalf of the reauthorization of
Secure Rural Schools, please seek a long-term
reauthorization of the legislation, as failure to do
so has the potential to wreak long-term damage on
public education in Sitka and in communities across
the state and nation. The limits imposed by national
forests are a reality every year, which is why
authorization is critical every year. This issue is so
pressing to us in Sitka that on February 6, 2018 the
Sitka School Board passed a resolution in support of
HJR 29.
Having Secure Rural Schools funding as a revenue
source in the Sitka School District's FY19 budget
would greatly help to save teacher jobs. Providing an
excellent education to every student every day
requires quality teachers combined with a culturally
responsive learning environment with targeted
instruction to meet a student's individual learning
needs. All of which helps us to live the three
commitments of Alaska's Education Challenge, which are
increasing student success, cultivating safety and
well-being, and supporting responsible and reflective
learners. In Sitka we are facing a budget deficit that
is 12% of our total general fund budget, and we need
this federal funding to keep our talented teachers.
Thank you for taking my testimony, and thank you for
your commitment to public education in Alaska. I hope
you will urge the U.S. Congress to reauthorize the
Secure Rural Schools Act.
3:25:13 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS closed public testimony on HJR 29.
3:25:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL asked how the amounts of the payments [shown
in the documents included in the committee packet, entitled
"FFY16 SRS/NFR Payments Final (SFY 17)" and "FFY17 SRS/NFR
Payments (SFY18)"] were calculated.
MR. BREEZE replied that the amounts were based on the potential
impact to the population and loss of economic development
opportunity because of being surrounded by national forest;
Anchorage has room to expand, but a community such as Sitka,
surrounded totally by the Tongass National Forest (TNF), does
not have the opportunity for economic growth through expansion.
He explained that the calculations are complex and result from
"a lot of moving parts and levers" in the Act; the school
district population is a consideration as well.
3:27:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked for information regarding the
politics behind failing to reauthorize the Act; she inquired
whether a bill was introduced [in Congress] to reauthorize it
and if so, the outcome of that bill.
MR. BREEZE answered that a bill was introduced prior to the
115th U.S. Congress [H.R. 2340 and S. 1027, copies included in
the committee packet]. He maintained that the reason it did not
pass and the politics behind its failure to pass is a question
for Congress.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX stated that it expired in 2015 and asked
whether there was a bill [for reauthorization] introduced prior
to the expiration date.
MR. BREEZE replied, "There was."
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked, "Do you know who introduced it?"
MR. BREEZE responded that he would provide that information.
3:28:20 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL moved to adopt Amendment 1, [labeled 30-
LS1116\A.1, Glover, 1/31/18], which read:
Page 2, line 25, following "United States;":
Insert "the Honorable Sonny Perdue, United States
Secretary of Agriculture;"
3:28:42 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:29 p.m.
3:29:19 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS relayed that Amendment 1 recognizes that
the presiding agency for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); the secretary of the USDA
will be added to the list of recipients of the resolution.
3:30:00 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS objected to the proposed amendment for the
purpose of discussion.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked whether HJR 29, if amended by the
House State Affairs Standing Committee, would be the committee's
resolution or remain Representative Rauscher's resolution.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS confirmed that with the amendment, the
resolution would remain Representative Rauscher's resolution.
MR. BREEZE clarified that in that circumstance, the resolution
would become a committee substitute (CS) for HJR 29; however,
the resolution would still be Representative Rauscher's
resolution.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX explained that when a bill is amended in
committee, the result is a CS, but the sponsor remains the same.
She said that a bill does not become a "committee bill" unless
introduced by the committee. She concluded by saying the
[amended resolution] would still be read as sponsored by
Representative Rauscher, and not be read as sponsored by the
House State Affairs Standing Committee.
3:31:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER stated that he supports Amendment 1.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS removed his objection. There being no
further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.
3:32:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH opined that HJR 29 is a good [resolution}.
3:32:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX moved to report HJR 29, as amended, out of
committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying
zero fiscal note. There being no objection, CSHJR 29(STA) was
reported from the House State Affairs Standing Committee.