04/22/2002 03:25 PM House L&C

HJR 49 - STATE-FEDERAL JOINT RESEARCH PLAN                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MURKOWSKI announced that the  final order of business would                                                               
be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 49,  Relating to preparation of a joint                                                               
state-federal research and development plan.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
AMY ERICKSON,  Staff to  Representative Lisa  Murkowski, informed                                                               
the  committee  that this  legislation,  sponsored  by the  House                                                               
Labor  and  Commerce  Standing  Committee,  was  brought  to  the                                                               
committee  by Mead  Treadwell, Artic  Research  Commission.   She                                                               
provided the following testimony:                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     This  [resolution]   acknowledges  the   importance  of                                                                    
     research  and  development  as a  means  to  drive  and                                                                    
     diversify  Alaska's  economy.   It  further  recognizes                                                                    
     that  Alaska's  economy  is heavily  dependent  on  the                                                                    
     research   and   development  activities   of   public,                                                                    
     private,  and academic  sectors to  attract investment,                                                                    
     jobs,  and  revenue  to the  state.    This  resolution                                                                    
     requests  that  state  and  federal  agencies  work  in                                                                    
     tandem  to develop  a  joint  research and  development                                                                    
     plan  to help  expand and  diversify Alaska's  economy,                                                                    
     strengthen and maintain  its research institutions, and                                                                    
     protect   the   health   of   Alaskans   and   Alaska's                                                                    
     environment, and  request the plan be  presented to the                                                                    
     legislature in 2003 to identify  areas of high economic                                                                    
     potential  from  resource  development and  tourism  on                                                                    
     state and federal lands.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS.  ERICKSON noted  that the  companion  bill in  the Senate  to                                                               
which  there  were two  amendments  in  Senate committees.    She                                                               
pointed  out that  the acronym  WAMI  was used  and is  incorrect                                                               
because  it's now  WWAMI (Washington,  Wyoming, Alaska,  Montana,                                                               
Idaho Medical  Education Program).  Furthermore,  she wasn't sure                                                               
how well known the program is to merely use the acronym.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. ERICKSON, in response to  Chair Murkowski, explained that one                                                               
of the  amendments in  the Senate  deleted "and  the Conservation                                                               
and  Reinvestment  Act" on  page  2,  line  8, after  "Oil  Spill                                                               
Recovery  Institute".   She indicated  that  there was  confusion                                                               
regarding whether that is actually  in law.  Furthermore, on page                                                               
2,  line  30, the  language  "in  the  state" was  replaced  with                                                               
"waters and the air space of Alaska".                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
Number 0785                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HAYES  noted his support  of HJR 49.   However, he                                                               
conveyed  his fear  that the  Senate is  looking at  doing things                                                               
that  will hurt  or even  make  the Alaska  Science &  Technology                                                               
Foundation disappear.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MURKOWSKI indicated that the  committee must do what it can                                                               
with the knowledge it has at the time.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Number 0863                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   ROKEBERG  moved   conceptual  Amendment   1,  as                                                               
follows:  page  1, line 13, spell  out the name of  WWAMI.  There                                                               
being no objection, it was so ordered.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ROKEBERG  moved   [conceptual  Amendment  2],  as                                                               
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 8,                                                                                                            
     Delete "the Conservation and Reinvestment Act"                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, it was so ordered.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG moved conceptual Amendment 3, as                                                                        
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 30,                                                                                                           
     Delete "in the state"                                                                                                      
     Insert ", water and the air space of Alaska"                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, it was so ordered.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Number 0938                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HAYES  moved to  report HJR 49  as amended  out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
zero fiscal  note.  There  being no objection, CSHJR  49(L&C) was                                                               
reported from the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.