02/27/2023 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

         SB 10-HUNTING/TRAPPING/FISHING: DISABLED VETS                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:05:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY announced  that the first order of  business would be                                                               
SENATE BILL NO.  10, "An Act providing for  trapping licenses for                                                               
active  members  of  the  Alaska   National  Guard  and  military                                                               
reserves  without  charge;  making sport  fishing,  hunting,  and                                                               
trapping  permanent  identification  cards available  to  certain                                                               
disabled veterans without charge;  and providing for an effective                                                               
date."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:06:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR JESSE KIEHL, Alaska State  Legislature, as prime sponsor,                                                               
said SB  10 would add  trapping licenses to the  lifetime hunting                                                               
and  fishing licenses  for veterans  that  have a  50 percent  or                                                               
greater  service-related  disability.    At the  request  of  the                                                               
Alaska Department of Fish & Game  (ADF&G), he said the bill would                                                               
add  trapping to  the annual  hunting and  fishing licenses  that                                                               
active duty  members of the  national guard and  reserve receive.                                                               
He referred to  his staff to answer a question  posed at the last                                                               
meeting by Representative Saddler.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:07:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CATHY  SCHLINGHEYDE, Staff,  Senator  Jesse  Kiehl, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on  behalf of Senator  Kiehl, prime  sponsor, stated                                                               
to the  committee that SB 10  would apply only to  members of the                                                               
armed forces, not all uniformed services.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:07:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER  asked how many applicants  there would be                                                               
if all disabled veterans in the state applied for the license.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS.  SCHLINGHEYDE answered  that the  Department of  Military and                                                               
Veterans' Affairs  doesn't have  an exact number.   She  said the                                                               
department  knows  the  number of  people  who  receive  trapping                                                               
licenses, but  does not know  how many service  disabled veterans                                                               
are among the license recipients.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:08:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  KIEHL noted  that the  number  is fewer  than the  about                                                               
77,000 veterans in Alaska.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:08:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCKAY opened public testimony on SB 10.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:08:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVID  SUMMERS, Veteran,  shared  that  he is  a  veteran of  the                                                               
United States  Army, and had  served during the  operation Desert                                                               
Storm era.   He recounted  that, after [the terrorist  attacks of                                                               
September 11, 2001],  he had decided to "re-up" as  a veteran and                                                               
was deployed  during operation  Iraqi Freedom.   He  told members                                                               
that he  holds a disabled  veterans hunting and  fishing license,                                                               
as he  is a disabled veteran.   He stated, "Just  a generation or                                                               
two ago,  a disabled  veteran looks different.   Today,  we don't                                                               
look  the same."   He  elaborated that  historically one  can see                                                               
veterans'  disability in  their eyes,  but that  is not  the case                                                               
today.  He said care for  wounded soldiers has become so advanced                                                               
that the types  of injuries a veteran would  typically have, have                                                               
become  more survivable.   He  told  members that  there are  new                                                               
kinds  of injuries  that disabled  veterans encounter,  including                                                               
traumatic  brain  injury  and  concussions.    In  answering  the                                                               
question, why  a disabled veteran  is doing a  physical intensive                                                               
activity like trapping, he said veterans  do not look the same as                                                               
they  used to.   Further,  he stated  that trapping  is good  for                                                               
disabled  veterans and  ADF&G, in  that it  helps ADF&G  meet its                                                               
goals, and for the veteran, there  is the benefit of being in the                                                               
outdoors.   Historically, buying a hunting,  fishing and trapping                                                               
license has been  simple, but he said the current  process can be                                                               
confusing or  difficult.   He explained  that the  individual not                                                               
only needs to get the  disabled veteran license, and the standard                                                               
hunting and  fishing license, but  also the trapper license.   He                                                               
urged members to pass SB 10.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:10:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE thanked Mr. Summers for his testimony.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:11:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MCKAY  after  ascertaining  that no  one  else  wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on SB 10.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:11:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER  asked Senator  Kiehl if  the legislation                                                               
addresses  veterans that  must shoot  mechanically  because of  a                                                               
limb injury.  He said he is unsure if that is legal in Alaska.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KIEHL answered that SB  10 doesn't address the methods or                                                               
means of trapping.  He said  the bill speaks only to how disabled                                                               
veterans could  obtain a lifetime trapping,  hunting, and fishing                                                               
card as a service disabled veteran.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:13:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WRIGHT  asked for  the percentage of  veterans who                                                               
partake in trapping.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  KIEHL responded  by  stating that  there  have been  700                                                               
standalone  trapping licenses  sold in  Alaska, and  that only  a                                                               
subset of the  cards were sold to service disabled  veterans.  On                                                               
the thought  that having  a less confusing  system would  lead to                                                               
more service  disabled veterans attaining a  trapping license, he                                                               
said the  impact of that  may be small.   He said that,  while he                                                               
does not  have a  strong estimate on  the percentage  of veterans                                                               
who partake  in trapping, ADF&G estimates  a negligible financial                                                               
impact.    Further, he  speculated  that  the increase  in  those                                                               
receiving licenses would be small.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:14:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SADDLER  spoke  on  a bill  that  passed  in  the                                                               
legislature that  allowed state  hunting and fishing  licenses to                                                               
be displayed digitally on a cell  phone, over having to display a                                                               
physical license  card.  He asked  if, under SB 10,  the courtesy                                                               
would extend to disabled veterans with a trapping license.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KIEHL answered  yes, and said ADF&G plans  to offer these                                                               
same licenses  on the department's  phone application "app".   He                                                               
concluded  his testimony  by thanking  the committee  for hearing                                                               
the bill.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:15:22 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER  moved to report  SB 10 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  There  being no objection, SB 10 was  reported out of the                                                               
House Resources Standing Committee.