04/07/2014 01:00 PM House RESOURCES

              SB 77-BIG GAME HUNTING WITH CHILDREN                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
2:00:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER  announced that the next order  of business would                                                              
be CS  FOR SENATE BILL  NO. 77(RES) "An  Act relating to  big game                                                              
hunting with children."                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
2:01:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LARRY  SEMMENS,  Staff,  Senator   Peter  Micciche,  Alaska  State                                                              
Legislature,  said that  the proposed  bill  had been  recommended                                                              
and  requested by  Senator Kelly  and the  chair of  the Board  of                                                              
Game, Ted  Spraker.   He paraphrased  from the sponsor  statement,                                                              
which read:                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Since long before  statehood, Alaska has enjoyed  a long                                                                   
     history rich  with the subsistence, social  and cultural                                                                   
     benefits,   as   well  as   the   generational   outdoor                                                                   
     traditions derived  from Alaska's hunting  culture. Such                                                                   
     traditions and  the outdoor legacy in the  best interest                                                                   
     of all  Alaskans, is most  effectively passed on  to the                                                                   
     next  generation by  encouraging  young  people to  hunt                                                                   
     responsibly.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     The  Board of Game  currently possesses  the ability  to                                                                   
     establish  special  hunts   to  ensure  the  responsible                                                                   
     instruction  and indoctrination  of young hunters.  This                                                                   
     bill will give  the board more flexibility  to establish                                                                   
     youth  hunts. The bill  will also  make an exception  to                                                                   
     the  rule  that both  the  youth  hunter and  the  adult                                                                   
     hunter's  tags must  be punched  whenever  an animal  is                                                                   
     harvested in a youth hunt.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     In  the  specific case  where  the  hunt is  for  black-                                                                   
     tailed  deer in  areas  where the  annual  limit is  one                                                                   
     deer,  only  one tag  would  have  to be  punched.  This                                                                   
     exception  would allow a  family to  harvest a deer  for                                                                   
     each  tag rather  than one  deer for  two tags.  Without                                                                   
     this provision,  it is  likely that  there could  be low                                                                   
     or  non-existent participation  in youth  deer hunts  in                                                                   
     these areas.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Encouraging youth  to responsibly participate  and carry                                                                   
     on  Alaska's   great  hunting   tradition  and   outdoor                                                                   
     heritage  is very  important for  youth development  and                                                                   
     quality  multi-generational   outdoor  experiences.    I                                                                   
     hope you will consider supporting this important bill.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. SEMMENS reported  that the proposed bill had  been unanimously                                                              
passed by the Senate  and had a zero fiscal note.   It allowed the                                                              
Board  of  Game  more  flexibility   to  establish  youth  hunting                                                              
seasons  by  removing  a  requirement to  set  the  season  before                                                              
school  and the regular  hunting  season.  It  allows a  deviation                                                              
from the  normal requirement  of punching both  the adult  and the                                                              
youth  tags, specifically  for  Sitka black-tailed  deer,  thereby                                                              
allowing a family to take one deer per tag.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:03:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KAWASAKI directed attention  to the  definition of                                                              
"adult"  on page  2, line 1,  and asked  if this  was the  typical                                                              
definition for an adult.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR.  SEMMENS replied  that he  was unsure  if that  was a  typical                                                              
definition throughout statute.  He deferred to ADF&G.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
DOUG   VINCENT-LANG,  Acting   Director,   Division  of   Wildlife                                                              
Conservation,  Alaska  Department  of  Fish  &  Game,  offered  to                                                              
research and get back to the committee with an answer.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI  reflected that hunting and  sport fishing                                                              
licenses typically considered 18 as the adult age.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR   FEIGE  referred   to  page   1,  line   15,  "In   this                                                              
subsection,"  which  preceded  the  definitions  for  adult.    He                                                              
offered  his   belief  that   the  intent   was  for   the  person                                                              
accompanying the child to be over the age of 21.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:07:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER opened public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:07:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON asked  about the elimination  of the  extra                                                              
season  and  questioned  whether  any  time  there  was  an  adult                                                              
hunting with someone  under 17 years of age it  would be necessary                                                              
for  both  to  punch their  harvest  tickets,  which  had  greater                                                              
ramifications than an extra season.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR. SEMMENS offered  his understanding that the  provisions of the                                                              
proposed  bill  were  only  applicable   to  special  youth  hunts                                                              
established  by  the  Board  of  Game and  would  not  impact  the                                                              
regular season and those regulations.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR.  VINCENT-LANG explained  that  the Board  of  Game, under  the                                                              
statute, created  youth hunting opportunities that  were different                                                              
than the  regularly  scheduled season.   He reported  that,  as in                                                              
recent  years  schools  had  started  earlier,  it  was  now  more                                                              
difficult  to provide  those hunting  seasons.   This  legislation                                                              
was  trying to  eliminate the  requirement for  before the  school                                                              
year  hunting dates,  so  that youth  hunts  could  be offered  at                                                              
times other than the narrow window of time before school began.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON understood  that  this  proposed bill  only                                                              
applied  to certain  designated  hunts,  with no  consequence  for                                                              
control over non-special hunting seasons.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. VINCENT-LANG agreed.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:11:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   TARR   requested   clarification   of   the   age                                                              
designation,  reporting that it  was necessary  to be 16  years of                                                              
age  to  obtain a  hunting  license,  and  yet the  proposed  bill                                                              
referenced 17  years of age.   She questioned whether it  would be                                                              
better for  the bill to  have 16 years of  age as the  cut-off, so                                                              
that older  individuals would have  the opportunities  for regular                                                              
bag limits.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. VINCENT-LANG  replied  that the  ages were  not changing  as a                                                              
result  of the  proposed bill.   He  questioned why  the ages  had                                                              
been  selected in  the proposed  bill.   He opined  that the  ages                                                              
reflected  maturity, and  that this  offered  the opportunity  for                                                              
youth still living  at home to go on the special  youth hunts.  He                                                              
said  that  age was  not  a  constraint  for the  current  special                                                              
established hunts.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
2:13:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
AL BARRETTE  testified  in support  of the proposed  bill,  as the                                                              
removal of the  side boundaries complicated the  allocation issues                                                              
at the Board of  Game.  He stated that the Board  of Game promoted                                                              
youth  hunting and  had  the authority  to  allocate to  different                                                              
user groups.   He said that the  proposed bill would work  and its                                                              
added language would help to codify.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SADDLER closed public testimony.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
2:14:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHNSON referred  to  page 1,  lines  7-8, of  the                                                              
proposed bill,  and read:  "Only  a resident child  accompanied by                                                              
a resident  adult ...."   He asked  why there was  a need  for the                                                              
following  language for  resident  parent,  step-parent, or  legal                                                              
guardian as this should cover all the possibilities.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MR. SEMMENS deferred to Mr. Vincent-Lang.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR.  VINCENT-LANG  said  this  should be  read  as  two  different                                                              
parts.  The  first language would  allow a resident adult  to take                                                              
a  resident  child  who  was  not  his family  on  a  hunt.    The                                                              
remainder language  for a resident  parent, step-parent,  or legal                                                              
guardian allowed for a nonresident child to be taken along.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FEIGE  opined that  statute did  not currently  address a                                                              
nonresident child  and a resident  grandparent, and  asked whether                                                              
this addition should be considered.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HAWKER  pointed out  that the existing  statute had                                                              
already been  debated in the legislature.   He offered  his belief                                                              
that  a resident  child  accompanied by  a  resident adult  should                                                              
encompass  a  child   and  the  child's  grandparent.     He  also                                                              
questioned  the need  for the  additional  language, opining  that                                                              
current  statute seemed  to be working  and it  was the  sponsor's                                                              
intent  to remove  the seasonal  restrictions  and to  acknowledge                                                              
the unique circumstances for Sitka black-tailed deer.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON  expressed his support for  the issue raised                                                              
by Co-Chair Feige,  and that this was an opportune  time to expand                                                              
this opportunity.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SADDLER suggested  that  a resident  legal guardian  may                                                              
also fulfill this requirement.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HAWKER  acknowledged  the  merits of  the  ongoing                                                              
conversation,  and  asked to  what  degree the  discussion  should                                                              
include  a blood  family member,  and  should the  issue of  step-                                                              
children be addressed.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   SEATON  pointed   out  that  step-children   were                                                              
already  covered, and  that only  resident  grandparents were  not                                                              
covered.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
2:20:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FEIGE moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 1 as follows:                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 9, following "resident parent,"                                                                               
          Insert "resident grandparent,"                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR. SEMMENS  said that  there was no  objection from  the sponsor,                                                              
Senator Micciche.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, Conceptual Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:22:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR  suggested that it  may be necessary  to amend                                                              
page 1, lines 14-15, to also include "grandparent."                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SADDLER  suggested  that Conceptual  Amendment  1  would                                                              
allow some latitude.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
2:22:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FEIGE moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 2 as follows:                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 14, following "parent,"                                                                                       
          Insert "grandparent,"                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. SEMMENS  pointed out  that this phrase  also occurred  on page                                                              
1, lines 10 - 11.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FEIGE  moved  [Conceptual  Amendment  1]  to  Conceptual                                                              
Amendment  2 to include  the addition  of "grandparents"  wherever                                                              
applicable.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SADDLER  said  Conceptual   Amendment  1  to  Conceptual                                                              
Amendment 2  would add "grandparent"  as necessary  throughout the                                                              
bill  to   reflect  the  intent.     There  being   no  objection,                                                              
Conceptual Amendment 1 to Conceptual Amendment 2 was adopted.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There  being no  objection, Conceptual  Amendment  2, as  amended,                                                              
was adopted.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
2:24:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  FEIGE   moved  to  report  CSSB  77(RES),   Version  28-                                                              
LS0630\N,   as  amended,   out   of  committee   with   individual                                                              
recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   KAWASAKI  objected  and   pointed  out   that  AS                                                              
16.05.407 used language  different than the proposed  bill for who                                                              
must  accompany a  non-resident during  the hunting  of big  game.                                                              
He then withdrew his objection.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
There being  no further objection,  HCS CSSB 77(RES)  was reported                                                              
from the House Resources Standing Committee.