01/27/2009 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

          SB  77-EXTEND JOINT ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MENARD  announced  the  consideration   of  SB  77,  which                                                               
reauthorizes the Joint Arms Service  Committee. The committee was                                                               
created so the legislature could  provide support for Alaskans in                                                               
the military and influence decisions affecting it.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:02:42 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BILL  WIELECHOWSKI, Alaska State Legislature,  sponsor of                                                               
SB 77,  said the  Joint Armed Services  Committee was  created in                                                               
1999 when Alaska was being  considered as the site for deployment                                                               
of a  national missile  defense system. Also,  at that  time, the                                                               
Base Alignment and Closure Commission  was closing vital military                                                               
installations in  Alaska. The committee  was created to  give the                                                               
legislature a  voice in the  national debate on these  issues. It                                                               
has  16 members  and  has been  very  successful in  representing                                                               
Alaska's  interests in  matters related  to maintaining  a strong                                                               
military  presence   in  the  state.   Alaska  has   the  highest                                                               
percentage  of military  veterans in  the country.  The committee                                                               
was  active in  advocating  for the  establishment  of a  missile                                                               
defense site  at Fort Greely,  and it  continues to play  a vital                                                               
role monitoring developments that  might affect Alaska. This May,                                                               
the committee will host a ceremony  for those who have lost their                                                               
lives in  combat. Medals will  be presented to family  members in                                                               
recognition of  their service and  sacrifice. The  committee will                                                               
sunset,  and SB  77 reauthorizes  it  and makes  is permanent.  A                                                               
permanent committee  is warranted  because of the  strategic role                                                               
Alaska plays  in the security of  the nation. The original  SB 77                                                               
sought  to  reauthorize  both  the  committee  and  its  homeland                                                               
security subcommittee. But a committee  substitute (CS) was drawn                                                               
up because the subcommittee has  not been active. Its purpose was                                                               
to review  confidential materials  related to  homeland security,                                                               
but the  members were no longer  allowed to get clearances  to do                                                               
that in the  aftermath of the terrorist attacks  of September 11,                                                               
2001. He suggested moving the CS.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
9:05:54 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR KOOKESH asked if there are other committees of referral.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  WIELECHOWSKI said  no.  The CS  takes  out the  repealer                                                               
language.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
9:06:38 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  PASKVAN moved  to adopt  the CS  to SB  77 [labeled  26-                                                               
LS0373\E] as the working document.  Hearing no objection, Version                                                               
E was before the committee.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KOOKESH moved to report the CS to SB 77 [labeled 26-                                                                    
LS0373\E]  from  committee  with individual  recommendations  and                                                               
attached  fiscal  note(s).  Hearing no  objection,  CSSB  77(STA)                                                               
passed out of committee.