02/01/2018 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS

                SB 152-SEPTEMBER 11: PATRIOT DAY                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:04:32 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER called the committee  back to order. He announced the                                                               
consideration of  Senate Bill 152 (SB  152) and noted that  he is                                                               
the sponsor of the bill.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:05:00 PM                                                                                                                    
EDRA MORLEDGE,  Staff, Alaska State Legislature,  Juneau, Alaska,                                                               
explained that  SB 152  designates September 11  of each  year as                                                               
Patriot Day  in the  State of  Alaska. She  pointed out  that the                                                               
definition of  "patriot" from Merriam-Webster  dictionary states,                                                               
"One who loves his or her  country and supports its authority and                                                               
interests," and  a second definition from  Dictionary.com states,                                                               
"A person who loves, supports and  defends his or her country and                                                               
its interests with devotion."                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. MORLEDGE provided background information as follows:                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     On  September  11,  2001, four  planes  were  hijacked,                                                                    
     three of  which were deliberately flown  into buildings                                                                    
     in Washington D.C., which was  the Pentagon, and in New                                                                    
     York  at  the World  Trade  Center  Towers, the  fourth                                                                    
     crashed  into a  field  in  Pennsylvania. Nearly  3,000                                                                    
     people died in these attacks  making it the biggest act                                                                    
     of  terrorism ever  on the  United States'  soil; after                                                                    
     this  time,  the  nation was  inspired  by  the  heroic                                                                    
     sacrifices   of  the   firefighters,  rescue   and  law                                                                    
     enforcement  personnel, military  service members,  and                                                                    
     other citizens  that responded  to the  terror attacks,                                                                    
     in  many cases  giving the  ultimate sacrifice  to save                                                                    
     innocent victims.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     On October  25, 2001,  a bipartisan resolution  to make                                                                    
     September  11   a  "national   day  of   mourning"  was                                                                    
     introduced   in  the   House  by   Representative  Vito                                                                    
     Fossella, Republican  from New York; there  were 22 co-                                                                    
     sponsors:   11  Republicans   and  11   Democrats.  The                                                                    
     legislation designated September 11  as Patriot Day and                                                                    
     passed both  the House and  Senate unanimously,  it was                                                                    
     signed  into  law by  President  Bush  on December  18,                                                                    
     2001,  and  the  first  Patriot  Day  was  observed  on                                                                    
     September  11,  2002 and  it  was  known by  that  name                                                                    
     through 2008. The following year  in 2009 the Edward M.                                                                    
     Kennedy Serve  America Act was  passed and  signed into                                                                    
     law  by  President  Obama which  changed  the  name  to                                                                    
     "Patriot   Day  and   National  Day   of  Service   and                                                                    
     Remembrance," and that particular  act that changed the                                                                    
     name had  a large  focus on  expanding the  programs of                                                                    
     AmeriCorps  and five  other new  volunteer programs  in                                                                    
     the  United States;  throughout this  time however,  it                                                                    
     didn't change  the observance of  the day which  is the                                                                    
     flag of  the United  States is  flown at  half-staff at                                                                    
     the White  House and all U.S.  government buildings and                                                                    
     establishments  throughout the  country and  the world.                                                                    
     Flags   are  also   encouraged  to   be  displayed   on                                                                    
     individual American  homes and  a moment of  silence is                                                                    
     observed to  correspond with  the attacks  beginning at                                                                    
     8:46 a.m.  which was  the time  the first  plane struck                                                                    
     the north  tower of the  World Trade Center.  Last year                                                                    
     in  addition to  recognizing September  11 as  "Patriot                                                                    
     Day  and  National  Day of  Service  and  Remembrance,"                                                                    
     President   Trump   designated  September   8   through                                                                    
     September   10  as   "national  days   of  prayer   and                                                                    
     remembrance."                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     What  this  bill is  intended  to  do is  to  recognize                                                                    
     September 11  of each year's  Patriot Day in  the State                                                                    
     of  Alaska, bringing  the focus  back  to honoring  and                                                                    
     remembering   those  individuals   that  were   killed,                                                                    
     injured or that courageously  provided aid on September                                                                    
     11 during the terror attacks,  but also pays tribute to                                                                    
     our military  patriots in Alaska, nearly  2,100 of whom                                                                    
     were   just  deployed   last  fall   from  Joint   Base                                                                    
     Elmendorf-Richardson   to   Afghanistan   to   continue                                                                    
     fighting terrorism on behalf of all Americans.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MORLEDGE disclosed  that the  resolution has  a zero  fiscal                                                               
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:09:01 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER  noted that Ms.  Morledge found in her  research that                                                               
states are "all  over the place" on how  they recognize September                                                               
11, but most seem to still  call the day, "Patriot Day." He noted                                                               
that on the federal level the  day was called "Patriot Day" until                                                               
2009.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. MORLEDGE answered correct.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MEYER  said  that  SB  152  would  specifically  recognize                                                               
Patriot Day  in Alaska  on September  11 for  those based  on the                                                               
definitions Ms.  Morledge previously noted, "Who  loves, supports                                                               
and defends his or her  country and its interests with devotion."                                                               
He asserted  that the firefighters,  policemen and all  the first                                                               
responders who  gave up their lives  to rescue the people  in the                                                               
World Trade Center  were certainly patriots. He  pointed out that                                                               
some states recognize September 11  as "Patriot Day" while others                                                               
note the day as "Patriot and Nation Day of Service."                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS. MORLEDGE revealed  that she sampled 11 states where  7 out of                                                               
11 recognize September 11 as "Patriot Day."                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:11:20 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER opened and closed public testimony.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:11:44 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GIESSEL moved to report  SB 152, version 30-LS1014\A from                                                               
committee  with  individual  recommendations  and  attached  zero                                                               
fiscal note.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:11:56 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR MEYER said that being no objection, the motion carried.