Legislature(2015 - 2016)BUTROVICH 205
03/31/2016 09:00 AM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB144 | |
| SB171 | |
| SB194 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 194 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 171 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 144 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SB 194-LAO/HMONG VETERAN DRIVER'S LICENSE & ID CARD
10:05:16 AM
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL announced the consideration of SB 194.
SENATOR BILL WIELECHOWSKI, sponsor of SB 194, explained that the
bill would expand the eligibility for a veterans' designation on
state-issued ID cards and driver's licenses to include Hmong and
Lao veterans who served in support of American's interest during
the Vietnam era in what is known as the "secret war." He
continued as follows:
When it was discovered during the Vietnam war that
communist forces had entered Laos, the CIA covertly
recruited and trained over 35,000 Hmong soldiers to
defend U.S. military operations; these soldiers fought
to block the primary supply route of the North
Vietnamese army, gathered intelligence, supported
American military personnel, and rescued downed
pilots. During that conflict, the Hmong suffered
tremendous losses. The Hmong soldiers it is estimated
died at ten times the rate of American soldiers in the
Vietnam conflict. It is estimated that nearly 100,000
Hmong, including civilians, died during the "secret
war." After the war, the Lao government organized
against the Hmong for having assisted the United
States, interring tens of thousands and killing an
estimated 50,000 Hmong as retribution. Despite serving
honorably, Hmong veterans have waited many years to be
fully recognized and we have a veteran's designation
on our drivers' license. The plan is to work with the
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs and DMV to
establish some sort of procedure that they can prove
that they served during the Vietnam War.
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL opened public testimony.
10:08:11 AM
PASERT LEE, representing himself, Anchorage, Alaska, testified
in support of SB 194. He explained that he was representing the
Hmong Alaska Community, Inc. and the Hmong American Veterans of
Anchorage, Alaska. He disclosed that the Hmong and Lao people
helped thousands of Americans throughout the Vietnam War on the
Ho Chi Minh Trail, Laos, and Vietnam. He stated that the Hmong-
Lao have been patiently waiting for 41 years to be acknowledged
for their sacrifice. He remarked that many Hmong-Lao veterans
have passed away and more will be gone if the waiting continued.
10:09:52 AM
ARTHUR YANG, representative, Hmong-Alaska U.S. Special Guerrilla
Unit Corporation, Anchorage, Alaska, testified in support of SB
194. He detailed that the Hmong were a special guerrilla unit
that served the United States during the Vietnam War. He set
forth that the Hmong deserved recognition for the great job they
did during the Vietnam War.
10:12:24 AM
PAMELA BEALE, Chair, Alaska Veterans Advisory Council, Alaska
Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, Anchorage, Alaska,
testified in support of SB 194. She revealed that after polling
the members of the Alaska Veterans Advisory Council on SB 194,
the majority supported an act relating to the veterans
designation on the identification card or driver's license for
the Hmong and Lao veterans.
10:13:16 AM
BOB DOEHL, Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Department of Military
and Veterans' Affairs (DMVA), Anchorage, Alaska, testified in
support of SB 194. He stated that following the three previous
speakers was humbling. He revealed that 35,000 Hmong directly
supported U.S. forces and 20,000 were estimated to have
perished, a casualty rate not seen since the Civil War. He said
when the communists took over Laos after the war, all of the
Hmong were targeted for elimination by mass genocide or forced
exodus. He noted that some of the Hmong that testified earlier
were still black-listed and cannot return to their home country.
He set forth that the U.S. was their country now.
He detailed that the Hmong were the primary force that
interjected North Vietnamese supplies on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
and resupply routes through the jungle so heavy that air attacks
could not stop it. He remarked that the guns and ammunition the
Hmong destroyed were the ones that could not be used against
U.S. forces. He added that the Hmong were also the ones that
protected radio aid stations that were vital to U.S. bombing
inside North Vietnam.
He revealed that in coming from a rescue community, a personal
note, the Hmong would go and rescue downed U.S. airmen in places
deemed too dangerous to send U.S. forces in what was termed a
good mission, the Hmong would only lose 10 to rescue 1-American
airman.
MR. DOEHL disclosed that Brigadier General Hammond's father did
three tours in Vietnam and was stationed with units that were
known to have been supported by the Hmong; she has no doubt that
the Hmong efforts helped enable her father to return home and
that debt of gratitude is owed.
He set forth that on behalf of DMVA, General Hummel, and
himself, the committee's efforts were welcomed for recognizing a
group that suffered huge combat losses in Vietnam so that fewer
American veterans were killed in action (KIA) and missing in
action (MIA).
10:15:22 AM
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL asked if the bill would entitle Hmong
veterans to any other benefits that they were currently unable
to get.
MR. DOEHL answered no. He specified that the bill only allows
license plate and driver's license recognition. He noted that
Verdie Bowen would be able to detail Hmong veteran verification.
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL asked how verification would work.
10:16:22 AM
VERDIE BOWEN, Director, Office of Veterans Affairs, Alaska
Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, Anchorage, Alaska,
explained that verification would be set up virtually the same
way as with the Alaska Territorial Guard members. He detailed
that individuals within the Hmong community would be designated
to verify an individual's service. The adjutant general for the
State of Alaska would sign the honorable service after
verification and a state equivalent to a "DD Form 214" would be
issued that could be used at DMV for a driver's license
designation.
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL commented that verification should be
credible and honorable.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI announced that he had a CS to bring before
the committee. He explained that the CS made small technical
changes.
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL asked Senator Wielechowski if he worked with
Chair Stoltze on the CS.
SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI answered yes.
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL asked that Senator Huggins move to adopt the
CS.
10:17:55 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS moved to adopt the CS for SB 194 as the working
document.
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL objected for discussion purposes.
MR. GEORGE announced that the CS was a State Affairs CS that did
go through the chair's office. He explained that the chair is
the only office authorized to order a State Affairs CS. He said
the CS was ordered and included changes which were brought
forward to the chair's office from the sponsor. He explained
that there was some needed cleanup to be done from the bill's
drafting.
He detailed that the CS makes two changes to the bill. He
pointed out that the bill's original version was a bit
duplicative in how veterans were described and two different
service dates were given. He stated that the significance of the
service dates was laid out with backup documents and
consolidated to read as follows:
Or a Hmong veteran or Lao veteran who served in
military operations in support of the United States in
the Kingdom of Laos between February 20, 1961 and May
15, 1975.
He specified that the broader service date definition goes back
to 1961 rather than the two dates which had a 1964 date that was
tied to the Gulf of Tonkin incident that led to the actual
declaration in the Vietnam War. He pointed out that the 1961
date was used by President Ford to define veteran's benefits for
the conflict and the CS would conform to federal U.S. code. He
added that the May 15, 1975 date was the fall of the secret
airbase that the CIA set up along with Hmong veterans. He noted
that the changes were repeated in Section 2 as well.
10:20:07 AM
He pointed out that the title which Section 1 amends was in
Title 18, Public Safety statutes. He disclosed that Title 18 was
a vestige when the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was in the
Department of Public Safety. He noted that the section reads on
page 2 as follows:
The department shall consult with Department of
Military & Veterans Affairs to determine the proof
necessary to show that a person is a Hmong veteran.
MR. GEORGE detailed that "department" was actually referring to
the Alaska Department of Administration (DOA) even though the
statute was in the Public Safety statutes. He revealed that the
governor's executive order in 1997 moved DMV to DOA and that was
the reason two different titles were effected. He explained that
the bill was specific to ID cards and driver's licenses.
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL removed his objection to adopting the CS. He
noted that Chair Stoltze asked that the bill be held in
committee.
10:21:32 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS stated that he encouraged Senator Wielechowski
to meet with him regarding the veteran's caucus that recently
met on coordinating activities. He asserted that he did not know
of anybody that objected to the bill, but noted that there may
be some reasons. He disclosed that he worked with the Hmong and
remarked that the Hmong were wonder people that did wonderful
things, but there were other people that were involved,
including the indigenous people of Vietnam that did the same
thing. He revealed that he served in the Vietnam War and had
scars from it. He said he was angry about some of the things
that he saw and referenced John Kerry and Jane Fonda as traders.
He asserted that his comments were not about himself and his
intent was to make sure what the committee was trying to do was
done correctly, accurately, and with dignity. He expressed that
the legislation should not be done because somebody was "our
neighbor." He said there was a lot of history and the whole
South Vietnamese army might be forgotten. He pointed out that a
whole bunch of Vietnamese people live in Alaska because of what
they did.
10:23:36 AM
BROOKE IVY, Staff, Senator Wielechowski, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, divulged that the DMVA was open to
broadening the language to include other foreign nationals that
may have fought on behalf of the United States overseas. She
stated that a further discussion could occur to address the
language to broaden the definitions within the bill.
SENATOR HUGGINS replied that he had spoken to Verdie Bowen with
DMVA. He noted that he held the same position as Verdie Bowen at
one time. He asserted that the intended recognition was a
process that could not be done on a Monday morning because
history was involved.
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL noted that he served in Europe rather than
Vietnam.
10:24:45 AM
VICE-CHAIR COGHILL announced that SB 194 would be held in
committee for further discussion.