04/30/2004 08:43 AM House FIN

SENATE BILL NO. 295                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     An Act extending the termination date of the Navigable                                                                     
     Waters Commission for Alaska; and providing for an                                                                         
     effective date.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
ZACH WARWICK,  STAFF TO SENATOR GENE THERRIAULT,  advised the                                                                   
Committee   that  SB  295   is  the   simpler  part   of  the                                                                   
navigability  package that Mr.  Balash addressed  earlier. In                                                                   
2002, the  Legislature  created the Joint  State and  Federal                                                                   
Navigable  Waters Commission  comprised of  seven states  and                                                                   
seven federal members.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Warwick explained  that the  Commission  was taxed  with                                                                   
three objectives:  to expedite  the process of quieting title                                                                   
to the state's submerged lands;  to determine which bodies of                                                                   
water  are   navigable  or  non-navigable;  and   to  provide                                                                   
recommendations  to the  state  and the  federal  governments                                                                   
concerning   ways   to   improve  the   process   of   making                                                                   
navigability determinations  and ways  to quiet title  to the                                                                   
state's submerged lands fairly and expeditiously.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Warwick  said that  after the  state legislation  passed,                                                                   
the  federal portion  of  the legislation  unfortunately  did                                                                   
not. Consequently,  no appointments were made  to the State's                                                                   
part  of   the  Commission.  This   bill  would   extend  the                                                                   
Commission for two  years to allow time to  persuade Alaska's                                                                   
congressional delegation to introduce  similar legislation on                                                                   
the federal portion of the Commission.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Foster   MOVED  to  report  SB   295  out  of                                                                   
Committee   with    individual   recommendations    and   the                                                                   
accompanying fiscal  note. There  being NO OBJECTION,  it was                                                                   
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SB  295  was REPORTED  out  of  Committee  with a  "do  pass"                                                                   
recommendation  and one  previously  published fiscal  impact                                                                   
note.