03/18/2022 03:30 PM Senate RESOURCES

        SJR 23-SUPPORTING NAMING MTN AFTER GAIL PHILLIPS                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:38:36 PM                                                                                                                    
VICE CHAIR  MICCICHE announced the consideration  of SENATE JOINT                                                               
RESOLUTION  NO. 23  Expressing the  support of  the Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature for naming the mountain  between Cedar Ridge and Hope                                                               
Peak south of Anchorage after Gail Phillips.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:38:57 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR DONNY OLSON, Alaska State Legislator, Juneau, Alaska,                                                                   
sponsor of SJR 23, read the following sponsor statement:                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
[Original punctuation provided.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Born in Juneau and raised  in Nome, the late Speaker of                                                                    
     the House, Gail Phillips, was  an Alaskan at heart. She                                                                    
     left  an   impression  on   the  political   minds  and                                                                    
     philanthropic hearts of Alaskans.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     In  her lifetime,  she spent  years  working for  local                                                                    
     airlines, teaching,  serving on  the board  of Iditarod                                                                    
     Trail  Race Committee,  owned  a  sporting goods  shop,                                                                    
     lead  the Homer  Chamber  of Commerce,  was elected  to                                                                    
     Homer's City Council, served on  the board of the Kenai                                                                    
     Peninsula  Borough  Assembly,  mined for  gold  on  the                                                                    
     Seward Peninsula  and, of course, served  in the Alaska                                                                    
     House of Representatives.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     She  brought  together   urban  republicans  and  rural                                                                    
     democrats to form  a coalition that she  led as Speaker                                                                    
     of the  House for two consecutive  terms. Following her                                                                    
     political career, Gail worked  as executive director of                                                                    
     the   Exxon-Valdez  Oil   Spill   Trustees,  and   upon                                                                    
     retirement   she   mentored  future   politicians   and                                                                    
     consulted for natural resource development in Alaska.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Upon her death, she was  actively serving on the boards                                                                    
     of the  Iditarod Trail Race  Foundation and  the Alaska                                                                    
     Aviation  Museum.  She  was  involved  in  her  church,                                                                    
     Anchor  Park United  Methodist and  all her  grandsons'                                                                    
     activities.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     She  was a  daughter,  sister, wife,  mother, aunt  and                                                                    
     grandmother.   Her  leadership   was  not   limited  to                                                                    
     politics alone,  her entire family benefitted  from her                                                                    
     guidance that she  learned at the knee  of Alaska State                                                                    
     Territorial Representative, L.E.  Ost, her grandfather.                                                                    
     Mountains are  stable, strong and brave,  Gail Phillips                                                                    
     lived her life with these defining attributes.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Her  family and  I are  now advocating  for one  of her                                                                    
     favorite mountains  on the Kenai Peninsula  to be named                                                                    
     in her honor.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:41:45 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR STEVENS commented that it is  a deserving honor to name a                                                               
peak in honor Gail Phillips.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR OLSON agreed and noted  that he was beyond impressed when                                                               
he  was invited  to clean  up time  at the  gold mining  facility                                                               
where she worked.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:42:35 PM                                                                                                                    
VICE CHAIR MICCICHE commented on  her distinguished life and said                                                               
he  learned from  the  Phillips family  about  the importance  of                                                               
naming this peak in her honor.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS asked what the process is to name a mountain.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR OLSON deferred the question to Ms. Hahn.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:44:10 PM                                                                                                                    
BRIX  HAHN,  Staff,  Senator   Donny  Olson,  Anchorage,  Alaska,                                                               
relayed that it  is necessary to wait five years  after the death                                                               
for  the  mountain  to  be  named and  appear  on  federal  maps.                                                               
Legislative  Legal  Services  advised  the  sponsor  to  write  a                                                               
resolution  as opposed  to  legislation to  support  the idea  of                                                               
naming the peak more quickly.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS asked  if a geographic agency has  to approve the                                                               
naming.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. HAHN  answered yes and  she would  follow up in  writing with                                                               
the name of the agency.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:45:00 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR KIEHL asked  whether the peak currently had a  name or if                                                               
it was unnamed.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS. HAHN answered that it is unnamed.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KIEHL  asked whether there  was a  traditional Athabascan                                                               
place name for the peak.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. BRUNE  answered that she didn't  know but would find  out and                                                               
follow up in writing.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KIEHL  expressed interest in getting  that information at                                                               
some point in the process.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:46:09 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  KAWASAKI  conveyed that  the  U.S.  Board of  Geographic                                                               
Names was  the federal agency  in charge of geographic  names. He                                                               
explained that once  the board completes its process  a member of                                                               
Congress sponsors the legislative  process to officially name the                                                               
peak or  other location and then  the name can appear  on federal                                                               
maps.  If any  person of  Congress opposes  the name  change, the                                                               
process is held  up. He noted that this is  what delayed the name                                                               
change from Mt. McKinley to Denali.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:47:32 PM                                                                                                                    
VICE CHAIR MICCICHE opened public testimony on SJR 23.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:47:56 PM                                                                                                                    
KERIANN  BAKER,  Director  of Member  Relations,  Homer  Electric                                                               
Association, Homer,  Alaska, said she  didn't know of  a mountain                                                               
that  could  do   Gail  Phillips  justice.  She   was  a  dynamic                                                               
personality  who was  very supportive  of her  community. She  is                                                               
missed.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:48:59 PM                                                                                                                    
KATHRYN    DEBARDELABEN,    Representing   Self,    and    STEVEN                                                               
DEBARDELABEN,   representing  self,   Soldotna,  Alaska,   shared                                                               
delivery of the following testimony in support of SJR 23:                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     We ask committee members to support SJR 23 because:                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
        • Gail is a friend of our family, and has been                                                                          
          since before we were born. We consider her a part                                                                     
          of this family.                                                                                                       
     • She always included all the kids in conversations                                                                        
          and listened to our ideas and our opinions.                                                                           
          • We learned from Gail that we all have an                                                                            
          opportunity to participate in government and the                                                                      
          legislature.                                                                                                          
      • Gail loved Alaska. You could tell by the stories                                                                        
          she told, the stuff in her house, and how proud                                                                       
          she was of Alaska's history.                                                                                          
        •                                                                                                                       
     We brought a picture of  us with Gail's mountain. Thank                                                                    
     you for listening and we  encourage for you to vote for                                                                    
     this  mountain  to  be  named  after  our  friend  Gail                                                                    
     Phillips.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:50:21 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:50:50 PM                                                                                                                    
VICE CHAIR MICCICHE reconvened the meeting.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:50:59 PM                                                                                                                    
KATHRYN THOMAS,  Representing Self, Kasilof, Alaska,  stated that                                                               
her testimony would  share Gail Phillips' obvious  love of Alaska                                                               
and  her desire  to see  opportunities for  Alaska. She  said she                                                               
worked on  Gail Phillips'  campaign for  state House  and quickly                                                               
realized that  people found Gail  friendly and  approachable. She                                                               
also came to  admire Gail's work ethic, drive,  tenacity, and her                                                               
ability  to bring  people together.  People throughout  the state                                                               
looked at  her as an old  and close friend because  she supported                                                               
their visions and endeavors.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  THOMAS highlighted  that when  Gail was  elected Alaska  was                                                               
facing  major  budget  issues.  Companies  were  canceling  major                                                               
prospects and declining  to fund existing projects.  In an effort                                                               
to  sustain the  economy,  Alaska  business organizations  banded                                                               
together with  an "Open  for Business"  campaign and  motto. Gail                                                               
Phillips was their  friend in Juneau. Her  office was accessible,                                                               
she helped  to find middle  ground on major legislation,  and she                                                               
facilitated  meetings  between  businesses  and  regulators.  She                                                               
traveled  with the  organization and  added credibility  to their                                                               
efforts to  make changes to encourage  development and investment                                                               
in Alaska. She  highlighted that during her tenure  in the House,                                                               
Alaska businesses were  able to pass tort  reform legislation and                                                               
devote a  windfall tax settlement  to establish a  budget reserve                                                               
account.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. THOMAS said  Gail's vision for Alaska came down  to roads and                                                               
education. She understood how far it  is from Nome to Juneau, the                                                               
wealth of  natural resources  in those  miles, and  the potential                                                               
for local  jobs in the development  of the resource. She  saw the                                                               
need for  roads and airports  to provide access, reduce  the cost                                                               
of living,  and allow  generations to continue  to live  on their                                                               
home ground.  Gail understood  that the vast  miles from  Nome to                                                               
Juneau  held diverse  cultures,  people, and  villages that  were                                                               
leaving a  subsistence lifestyle  in one generation  and learning                                                               
to  manage a  board room  and billion  dollar contracts.  She was                                                               
acutely aware of  the need for education so  Alaskans could guide                                                               
their own future.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS.  THOMAS said  Gail believed  in the  people of  Alaska, their                                                               
can-do  spirit to  protect the  state's environment,  develop its                                                               
resources, and hold themselves and  others accountable. She never                                                               
hesitated  to   share  this  view  with   outside  interests  who                                                               
criticized Alaskans and tried to limit their growth.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS  THOMAS  concluded  saying  that if  Alaska  had  an  official                                                               
designation  for a  state cheerleader,  Gail Phillips  would meet                                                               
the  criteria. She  urged the  committee to  pass SJR  23 because                                                               
naming this mountain in her  honor was a beautiful recognition of                                                               
her dedication to Alaskans and to her beloved state of Alaska.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:55:39 PM                                                                                                                    
ROBIN  PHILLIPS,  representing  the   family  of  Gail  Phillips,                                                               
Anchorage,  Alaska,  thanked  the   committee  for  its  time  in                                                               
considering the  resolution and expressed  hope that it  would be                                                               
forwarded.  Responding  to  an earlier  question,  she  said  she                                                               
believes the peak currently is  unnamed, but the family will help                                                               
the sponsor look into that further.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. PHILLIPS  said her mother played  a large role in  the family                                                               
and  was a  striking  person  wherever she  went,  much like  the                                                               
mountains in Alaska. She expressed  appreciation for the previous                                                               
testimony and hope that committee would support the resolution.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:57:30 PM                                                                                                                    
VICE CHAIR MICCICHE closed public testimony on SJR 23.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS asked  if a sign could be posted  on the mountain                                                               
once  the resolution  passes, or  if a  legal or  federal process                                                               
like Senator Kawasaki described was also required.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
VICE   CHAIR  MICCICHE   relayed  his   understanding  that   the                                                               
resolution simply  states the legislature's support  for renaming                                                               
the mountain.  He agreed  that it  would be  helpful to  know the                                                               
next steps.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:58:24 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR OLSON  emphasized that to  the best of his  knowledge the                                                               
mountain  did not  have  a name,  which means  the  process is  a                                                               
little  different  than  the renaming  process  Senator  Kawasaki                                                               
described.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR STEVENS said  his point was that it would  be nice if the                                                               
name appeared on  federal maps and it would be  nice to know what                                                               
the process is to do that.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:58:55 PM                                                                                                                    
MS. HAHN  restated her understanding  that it would  be necessary                                                               
to wait five years before the name would appear on federal maps.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:59:16 PM                                                                                                                    
VICE CHAIR MICCICHE looked to the will of the committee.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:59:24 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:59:48 PM                                                                                                                    
VICE CHAIR MICCICHE reconvened the meeting.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:59:53 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  STEVENS moved  to report  SJR 23,  work order  32-LS 32-                                                               
LS1433\B,  from  committee  with individual  recommendations  and                                                               
attached fiscal note(s).                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:00:08 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR MICCICHE found no objection  and SJR 23 was reported from                                                               
the Senate Resources Standing Committee.