02/26/2009 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS

HJR 15-CHANGE NAME OF MT. MCKINLEY TO DENALI                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:21:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MUNOZ announced  that the final order  of business would                                                               
be  HOUSE  JOINT RESOLUTION  NO.  15,  Urging the  United  States                                                               
Congress to change the name of Mount McKinley to Denali.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:22:14 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   SCOTT   KAWASAKI,  Alaska   State   Legislature,                                                               
speaking as the sponsor of  HJR 15, relayed how picturesque Mount                                                               
McKinley and the  surrounding area is.  The peak  has been around                                                               
for millions of years and  the Alaska Natives appropriately named                                                               
it  Denali, "The  High One."   The  peak was  renamed in  1896 by                                                               
William  Dickey after  presidential candidate  McKinley, who  did                                                               
become  the  president.     About  18  months   after  he  became                                                               
president,  President McKinley  was  fatally shot.    This was  a                                                               
president who had  no apparent connection to the  state and never                                                               
visited  the  state.    Representative   Kawasaki  said  that  he                                                               
introduced HJR 15 to encourage  Congress to reconsider naming the                                                               
peak "Denali,"  which would  restore the  name back  to Alaskans.                                                               
He reminded members  that in the 1970s the attempt  to change the                                                               
name  of  McKinley National  Park  to  Denali National  Park  was                                                               
successful.    Since  1975  Ohio  Congressman  Ralph  Regula  has                                                               
blocked the name change of the  peak.  Congressman Regula is from                                                               
Canton, Ohio,  which is  the birth  place of  President McKinley.                                                               
The retirement  of Congressman  Regula would  seem to  provide an                                                               
opening  with  regard  to  renaming  the  peak.    Representative                                                               
Kawasaki opined that  it's appropriate that the name  be given by                                                               
the Alaskan people.  He  further opined that although he respects                                                               
the  Office of  the  President,  McKinley already  has  a lot  of                                                               
things  named after  him.   In  closing, Representative  Kawasaki                                                               
related his belief that it's time  for the Alaskan people to name                                                               
their own landmarks.  He  acknowledged that although HJR 15 isn't                                                               
the most important  resolution, the message it  sends Congress is                                                               
as grand  as the mountain  itself:   that Alaska should  name its                                                               
landmarks.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:27:16 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HERRON  moved that the  committee adopt HJR  15, Version                                                               
A.  There being no objection, HJR 15 was before the committee.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:27:59 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVID  MOORE, Member,  Alaska  Historical  Commission, Office  of                                                               
History &  Archaeology, Division  of Parks &  Outdoor Recreation,                                                               
Department of Natural Resources, related  support for HJR 15.  He                                                               
explained that  the Alaska Historical Commission  is the official                                                               
board  that  reviews geographic  name  proposals  prior to  those                                                               
proposals being  submitted to  the US  State Board  on Geographic                                                               
Names.   The  Alaska  Historical Commission  and its  predecessor                                                               
board  have  voted in  favor  of  changing  the name  to  Denali,                                                               
primarily due to the belief that  Alaskans should be able to name                                                               
their places.   Mr.  Moore related  that the  commission's Native                                                               
member  supports  HJR  15,  but   requests  that  the  resolution                                                               
identify the  dialect of  Athabascan that  the name  Denali comes                                                               
from rather than refer to the Athabascan language.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:30:16 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ROBERT  CHARLIE,   Executive  Director,  Cultural   Heritage  and                                                               
Education  Institute, related  his support  of HJR  15 and  noted                                                               
that  "Denali" is  the  proper spelling.   The  peak  has been  a                                                               
landmark for  the Athabascan people  for thousands of years.   He                                                               
noted that back in 1982 he  was one of the individuals who worked                                                               
with  US  Senator Stevens  to  gather  signatures in  support  of                                                               
changing the name to Denali.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:32:49 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR MUNOZ,  upon determining no  one else wished  to testify                                                               
or had questions, public testimony was closed.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
9:32:59 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HERRON  moved that  the  committee  adopt Amendment  1,                                                               
which read:                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Delete at page 1, lines 7-9                                                                                                
     Add the following at page 1, lines 7-9:                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
          WHEREAS "Denali" translates to "The High One"                                                                       
     from the  Koyukon dialect of the  Athabaskan people and                                                                    
     is  indicative  of  its worldwide  recognition  as  the                                                                    
     highest  mountain on  the continent  of North  America,                                                                    
     standing at 20,320 feet; and                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:33:15 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  HERRON  moved that  the  committee  adopt Amendment  2,                                                               
which read:                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Delete at page 2, lines 1-2                                                                                                
     Add the following at page 2, line 1-2:                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
         WHEREAS the Alaska Board of Geographical Names                                                                       
       officially recognizes the name of the mountain as                                                                        
     "Denali"; and                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
There being no objection, Amendment 2 was adopted.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
9:33:42 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR HERRON noted  his support for HJR 15.   He then informed                                                               
the committee that  President McKinley was a  decorated Civil War                                                               
veteran  who served  in Congress  and was  the governor  of Ohio.                                                               
President  McKinley was  especially  supportive  of gold  miners.                                                               
President McKinley  ran on a platform  in 1896 in support  of the                                                               
gold  standard.   Interestingly, President  McKinley believed  in                                                               
pluralism, which is  the protection of minority  ethnic groups in                                                               
society.  William  Dickey, a gold miner on the  Susitna, wrote an                                                               
article  promoting the  gold standard.   Because  of the  gold in                                                               
Alaska,  Mr.  Dickey  named  the   peak  in  honor  of  President                                                               
McKinley.  Therefore, Co-Chair Herron  opined that it was topical                                                               
and made  sense at  the time.   Co-Chair Herron  then highlighted                                                               
the importance of discussing the resolution.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:37:27 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GARDNER remarked  that  as a  legislator she  has                                                               
learned that everything is important to someone.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
9:37:51 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CISSNA  opined that  HJR  15  hits the  heart  of                                                               
Alaskans in  many ways.  Furthermore,  Co-Chair Herron's comments                                                               
regarding  President McKinley  seem  to  indicate that  President                                                               
McKinley would've supported HJR 15.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:39:30 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MILLETT  commented that introducing HJR  15 now is                                                               
timely to  as it's  the 50th  anniversary of  Alaska's statehood.                                                               
She  related  her  support  for  HJR 15,  which  she  said  isn't                                                               
trivial.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
9:40:09 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER  moved to report  HJR 15, as  amended, out                                                               
of   committee   with    individual   recommendations   and   the                                                               
accompanying  fiscal  notes.   There  being  no objection,  CSHJR
(CRA)  was  reported  from the  House  Community  and  Regional                                                               
Affairs Standing Committee.