Legislature(2023 - 2024)ADAMS 519

04/17/2023 01:30 PM House FINANCE

Note: the audio and video recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.

Download Mp3. <- Right click and save file as

* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
-- Delayed to 3:00 PM --
+ HB 3 GOLD AND SILVER SPECIE AS LEGAL TENDER TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
+ HB 83 CITIZEN ADVISORY COMM ON FEDERAL AREAS TELECONFERENCED
Heard & Held
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
HOUSE BILL NO. 83                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An   Act   reestablishing   the   Citizens'   Advisory                                                                    
     Commission on Federal Management Areas in Alaska; and                                                                      
     providing for an effective date."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:20:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE RAUSCHER, SPONSOR, thanked the                                                                            
committee for hearing HB 83. He read the sponsor statement                                                                      
(copy on file):                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     House  Bill  83  reestablishes the  Citizens'  Advisory                                                                    
     Commission  on  Federal   Management  Areas  in  Alaska                                                                    
     (CACFA), which  sunset in 2021,  and sets a  new sunset                                                                    
     date of June 30, 2031. The  Commission is made up of 10                                                                    
     public  members, one  Senator,  and one  Representative                                                                    
     who  represent  "the diversity  of  users  and uses  of                                                                    
     federal land  in the  state" and  are appointed  by the                                                                    
     Governor and Legislature.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     CACFA  was first  established  in  1981, shortly  after                                                                    
     Congress  passed  the  Alaska National  Interest  Lands                                                                    
     Conservation Act  (ANILCA)    comprehensive legislation                                                                    
     governing all federal public lands  in the state. Under                                                                    
     the  balanced compromise  Congress  crafted in  ANILCA,                                                                    
     104+ million  acres (on top  of the ~100  million acres                                                                    
     already set aside) were  set-aside in permanent federal                                                                    
     ownership  as conservation  system units  (e.g., parks,                                                                    
     preserves,  wildlife refuges,  wilderness areas)  while                                                                    
     at the  same time enabling Alaskan's  to maintain their                                                                    
     traditions, accommodate  the social and  economic needs                                                                    
     of  the state,  provide a  range of  land-use and  land                                                                    
     access rights, safeguard  opportunities for responsible                                                                    
     resource   development,    and   facilitate   continued                                                                    
     improvements    in     transportation    and    utility                                                                    
     infrastructure. The provisions of  ANILCA plus those of                                                                    
     the Alaska  Statehood Act and the  Alaska Native Claims                                                                    
     Settlement  Act (ANCSA)  mean  that  most Alaskans  are                                                                    
     regulated   under  a   unique  and   extremely  complex                                                                    
     regulatory web.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     For  the  decades  that  CACFA   operated,  it  was  an                                                                    
     independent  and impartial  source  of information  and                                                                    
     center  for advocacy  on Statehood,  ANCSA, and  ANILCA                                                                    
     issues that  impact all Alaskans. CACFA  helps Alaskans                                                                    
     navigate  complex regulations  and  works with  federal                                                                    
     agencies to ensure  Congressional intent is implemented                                                                    
     with respect to Alaska's  interests. Among many things,                                                                    
     the  Commission   holds  hearings  to   collect  public                                                                    
     comment  on decisions  that  affect them;  disseminates                                                                    
     information  about historical  and  new regulations  to                                                                    
     the public, the Executive  branch, and the Legislature;                                                                    
     monitors  the Federal  Register  and regularly  submits                                                                    
     written  comment in  response  to  actions that  affect                                                                    
     Alaska; and helps  Alaskans navigate federal permitting                                                                    
     processes.                                                                                                                 
     While  the  State's  ANILCA   program  and  CACFA  both                                                                    
     monitor federal actions, CACFA is  the only entity that                                                                    
     represents  the views  of  Alaskan citizens  concerning                                                                    
     federal land management plans within the state.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     The last  state audit conducted in  2020 concluded that                                                                    
     "there   is   a   continuing  public   need   for   the                                                                    
     commission." As  time passes, institutional  memory and                                                                    
     ANILCA expertise is lost at  both the federal and state                                                                    
     level. An active CACFA is  critical to ensure that this                                                                    
     critical knowledge is  preserved, remains accessible to                                                                    
     Alaskans,   and  can   be   used   to  defend   Alaska.                                                                    
     Furthermore,  without  CACFA,  there  is  no  organized                                                                    
     center  through  which  individuals can  channel  their                                                                    
     concerns  to the  higher  levels  of government  making                                                                    
     important land  use decisions  that impact  them. CACFA                                                                    
     is an  essential tool  to ensure  that Alaskans  have a                                                                    
     strong  and  powerful  voice in  what  happens  in  our                                                                    
     state.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:25:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
RYAN MCKEE, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE RAUSCHER, read the                                                                     
sectional analysis (copy on file):                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Sec   1.      Amends  AS   44.66.010(a)  creating   new                                                                    
     subsection  (15) reestablishing  the Citizens  Advisory                                                                    
     Commission  on  Federal  Management  Areas  in  Alaska,                                                                    
     setting a new sunset date of June 30, 2031.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Sec  2.    Amends  AS  44.66.010(a), technical  change:                                                                    
     Removes subsection  (10) where CACFA's  previous sunset                                                                    
     date (June 30, 2021) was listed.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Sec  3.     Incorporates  transition  language  to  the                                                                    
     uncodified law of Alaska  establishing the initial term                                                                    
     lengths   of  new   appointments  to   the  commission.                                                                    
     Thereafter,   the   term   limits   outlined   in   the                                                                    
     Commission's statute will take effect.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Sec 4.  Sets an effective date of July 1, 2023.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Mr. McKee added that [legislative auditor] Ms. Kris Curtis                                                                      
was available online to answer any questions regarding the                                                                      
2020 audit mentioned in the sponsor statement.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster thought the bill  might seem complicated and                                                                    
he was aware that there  was a lot of background information                                                                    
involved  in the  legislation. For  example, Serpentine  Hot                                                                    
Springs  in Nome  were difficult  to access  because it  was                                                                    
located within  [Bering Land Bridge] National  Park and all-                                                                    
terrain vehicles  were not  allowed in  the area.  Elders in                                                                    
particular  had been  experiencing difficulty  accessing the                                                                    
springs  and historically,  elders had  visited the  springs                                                                    
frequently. He  relayed that CACFA  would allow  the opening                                                                    
of  trails that  fell under  [federal] Revised  Statute (RS)                                                                    
2477,  which   were  historical   trails  used   by  miners,                                                                    
travelers, and villagers, among  others. One of the concerns                                                                    
he  had  heard  was  that CACFA  might  make  private  lands                                                                    
vulnerable to  unwanted visitors, but his  understanding was                                                                    
that  CACFA  only  aimed  to open  federal  lands,  such  as                                                                    
national parks.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative Josephson thought the  concerns about RS 2477                                                                    
conflicts were  valid. He had  done research on  the Klutina                                                                    
Lake  dispute in  Wrangel and  there were  profound concerns                                                                    
about the  potential impacts of  opening federal  lands. His                                                                    
main concern  was that CACFA  had a narrow  perspective. The                                                                    
Board of  Game was  entirely appointed  by the  governor and                                                                    
Title  16 required  that  the  governor appointment  members                                                                    
with reference  to the diversity  of users; however,  he did                                                                    
not  think  the  requirement  was being  satisfied.  On  the                                                                    
Department of Fish and Game's  website, there was a video on                                                                    
how  to  extradite a  dog  from  a  trap.  He asked  how  an                                                                    
individual  dog owner  who  would like  to  avoid a  similar                                                                    
situation while walking on federal  lands would have a voice                                                                    
through CACFA.  He thought that  such an  individual's voice                                                                    
would be too  small to be heard amid the  federal outcry. He                                                                    
wondered  how the  quiet  user, such  as  the cross  country                                                                    
skier, dog walker,  or backpacker, would have  a voice under                                                                    
CACFA.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Representative Rauscher responded that  the quiet user would                                                                    
have an opportunity  to be heard under the bill  and that it                                                                    
was  part  of the  purpose  of  CACFA.  He thought  that  an                                                                    
individual could  always bring  their concerns to  CACFA and                                                                    
that  CACFA   would  make  a  determination.   However,  the                                                                    
decision  might  not  always be  made  in  the  individual's                                                                    
favor.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:32:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster reviewed the agenda for the following day's                                                                     
meeting.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
HB 83 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further                                                                               
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
HB3.VerB.SectionalAnalysis.4.11.23.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 3
HB3.VerB.SponsorStmt.4.11.23.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 3
HB3.VerB.SupportingDocsLetters.4.11.23.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 3
HB 83 Sectional Analysis.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
HB 83 Supporting Document AMA 3.13.2023.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
HB 83 Sponsor Statement.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
HB 83 Supporting Document APHA 3.8.2023.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
HB 83 Supporting Document ATA 3.27.2023.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
HB 83 Supporting Document CACFA Audit Report 04.08.2020.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
HB 83 Supporting Document CAP 3.13.2023.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
HB 83 Supporting Document Cunning 3.15.2023.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
HB 83 Supporting Document SCI AK 3.1.2023.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
HB 83 Supporting Document SCI AK SCI Kenai 3.21.2023.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
HB 83 SB 34 Support Letter Charlie Lean 4.14.23.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83
SB 34
HB 83 NEW FN DNR 041423.pdf HFIN 4/17/2023 1:30:00 PM
HB 83