03/09/2001 01:20 PM House RLS

HB 127-AIRCRAFT EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KOTT  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL  NO. 127, "An  Act relating to emergency  equipment to                                                               
be  carried  on  aircraft."    [Before  the  committee  was  CSHB
(TRA);  however,   committee  packets  contained   a  proposed                                                               
committee substitute (CS), Version F.]                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
JOHN  MANLY,   Staff  to  Representative  Harris,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, testified  on behalf  of Representative  Harris, the                                                               
sponsor of  HB 127.  Mr.  Manly explained that the  bill seeks to                                                               
address the  requirement for a  private pilot to carry  a firearm                                                               
as part  of the emergency  equipment.  This requirement  has been                                                               
in place  since 1949.   However, Canada recently changed  its law                                                               
such that  it prohibits  pistols; it is  a cumbersome  process to                                                               
try to  get a firearm into  Canada.  Therefore, it  is an awkward                                                               
situation in which it is illegal  to take off in Alaska without a                                                               
firearm  but it  is illegal  to land  in Canada  with a  firearm.                                                               
This legislation would provide an  exemption for those taking off                                                               
and  flying to  Canada  under a  Federal Aviation  Administration                                                               
(FAA) flight plan that has been activated.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MANLY  specified  that  this committee  is  being  asked  to                                                               
slightly  broaden the  title to  include the  language, "aviation                                                               
and".   Therefore,  the title  would read  as follows:   "An  Act                                                               
relating to  aviation and  emergency equipment  to be  carried on                                                               
aircraft."   This is to allow  the Senate to [revamp  some of the                                                               
old  statute  in Title  2  beyond  just the  emergency  equipment                                                               
language].                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KOTT noted  that committee members have  been provided with                                                               
the  proposed CS,  Version F,  that  includes the  aforementioned                                                               
change to the title.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Number 0237                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ  inquired as to  why the House  does not                                                               
fix the problems in Title 2.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. MANLY informed the committee  that Senator Halford is working                                                               
on  a  major  rewrite  of  Title 2  and  thus  "we  thought  we'd                                                               
accommodate him."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ  referred to  subparagraph (G)  that has                                                               
changed the requirement  from two small boxes of  matches to fire                                                               
starter.   He noted  that there  is no  requirement for  a signal                                                               
mirror, which he thought of as standard survival equipment.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MANLY  indicated  that  requiring   a  signal  mirror  would                                                               
probably "make  sense."   With regard to  the language  change in                                                               
subparagraph  (G),  he  explained that  Representative  Ogan  had                                                               
thought that  [reference to] more  modern fire  starter equipment                                                               
of  all  sorts  would  be  more appropriate.    He  informed  the                                                               
committee that  several other archaic portions  of this [statute]                                                               
were considered.  For example,  Representative Harris thought the                                                               
small gill net requirement should  be replaced with a requirement                                                               
for "fishing  tackle" because  one can't even  find a  small gill                                                               
net.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ  remarked that  he could  recommend what                                                               
to  carry based  on his  experience.   However, he  surmised that                                                               
there are  experts in survival  of emergency situations  and thus                                                               
he hoped  that the statute  would reflect their  expertise rather                                                               
"our"  camping experiences.   Representative  Berkowitz said,  "I                                                               
just hope that  if we do decide  to send this over,  with an open                                                               
title,  to   the  other   side  that   ...  those   concerns  are                                                               
accommodated."                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MANLY  reiterated that  Senator  Halford  is doing  a  major                                                               
rewrite of  Title 2.   Therefore, he suspected that  this section                                                               
[that HB 127 addresses] will receive some attention as well.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KOTT  noted his belief  that Senator Olson is  working with                                                               
Senator Halford on the Title 2 rewrite.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MANLY  interjected  that   Senator  Olson  had  contemplated                                                               
introducing a companion bill to HB 127.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Number 0437                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  KOTT  asked  if  any   consideration  had  been  given  to                                                               
including [a requirement to] carry a compass.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MANLY said  that  didn't come  up in  any  of the  committee                                                               
meetings.  He explained that  the main concern was to accommodate                                                               
this problem with Canada.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Number 0480                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER moved to adopt  CSHB 127, Version F, as the                                                               
working  document   before  the   committee.    There   being  no                                                               
objection, Version F was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Number 0498                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER moved  to report CSHB 127  out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations   [and  the  accompanying  zero                                                               
fiscal  note].   There  being  no  objection, CSHB  127(RLS)  was                                                               
reported from the House Rules Standing Committee.