04/10/2003 09:05 AM House STA

SJR 7-VANCOUVER'S BID FOR 2010 WINTER GAMES                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 0240                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH  announced that  the next  order of  business was                                                               
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 7,  Expressing support for Vancouver,                                                               
British Columbia's,  bid for  the 2010  Olympic Winter  Games and                                                               
the  Paralympic   Winter  Games.    [Before   the  committee  was                                                               
HCS SJR 7(EDT).]                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 0250                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
RICHARD  SCHMITZ, Staff  to Senator  John  Cowdery, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  presented SJR  7 on  behalf of  the Senate  Special                                                               
Committee on  World Trade  and State/Federal  Relations, sponsor,                                                               
which  is chaired  by Senator  Cowdery.   He  explained that  the                                                               
resolution   lends  Alaska's   support   to  Vancouver,   British                                                               
Columbia, in its  effort to obtain the 2010  Olympic Winter Games                                                               
and the Paralympic  Winter Games.  Indicating  this would express                                                               
cross-border friendship, Mr. Schmitz noted  that Alaska has a lot                                                               
of shared boundary with British  Columbia and said there are many                                                               
economic and cultural ties between the two.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. SCHMITZ opined  that a practical aspect to  the resolution is                                                               
the  economic   boost  of  approximately  $1   billion;  although                                                               
Alaskans won't  benefit directly from  the games in  Vancouver, a                                                               
big carryover in  terms of publicity for  tourism is anticipated.                                                               
He said when  Calgary and Salt Lake City held  the Olympic Winter                                                               
Games, for example,  there was a boost in Western  Canada and the                                                               
Western U.S., respectively.  Mr.  Schmitz said many former Winter                                                               
Olympic  athletes have  hailed from  Alaska,  and the  resolution                                                               
would give  Alaskans the chance  to follow their  athletes closer                                                               
to home.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 0472                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. SCHMITZ, in response to  a question by Representative Seaton,                                                               
said the two  other cities competing [for the chance  to host the                                                               
Winter  Olympics]  are   Salzburg,  Austria,  and  [Pyeongchang],                                                               
Korea.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON moved  to  report HCS  SJR  7(EDT) out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
zero fiscal note.   There being no objection, HCS  SJR 7(EDT) was                                                               
reported from the House State Affairs Standing Committee.