04/30/2004 08:05 AM House STA

SJR 25-FLOODING AND EROSION CONTROL ASSISTANCE                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
[Contains discussion of HB 327.]                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 1040                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WEYHRAUCH  announced that  the next  order of  business was                                                               
SENATE  JOINT  RESOLUTION  NO.   25,  Recommending  that  certain                                                               
federal funding  restrictions be eased  so that more  villages in                                                               
Alaska  would qualify  for assistance  relating  to flooding  and                                                               
erosion.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 0059                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
HAVEN  HARRIS,  Staff  to  Senator   Donny  Olson,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  on  behalf  of Senator  Olson,  sponsor,  read  the                                                               
sponsor statement, as follows:                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     Senate Joint  Resolution 25 is a  resolution requesting                                                                    
     the  Army Corp  of  Engineers ease  their cost  benefit                                                                    
     analysis for projects in rural Alaska.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Senator Olson has proposed  this resolution in response                                                                    
     to  many  concerns  voiced   by  my  constituents  with                                                                    
     regards  to  the  erosion and  flooding  problems  that                                                                    
     plague  Western   Alaska.    Currently,  many   of  the                                                                    
     villages  in  Western  Alaska  are  not  receiving  the                                                                    
     assistance  needed  for  the  protection  of  life  and                                                                    
     property.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     On  November  8,  2003,  a  winter  storm  hit  western                                                                    
     Alaska.    This  storm caused  considerable  damage  to                                                                    
     Unalakleet, Shishmaref, and  some of Nome's surrounding                                                                    
     areas.   While  the governor  has declared  a state  of                                                                    
     disaster   because  of   this   storm,  the   continued                                                                    
     effect[s] of erosion on the  villages of Alaska are not                                                                    
     going to be solved  by emergency disaster declarations.                                                                    
     A  more comprehensive,  coordinated effort  is required                                                                    
     by the  Army Corps of  Engineers and other  federal and                                                                    
     state agencies.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     Senator  Olson and  our office  respectfully urge  your                                                                    
     support for this resolution to  focus attention on this                                                                    
     serious problem.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR. HARRIS noted that although  the sponsor statement talks about                                                               
erosion  in Western  Alaska, it  is  a serious  problem in  other                                                               
parts  of the  state, as  well; therefore,  the "BE  IT RESOLVED"                                                             
section of the  resolution [on page 2, lines  14-18] includes all                                                               
communities in the state.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Number 0194                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HOLM,  for the record,  characterized HB 327  as a                                                               
companion  bill  to SJR  25,  because  it  also deals  with  cost                                                               
benefits  analyses  that [are  not  economically  feasible].   He                                                               
expressed his  appreciation for SJR 25  and said he hopes  it can                                                               
be supported.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Number 0265                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON, [in  regard to  the section  of the  bill                                                               
addressing sending "COPIES"  of the resolution, on  page 2, lines                                                             
19-26],  suggested   that  the  copies  be   sent  by  electronic                                                               
transmission to avoid possible problems of sending them by mail.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 0306                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON  moved to  report SJR  25 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  [and the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes].   There being no  objection, SJR  25 was reported  out of                                                               
the House State Affairs Standing Committee.