Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124

04/30/2024 01:00 PM House TRANSPORTATION

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Audio Topic
01:03:19 PM Start
01:03:53 PM SB141
01:19:29 PM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= SB 141 NAMING RAYMOND & ESTHER CONQUEST BRIDGE TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSSB 141(TRA) Out of Committee
-- Invited & Public Testimony --
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
         SB 141-NAMING RAYMOND & ESTHER CONQUEST BRIDGE                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:03:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCABE announced  that the only order of  business would be                                                               
CS FOR SENATE  BILL NO. 141(TRA), "An Act naming  the Raymond and                                                               
Esther Conquest Bridge."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:04:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SAM  GREELEY,   Staff  ,Senator   Lyman  Hoffman,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  presented  CSSB  141(TRA)   on  behalf  of  Senator                                                               
Hoffman, prime sponsor.  He paraphrased the sponsor statement                                                                   
[included in the committee packet], which read as follows                                                                       
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Senate  Bill 141  renames  Bridge  1902, the  Aleknagik                                                                    
     Wood River  Bridge to the  Raymond and  Esther Conquest                                                                    
     Bridge.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     On March  22 2023, the  Aleknagik City Council  and the                                                                    
     Aleknagik   Traditional   council   adopted   a   joint                                                                    
     resolution  23-02,  requesting the  Legislature  change                                                                    
     the name  of the Wood  River Bridge to the  Raymond and                                                                    
     Esther Conquest Bridge.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Raymond Conquest  was born in  a little  village called                                                                    
     Apqa, in the  Bethel region. His mother  passed when he                                                                    
     was a young  child. He was raised by  an elderly couple                                                                    
     and later  ended up in  the Catholic orphanage  at Holy                                                                    
     Cross. He ran  away at the age  of 11 and at  age 13 or                                                                    
     14,  caught  a  steamship from  Bethel  to  Dillingham.                                                                    
     Raymond  was a  hard  worker and  lived  in a  one-room                                                                    
     shack with  friends. Later, Raymond  was employed  as a                                                                    
     heavy  equipment  operator  for  the  State  of  Alaska                                                                    
     Department  of Transporation  and Building  Facilities,                                                                    
     building a  State highway from Dillingham  to Aleknagik                                                                    
     named the  Lake Aleknagik  Road. The highway  is better                                                                    
     known as the Gateway to Wood Tikchik State Park.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Raymond later worked as a  caretaker at the Nerka Lodge                                                                    
     known as the Second Lake.  During that time, he met his                                                                    
     wife Esther,  who would assist him  with caretaking the                                                                    
     lodge.  Raymond's   next  venture  was   in  commercial                                                                    
     fishing. He  purchased the "Ricky T"  and shortly after                                                                    
     purchase a second boat the  "Gypsy". Raymond and Esther                                                                    
     would  fish  full  seasons  starting  in  Nushagak  and                                                                    
     Kwichak, and would later in  season transfer to Togiak.                                                                    
     Raymond was also an avid  hunter and trapper, after the                                                                    
     fishing season  the two  would hunt  for moose.  In the                                                                    
     spring  Raymond  would   snare  squirrels.  Esther  was                                                                    
     famous for her parkas and  dolls. She was well known in                                                                    
     the Bristol Bay Region for her craft.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Esther and  Raymond showed  kindness and  generosity to                                                                    
     all. They  are remembered for transporting  hundreds of                                                                    
     people back and forth  from Aleknagik to Dillingham. If                                                                    
     there  was an  emergency, it  was always  the Conquests                                                                    
     taking  people  to the  hospital  any  time of  day  or                                                                    
     night.  In the  tragic  case  of a  loss  of life,  the                                                                    
     Conquests  were   there  to  comfort  people   and  buy                                                                    
     groceries for them for weeks  in times of need. Raymond                                                                    
     was instrumental and played a  very big part in getting                                                                    
     the  Aleknagik Wood  River Bridge  complete in  October                                                                    
     2015. Raymond  was quoted as  saying "I will  fight for                                                                    
     that bridge until I die".  During the City of Aleknagik                                                                    
     2015 Bridge Ceremony, Raymond was  honored by being the                                                                    
     first one  to cross  the bridge in  his old  blue Chevy                                                                    
     truck.  Raymond and  Esther's  presence forever  shaped                                                                    
     the community of Aleknagik.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Please join  me in  supporting Senate Bill  141, naming                                                                    
     the Raymond and Esther Conquest Bridge.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:07:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES referenced an  unsigned resolution from the                                                               
city  council  and  tribe.     She  further  noted  a  letter  of                                                               
opposition  to  the  bridge  from  the  same  tribe  members  and                                                               
inquired whether there was a "split" in the community.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. GREELEY replied that he did  not have full details on why the                                                               
resolution was not signed.  He  had the minutes from the meeting,                                                               
he said,  and the resolution  was unanimously adopted.   He added                                                               
that he could provide more  details to the committee upon further                                                               
research.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STUTES asked  what relationship  Raymond Conquest                                                               
had with Senator Hoffman.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. GREELEY responded  that he believed Raymond was  a cousin but                                                               
would get back to the committee when he could confirm.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:09:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCABE  opened public  testimony on  CSSB 141(TRA).   After                                                               
ascertaining  no   one  wished  to  testify,   he  closed  public                                                               
testimony.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:10:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES  observed that  the tribe members  who sent                                                               
the letter  of opposition were  absent from the meeting  when the                                                               
unanimous  passage of  the resolution  occurred.   She reiterated                                                               
that there must be "some issue."                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. GREELEY stated that he could  not comment on or clarify that,                                                               
but he would try and identify the concern.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCABE  commented that the  mayor was at the  joint council                                                               
meeting at  the local school,  and he  was part of  the unanimous                                                               
approval of the resolution.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:12:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MINA  offered clarity regarding the  signatures on                                                               
the original resolution.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES  referred to the contents  in the committee                                                               
packet and  pointed out the  unsigned resolution.   She rephrased                                                               
her  concern about  a possible  issue being  that some  community                                                               
members were not present for the signing.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:14:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 1:14 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:15:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCABE  asked for the  will of the committee  and suggested                                                               
figuring out the  disparity between the letter  of opposition and                                                               
the resolution.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:16:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES wished  to have the bill  held and resolved                                                               
before advancing it.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:17:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCKAY  moved  to  report  CSSB  141(TRA)  out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal notes.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES objected.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
A roll call vote was  taken.  Representatives Sumner, C. Johnson,                                                               
McKay,  and McCabe  voted  in  favor the  motion  to report  CSSB
141(TRA)  out of  committee with  individual recommendations  and                                                               
the accompanying  fiscal notes.  Representatives  Mina and Stutes                                                               
voted against it.   Therefore, CSSB 141(TRA) was  reported out of                                                               
the House Transportation Standing Committee by a vote of 4-2.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:18:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES questioned the zero fiscal note and asked                                                                 
why the bill was going to House Finance Committee.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCABE noted that there was an attached fiscal note.                                                                      

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
CSSB 141VerB 4.23.24.pdf HTRA 4/30/2024 1:00:00 PM
SB 141
CSSB 141.VerB.Sponsor Statement 4.23.24.pdf HTRA 4/30/2024 1:00:00 PM
SB 141
CSSB 141.VerB.Explanation of Changes 4.23.24.pdf HTRA 4/30/2024 1:00:00 PM
SB 141
CSSB141.VerB.SectionalAnalysis 4.23.24.pdf HTRA 4/30/2024 1:00:00 PM
SB 141
CSSB141.VerB.Opposition Letter Empowering Alaskans 4.23.24.pdf HTRA 4/30/2024 1:00:00 PM
SB 141
CSSB141.verB.SupportingDocuments.JointResolution 4.23.24.pdf HTRA 4/30/2024 1:00:00 PM
SB 141
CSSB141.verB.SupportingDocuments.Meeting Minutes 4.23.24.pdf HTRA 4/30/2024 1:00:00 PM
SB 141
CSSB 141.VerB.Fiscal Note DOT 4.23.24.pdf HTRA 4/30/2024 1:00:00 PM
SB 141