03/20/2023 03:30 PM House TRIBAL AFFAIRS

           HB 26-COUNCIL FOR ALASKA NATIVE LANGUAGES                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:32:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCORMICK announced  that the only order  of business would                                                               
be  HOUSE  BILL  NO.  26,  "An Act  renaming  the  Alaska  Native                                                               
Language  Preservation and  Advisory Council  as the  Council for                                                               
Alaska Native Languages;  and relating to the  Council for Alaska                                                               
Native Languages."                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:33:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ANDI STORY,  Alaska State  Legislature, as  prime                                                               
sponsor,  presented HB  26.   Having previously  been before  the                                                               
committee to  present HB 26, she  offered a refresher of  the key                                                               
issues addressed  by the proposed  legislation.  She said  she is                                                               
the   legislative  liaison   to   the   Alaska  Native   Language                                                               
Preservation  and  Advisory  Council,  which  has  expressed  the                                                               
desire  for  a name  change  to  the  Council for  Alaska  Native                                                               
Languages   because  the   council  does   not  merely   preserve                                                               
languages, it revitalizes them.  In  addition to that goal, HB 26                                                               
would add  two voting members  to expand council  membership from                                                               
five to seven.  Having  additional members on council would serve                                                               
to further awareness of Alaska's  Native languages throughout the                                                               
state.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:35:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER asked who appoints the council members.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY   answered  they   are  appointed   by  the                                                               
governor.  In  response to a follow-up question,  she offered her                                                               
understanding  that  there would  be  no  breakdown as  to  which                                                               
languages were represented by which council members.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:36:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:36 p.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:36:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCORMICK invited amendments to HB 26.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:38:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ALLARD  moved to  adopt  Amendment  1 to  HB  26,                                                               
labeled 33-LS0266\A.1, Bergerud, 3/16/23, which read as follows:                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 1, following "Act":                                                                                         
          Insert "relating to the official languages of the                                                                   
     State of Alaska;"                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, following line 4:                                                                                                  
     Insert a new bill section to read:                                                                                         
        "* Section 1. AS 44.12.310(a) is amended to read:                                                                   
          (a)  The English, Inupiaq, Siberian Yupik,                                                                            
     Central  Alaskan  Yup'ik, Cup'ig,  Alutiiq,  Unanga/Cx,                                                                
     Dena'ina,   Deg  Xinag,   Holikachuk,  Koyukon,   Upper                                                                    
     Kuskokwim, Gwich'in,  [TANANA,] Upper  Tanana, Sahcheeg                                                                
     xut'een  xneege'  (Middle  Tanana),  Benhti  Kokhwt'ana                                                                
     Kenaga'  (Lower Tanana),  Tanacross, Hän,  Ahtna, Weta                                                             
     (Ts'etsa'ut),  Eyak,  Tlingit,   Haida,  and  Tsimshian                                                                
     languages are  the official languages  of the  State of                                                                    
     Alaska."                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 5:                                                                                                            
          Delete "Section 1"                                                                                                  
          Insert "Sec. 2"                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 9:                                                                                                            
          Delete "sec. 2"                                                                                                       
          Insert "sec. 3"                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 11:                                                                                                           
          Delete "sec. 2"                                                                                                       
     Insert "sec. 3"                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:38:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:38:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD  spoke to  Amendment 1.   She  explained it                                                               
would  add  formerly omitted  Alaska  languages  to the  list  of                                                               
Alaska's official  languages so that all  Alaska Native languages                                                               
are recognized.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:39:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
                                      _                                                                                         
REPRESENTATIVE STORY  explained that  X'unei Lance  Twitchell had                                                               
brought this matter  to her attention.  She  introduced her staff                                                               
to offer further details regarding the need for Amendment 1.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:40:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MIRANDA  WORL, Staff,  Representative  Andi  Story, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on behalf of Representative  Story, prime sponsor of                                                               
HB 26, noting that further  explanation from the council could be                                                               
found in  the committee packet,  explained that the  original map                                                               
of  20 Alaska  Native languages  was created  in 1974,  and Wetal                                                               
[Ts'etsa'ut] was  not included because  it was no  longer spoken;                                                               
however, it is important for it  to be included.  She said Cup'ig                                                               
is included in the Central Yup'ik  language on the map, but it is                                                               
important that it be considered a  language on its own.  Finally,                                                               
the  Tanana language  currently listed  encompasses two  distinct                                                               
languages      [Benhti  Kokhwt'ana  Kenaga']  Lower   Tanana  and                                                               
[Sahcheeg  xut'een  xneege']  Middle  Tanana    which  should  be                                                               
recognized individually.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:41:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  WORL,   in  response  to  a   question  from  Representative                                                               
Carpenter,  cited  AS  44.12.310  as  listing  Alaska's  official                                                               
languages, and said English is among them.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:43:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DIBERT removed  her  objection to  the motion  to                                                               
adopt Amendment 1.   There being no  further objection, Amendment                                                               
1 was adopted.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:43:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MCCORMICK,   after  ascertaining   there  were   no  other                                                               
amendments to be offered, entertained a motion.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:43:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT moved  to report HB 26, as  amended, out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.    There  being no  objection,  CSHB  26(TRB)  was                                                               
reported out of the House Special Committee on Tribal Affairs.