03/13/2023 03:00 PM House TRIBAL AFFAIRS

           HB 26-COUNCIL FOR ALASKA NATIVE LANGUAGES                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:06:36 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."                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:06:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ANDI STORY,  Alaska State  Legislature, as  prime                                                               
sponsor, stated  HB 26 would do  two things:  change  the name of                                                               
the Alaska  Native Language Preservation and  Advisory Council to                                                               
the Council  for Alaska Native  Language; and add  two non-voting                                                               
members  to  expand council  membership  from  five to  seven  to                                                               
represent  more languages  within  Alaska.   She  commented on  a                                                               
question from a previous committee  meeting about the fiscal note                                                               
for  HB  26,  stating  that  the  addition  of  $10,000  for  the                                                               
Department  of  Commerce,   Community  and  Economic  Development                                                               
(DCCED) would cover  travel costs for the council  as required in                                                               
statute.   She added that the  staff for the council  is employed                                                               
under  DCCED, and  there is  only  a single  state employee,  Roy                                                               
Mitchell, who is the research analyst.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:09:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MIRANDA  WORL, Staff,  Representative  Andi  Story, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on behalf of Representative  Story, prime sponsor of                                                               
                                          _                                                                                     
HB 26,  said the proposed  amendment from X'unei  Lance Twitchell                                                               
in the previous committee meeting  would revise the official list                                                               
of  languages under  AS  44.12.310(a) from  20  to 23  officially                                                               
recognized languages.   She stated the revision  would add Wetal                                                                
and  Cup'ig to  the list  of languages,  and would  divide Tanana                                                               
into Lower Tanana and Middle Tanana.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:10:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ALLARD   stated  she  would  bring   forward  the                                                               
amendment on Wednesday.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:10:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY said  Mr. Twitchell  had also  suggested to                                                               
increase the  number of  state positions  from one  to two.   She                                                               
emphasized the council  is concerned with the  state of emergency                                                               
as Alaska  Native languages  are going dormant.   She  added that                                                               
the lack  of funding is  making it  difficult for the  council to                                                               
initiate  and  maintain  contact   with  Alaska  Native  language                                                               
stakeholders, and  that the single research  analyst was managing                                                               
travel arrangements.   She recommended  to the committee  to read                                                               
the executive summary  of the council's report,  and suggested it                                                               
could be appropriate  to invite the council to  discuss the state                                                               
of Alaska Native languages.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:13:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MCCORMICK expressed  interest in  inviting the  council to                                                               
speak to the committee.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:13:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:13 p.m. to 3:14 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:14:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCORMICK opened public testimony on HB 26.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:15:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
WALKIE CHARLES,  Ph.D., Director, Alaska Native  Language Center,                                                               
stated  he is  the first  Alaska  Native director  of the  Alaska                                                               
Native Language Center  (ANLC), which was established  in 1972 to                                                               
revitalize,  promote,   research,  and  document   Alaska  Native                                                               
languages.  He said  he is in support of HB 26  on behalf of ANLC                                                               
and  the Indigenous  people of  Alaska, to  change the  name from                                                               
Alaska Native  Language Preservation and Advisory  Council to the                                                               
Council  for  Alaska   Native  Language  to  make   a  clear  and                                                               
understandable title for the council.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:18:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCORMICK,  after ascertaining that  no one else  wished to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on HB 26.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:19:04 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:19 p.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:19:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STORY  emphasized as the liaison  from the council                                                               
that the issue  was important to the lives of  all people, Native                                                               
and non-Native.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:20:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MCCORMICK set the amendment deadline  for HB 26 as March 16                                                               
at 5:00 p.m. and [announced HB 26 was held over.]