Legislature(2023 - 2024)GRUENBERG 120

04/13/2023 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS

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Audio Topic
01:02:00 PM Start
01:02:46 PM Presentation(s): Overview of the Alaska Naval Militia
01:20:15 PM Presentation(s): Overview of the Civil Air Patrol
01:46:40 PM Adjourn
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ Presentations: TELECONFERENCED
- Overview of the Alaska Naval Militia by Captain
Jason Woodward
- Overview of the Civil Air Patrol by Lieutenant
Colonel Stephen Sammons
+ Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled TELECONFERENCED
**Streamed live on AKL.tv**
                    ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE                                                                                  
   HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS                                                                  
                         April 13, 2023                                                                                         
                           1:02 p.m.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS PRESENT                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Representative Stanley Wright, Chair                                                                                            
Representative Laddie Shaw                                                                                                      
Representative George Rauscher                                                                                                  
Representative Cliff Groh                                                                                                       
Representative Andrew Gray                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MEMBERS ABSENT                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Representative Ben Carpenter                                                                                                    
Representative Dan Saddler                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
PRESENTATION(S): OVERVIEW OF THE ALASKA NAVAL MILITIA                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     - HEARD                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PRESENTATION(S): OVERVIEW OF THE CIVIL AIR PATROL                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     - HEARD                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
No previous action to record                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
WITNESS REGISTER                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
JASON WOODWARD, Captain, Commander                                                                                              
Alaska Naval Militia                                                                                                            
Juneau, Alaska                                                                                                                  
POSITION STATEMENT:  Presented an overview of the Alaska Naval                                                                
Militia.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
STEPHEN SAMMONS, Lieutenant Colonel, Emergency Services Officer                                                                 
Alaska Wing                                                                                                                     
Civil Air Patrol                                                                                                                
Elmendorf Air Force Base                                                                                                        
Anchorage, Alaska                                                                                                               
POSITION STATEMENT:  Presented an overview of the Alaska Wing                                                                 
Civil Air Patrol.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
ACTION NARRATIVE                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
1:02:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STANLEY  WRIGHT  called the  House  Special  Committee  on                                                             
Military  and Veterans'  Affairs meeting  to order  at 1:02  p.m.                                                               
Representatives Shaw, Groh, Gray, and  Wright were present at the                                                               
call to  order.  Representative  Rauscher arrived as  the meeting                                                               
was in progress.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
^Presentation(s): Overview of the Alaska Naval Militia                                                                          
     Presentation(s): Overview of the Alaska Naval Militia                                                                  
                                                                                                                              
1:02:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
an overview of the Alaska Naval Militia.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:03:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JASON WOODWARD,  Captain, Commander,  Alaska Naval  Militia, gave                                                               
the  PowerPoint  presentation,  titled "Overview  of  the  Alaska                                                               
Naval  Militia"  [hardcopy included  in  committee  packet].   He                                                               
moved to  slide 2,  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     The  Alaska Naval  Militia (AKNM),  was established  in                                                                    
     1974 with one  full time employee who  was stationed in                                                                    
     Juneau.  The   organization  was  inactive   until  re-                                                                    
     established in 1985.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
      Per AS 26.05.010, the Naval Militia is comprised of                                                                       
       USC Title 10 Navy and Marine Corps Reservists who                                                                        
     serve in the AKNM as prescribed by AS 26.05.030.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN WOODWARD advanced  to slide 4 and reported  that AKNM has                                                               
48  members.   He said  the militia  now allows  for a  5 percent                                                               
retired member  status, which is done  for leadership continuity.                                                               
He explained  that all navy  reservists in  the unit who  live in                                                               
Alaska are  eligible and work on  Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson                                                               
(JBER).   He said the unit  is in a  Title 10 status of  the U.S.                                                               
Code, which  means "active duty."   He stated that  unless called                                                               
upon by  the state, it would  move to Title 32  status [Full-time                                                               
National  Guard duty].    He  presented slide  5,  which read  as                                                               
follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
   • Training available with Air Guard units at JBER and Eielson                                                                
     Air Force Base                                                                                                             
   • DMVA has access to fully trained and integrated personnel                                                                  
     when needed                                                                                                                
   • Joint Staff Training (five members trained & integrated in                                                                 
     2018)                                                                                                                      
   • Member Benefits:                                                                                                           
        o Pension: Base Benefit of $100 for each month of guard                                                                 
          service (AS 26.05)                                                                                                    
        o Education: First-term personnel may apply for tuition                                                                 
          reimbursement of 12 university credits                                                                                
   • •Members may be placed on Title 10 orders for Title 10                                                                     
     funded missions                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN WOODWARD moved to and read slide 6, which read as                                                                       
follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
         State Active Duty the Alaska Naval Militia has                                                                         
     participated in over the years:                                                                                            
   • Search and Rescue Missions                                                                                                 
   • Y2K Watch                                                                                                                  
   • Public Affairs Support                                                                                                     
   • Earthquake Exercises                                                                                                       
   • Annual Admin/Retirement Report                                                                                             
   • Arctic Care Support                                                                                                        
   • Operation Santa Clause                                                                                                     
   • Alaska Shield Exercise 2014                                                                                                
   • Millers Reach and Other Fires                                                                                              
   • Yakutat Snow Storm                                                                                                         
   • Seward Landslide                                                                                                           
   • Typhoon Merbock                                                                                                            
   • COVID 19 Support                                                                                                           
   • Swan Lake Fire                                                                                                             
   • Alaska Homeport Study                                                                                                      
   • Montana Creek Flood                                                                                                        
   • Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Response                                                                                            
   • Turnagain Pass Avalanche Body Recovery                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:07:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SHAW asked for a comparison between AKNM and the                                                                 
Alaska Defense Force.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN WOODWARD answered  that AKNM is aligned  with the defense                                                               
force in the organizational structure  under The Adjutant General                                                               
(TAG) as an organized militia.   He explained that the militia is                                                               
a working unit that is not directly assigned to the state.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:08:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRAY  asked  for an  explanation  around  pension                                                               
benefits and how this works.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN WOODWARD  answered that retired members  would receive "a                                                               
good year  in the navy"  once all standards  are met.   He stated                                                               
that  this would  add  a  "one" in  a  person's  retirement.   He                                                               
explained  that an  individual would  also  receive a  concurrent                                                               
benefit  with the  state, but  this would  not be  realized until                                                               
there is retirement from federal  support after 20 years, as well                                                               
as 5  years in continued  service for AKNM.   He said  that, once                                                               
this is  completed, there is  a benefit of  $100 each month  as a                                                               
lump sum.   He  stated that  only a  few individuals  qualify, as                                                               
most members  join for service  or education.   In response  to a                                                               
question  about  AKNM  offering   additional  pension  money  for                                                               
continued  service,  he  explained  that  he  submits  an  annual                                                               
retirement  and   benefits  spreadsheet  to  the   Department  of                                                               
Veteran's Affairs.  He offered  to provide a more detailed answer                                                               
in a follow-up.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:11:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT asked if AKNM holds monthly trainings.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN WOODWARD  answered yes,  and the  training is  with naval                                                               
units.   He explained that there  is only one unit  in Alaska, so                                                               
most members are assigned to a unit outside of the state.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:12:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRAY  asked  about members  assigned  outside  of                                                               
Alaska.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN WOODWARD explained  that every state has  a naval reserve                                                               
center, which  is where  naval reservists  "hang their  hat", and                                                               
Alaska's  center is  on JBER.    He said  that it  has about  100                                                               
people from units not in Alaska.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRAY  asked  how  the militia  and  the  reserves                                                               
differ.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN  WOODWARD   responded  that  militia  members   are  navy                                                               
reservists first,  which comes  with Title  10 status  and allows                                                               
them to volunteer to be assimilated into AKNM.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRAY offered  his understanding  that the  Alaska                                                               
State  Defense  Force  has  people  who  are  no  longer  in  the                                                               
military, while AKNM has current reservists  who can be a part of                                                               
the naval  militia.  He continued  that AKNM would be  for people                                                               
who  are  still  in  the  military; however,  once  a  person  is                                                               
finished with  the reserves, the  person would be no  longer part                                                               
of the militia.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN WOODWARD  responded in agreement.   He explained  that in                                                               
the last year, the statute was  changed to allow for five percent                                                               
of the militia to be in retired status.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GRAY disclosed  that  he does  not represent  the                                                               
Department of  Defense (DoD), U.S.  Military, National  Guard, or                                                               
the Office  of Veteran's  Affairs, and that  nothing he  says has                                                               
anything to do with the U.S. Military.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:15:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GROH asked about trends in militia membership.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN  WOODWARD   answered  that   the  previous  TAG   made  a                                                               
requirement that the militia would  do a certain number of drills                                                               
with the  National Guard.  He  explained that because this  was a                                                               
direct conflict  with the primary  mission, it caused  numbers to                                                               
drop because  the requirement could not  be met, as it  needed to                                                               
focus  on  Title  10.    He said  the  current  TAG  removed  the                                                               
requirement and added the 5  percent rule; therefore, numbers are                                                               
trending  up.   He  added that  AKNM is  now  more attractive  to                                                               
senior officers who would fill joint  staff roles in the event of                                                               
a disaster.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:17:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER  asked about the five  percent retirement                                                               
rule and who decides this.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN WOODWARD answered that TAG would decide.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:18:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT asked about which operations AKNM has helped with.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN WOODWARD  returned to  slide 6  of the  presentation, and                                                               
said  its biggest  response was  for Typhoon  Merbok [in  Western                                                               
Alaska].                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:19:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER  asked what  AKNM's duty had  been during                                                               
the Swan Lake Fire.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CAPTAIN WOODWARD answered that it supplied road guards.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
^Presentation(s): Overview of the Civil Air Patrol                                                                              
       Presentation(s): Overview of the Civil Air Patrol                                                                    
                                                                                                                              
1:20:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT announced that the  final order of business would be                                                               
the overview of the Civil Air Patrol.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:20:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
STEPHEN SAMMONS, Lieutenant  Colonel, Emergency Services Officer,                                                               
Alaska Wing  Civil Air Patrol  (CAP), returned to  the PowerPoint                                                               
presentation, on  slide 7,  titled "Overview  of the  Alaska Wing                                                               
Civil."   He  moved paraphrased  slide 8,  which read  as follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     What is the Civil Air Patrol?                                                                                              
        • Federally chartered                                                                                                   
        • Nonprofit, Humanitarian Organization                                                                                  
        • Serves as the Civilian Auxiliary to the United                                                                        
          States Air Force                                                                                                      
        • Serving America for over 80 years                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL  SAMMONS moved to  and read slide  9 [original                                                               
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     CAP Missions: Emergency Services                                                                                           
        • Disaster Relief                                                                                                       
             o Point of Distribution (POD) Support                                                                              
             o Sandbag Brigade                                                                                                  
             o Damage Assessment                                                                                                
        • Homeland Security                                                                                                     
        • Search & Rescue                                                                                                       
          (Air & Ground)                                                                                                        
        • Counterdrug                                                                                                           
        • Humanitarian Services                                                                                                 
        • Air Force ROTC Flights                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:22:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL SAMMONS advanced to and read slide 10                                                                        
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     CAP Missions: Cadet Programs                                                                                               
   • Leadership Skills                                                                                                          
   • Aerospace Education                                                                                                        
   • Physical Fitness                                                                                                           
   • Character Development                                                                                                      
   • Activities (including Flight Training & SAR)                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:22:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  COLONEL SAMMONS  moved  to slide  12  to explain  the                                                               
Unique  Service  Organization,  which  has Title  36  status  and                                                               
provides 501(c)(3)  status.  He  explained that  the organization                                                               
also holds Title 10 status.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:23:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Lieutenant Colonel SAMMONS transitioned to and paraphrased slide                                                                
13 [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     CAP's Legal Status                                                                                                         
   • A group of citizen volunteers and paid corporate staff                                                                     
         who are a Federally supported, Congressionally                                                                         
     Chartered, Non-Profit, Public benefit Corporation                                                                          
   • CAP serves as the Auxiliary Of The Air Force (when                                                                         
     tasked)                                                                                                                    
   o Defined in Title 10 U.S.C. 9441-9448                                                                                       
   o Must be performing an AF-Assigned Non-Combat Program                                                                       
     or Mission                                                                                                                 
   o Members serve as an "instrumentality of the United                                                                         
        States" and receive federal legal protection and                                                                        
     benefits in this status                                                                                                    
   • There is no permanent "Air Force Auxiliary"  it is a                                                                       
       temporary legal status enjoyed by CAP members when                                                                       
     performing Federal missions                                                                                                
   • The AF funds CAP through a Cooperative Agreement IAW 2                                                                     
     CFR 200                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:23:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL  SAMMONS presented an organizational  chart of                                                               
CAP  on slide  14.   He  moved  to  slide 15  to  show where  CAP                                                               
squadrons  are  located  across  the  state.   On  slide  16,  he                                                               
detailed  CAP's Alaska  resources, which  include several  Cessna                                                               
Gippsland  aircraft,  as  well  as a  few  gliders  for  training                                                               
purposes.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:26:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SHAW asked whether CAP owns its own aircraft.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LT.  COL. SAMMONS  answered  that the  aircraft  are owned  under                                                               
CAP's  501(c)(3) status.   He  noted  that member-owned  aircraft                                                               
have seen a decline in use due to federal restrictions.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:27:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RAUSCHER   asked  what  a  typical   flight  crew                                                               
consists of.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL  SAMMONS answered that, for  primary missions,                                                               
there  is a  mission pilot,  a  mission observer,  and a  mission                                                               
scanner.  In response to  a follow-up question, he explained that                                                               
a typical mission  consists of a search and  rescue mission crew,                                                               
and it would plan a  route search, monitor for emergency beacons,                                                               
and determine the best approach to  a search area.  He said other                                                               
missions  include damage  assessments, which  involves an  aerial                                                               
photographer, focusing  on photos  of infrastructure that  are in                                                               
disrepair.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RAUSCHER inquired  whether CAP  works with  state                                                               
troopers during search and rescue missions.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  COLONEL  SAMMONS  responded that  the  Department  of                                                               
Public Safety has statutory  authority over ground-based rescues.                                                               
He stated  that many  of CAP's  missions are  aeronautical search                                                               
and  rescue, which  falls under  the  Alaska Rescue  Coordination                                                               
Center.  He expressed appreciation  for local, state, and federal                                                               
agencies working together in search and rescues.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:31:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT asked if CAP has ever been activated for Title 32.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL SAMMONS answered no, as it is not state                                                                      
owned.  He said its approving authority would be the Eleventh                                                                   
Air Force.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:33:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL SAMMONS returned to the presentation and                                                                     
slide 17, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     CAP's Mission Roles                                                                                                        
     Flies 90% of all inland Search and Rescue                                                                                  
     Actively supports civilian authorities                                                                                     
        o National level exercises                                                                                              
        o Relied upon by FEMA, USGS, State and local                                                                            
          authorities                                                                                                           
     Supports Green Flag East and West exercises                                                                                
     International   award  winning   cadet  and   aerospace                                                                    
     programs                                                                                                                   
        o Received multiple grants for STEM initiatives                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:34:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL SAMMONS moved to and read slide 17 [original                                                                 
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     The Alaska Wing (AKWG) Funding                                                                                             
     Flying  is  either  AF-funded ($30K)  or  Member-funded                                                                    
     ($20K) per year                                                                                                            
     Vehicles/equipment are provided by CAP National HQ                                                                         
     Utilities  and   facility  maintenance  are   paid  for                                                                    
     locally with assistance from the grant provided by the                                                                     
     State of Alaska                                                                                                            
   o Vital to keeping the  lights on (literally), especially                                                                    
     in Interior Alaska                                                                                                         
     FY23 Plan:                                                                                                                 
   o ~$60K Roof for Leaking Kodiak Hangar                                                                                       
   o ~$30K Broken Merrill Hangar Door                                                                                           
   o ~$130K State-Wide Unit Facility Utilities (per Annum)                                                                      
   o ~$30K    Ops/IG/Aerospace   Education/Cadet    Programs                                                                    
     (STEM/outreach)                                                                                                            
     $15K  "Fenced" for  State Missions  as requested  (e.g.                                                                    
     Nov 2018)                                                                                                                  
     Unpaid  Volunteer  manpower  hours annually  (~2.6M  in                                                                    
     FY18)                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:36:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  COLONEL  SAMMONS  advanced   to  and  read  slide  18                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Search and Recovery (SAR) Mission Impact                                                                                   
   • Actively involved in 40% of all Alaska Rescue                                                                              
     Coordination Center (RCC) missions                                                                                         
   • CY 2019 Alaska RCC SAR missions                                                                                            
   o 60 Missions                                                                                                                
   o 84.7 Ground Hours                                                                                                          
   o 44 Air Sorties                                                                                                             
   o 94.9 Air Hours                                                                                                             
   o 28 Finds                                                                                                                   
   o 1 Save                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:36:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT  asked if mission  numbers are similar  in different                                                               
calendar years.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  COLONEL  SAMMONS  answered   that  that  are  "pretty                                                               
similar."  He explained that there  was a decrease in flights due                                                               
to  rainy weather.   He  said the  mission numbers  for 2021  are                                                               
about the same as 2019.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:37:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL  SAMMONS moved to  slide 19 to  present Alaska                                                               
Wing  disaster response  imagery.   He moved  to slide  20, which                                                               
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Intelligence Collection                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
   • CAP is not an intelligence organization                                                                                    
   • Conducts civil support missions for Non-Intelligence                                                                       
     purposes                                                                                                                   
   • Legal review required                                                                                                      
   • Does not collect, disseminate, or retain information                                                                       
     about US citizens                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:38:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  COLONEL SAMMONS  moved to  slide 21  and spoke  about                                                               
requests for  CAP forces.   He explained  that the Air  Force has                                                               
priority,  followed by  DoD,  federal  agencies, and  state/local                                                               
agencies.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:39:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL  SAMMONS moved to  slide 22 and  explained how                                                               
to  request Alaska  Wing CAP  support.   The slide  shows contact                                                               
information for  mission requests, as  well as search  and rescue                                                               
requests.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:41:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY referred to slide  21 and asked why the slide                                                               
is named "Intelligence Collection."                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  COLONEL SAMMONS  answered that  the slides  presented                                                               
were re-worded in  some areas and slide  21 discusses photography                                                               
missions.   He  said  that  the photos  taken  are  not used  for                                                               
intelligence purposes.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:42:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GROH  asked whether  there  are  less than  1,000                                                               
members.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  COLONEL  SAMMONS answered  yes.    In response  to  a                                                               
follow-up  question, explained  that  its  2.6 million  volunteer                                                               
hours was calculated across the national average.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GROH  offered his  understanding that  the average                                                               
volunteer hours per member is about 2,500 a year.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT   COLONEL   SAMMONS   responded  that   the   national                                                               
membership in  CAP is 52,000  and are still actively  involved in                                                               
COVID-19 response and blood bank missions.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GROH sought  confirmation  that  the 2.6  million                                                               
hours is nationwide.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL SAMMONS answered that is correct.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:44:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER questioned the need for slide 21.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT  COLONEL SAMMONS  answered that  it does  missions for                                                               
the  Drug Enforcement  Agency  and the  U.S.  Coast Guard  during                                                               
exercises under Title 5 and 14 [in the U.S. Code].                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER asked for the definitions of Title 5 and                                                                
14.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
LT. COL. SAMMONS explained that Title 5 and 14 missions include                                                                 
law enforcement, further.  He added that Title 14 addresses                                                                     
environmental response, like pollution from companies.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:46:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WRIGHT thanked the presenters.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:46:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
There being no further business before the committee, the House                                                                 
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting was                                                                 
adjourned at 1:46 p.m.                                                                                                          

Document Name Date/Time Subjects
DMVA Presentation for MVA 13 APR.pdf HMLV 4/13/2023 1:00:00 PM
HMVA 041323 Committee Questions Response 041723.pdf HMLV 4/13/2023 1:00:00 PM