10/19/1999 01:00 PM House WTR

    HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON WORLD TRADE                                                                                      
           AND STATE/FEDERAL RELATIONS                                                                                          
                 October 19, 1999                                                                                               
                    1:00 p.m.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
  COMMITTEE CALENDAR                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
  Presentation by Northern Forum                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
  TAPE(S)                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
  99-17, SIDES A & B                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
  CALL TO ORDER                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
  REPRESENTATIVE RAMONA BARNES, Chair, convened the House                                                                       
  Special Committee on World Trade and State/Federal Relations                                                                  
  at 1:14 p.m.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
  PRESENT                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
  Committee members present included Representatives Barnes,                                                                    
  Cowdery, Berkowitz and Joule.  Representative Phillips joined                                                                 
  the meeting via telephone at approximately 1:30 p.m.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
  SUMMARY OF INFORMATION                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
  JOHN DOYLE, Executive Director, Northern Forum, and Priscilla                                                                 
  Wohl, Deputy Director/Secretary, Northern Forum, presented                                                                    
  information about the Northern Forum.  They discussed the                                                                     
  Northern Forum's relation and importance to Alaska, including                                                                 
  information about several issues and upcoming meetings in                                                                     
  which the organization's members are interested.  They invited                                                                
  the committee members to participate more fully with the                                                                      
  organization and to keep a line of communication open between                                                                 
  memberships.  There was a question and answer period.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
  MASAHIRO TAKEUCHI, a Registered Representative of the Hokaido                                                                 
  Prefecture in Japan, works out of the Northern Forum offices                                                                  
  in Anchorage.  Mr. Takeuchi made a very brief statement of                                                                    
  support.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
  CHUCK BECKER, U.S. Commerce Department, arrived as the meeting                                                                
  was being adjourned.  There was discussion of Chair Barnes'                                                                   
  official invitation to the President of Azerbaijan.  The                                                                      
  invitation to visit Alaska was to be delivered by Mr. Becker.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
  CHAIR BARNES offered, upon Speaker Porter's approval, the                                                                     
  opportunity for Representative Phillips to join                                                                               
  Representatives Cowdery, Berkowitz and Joule at a meeting on                                                                  
  the Northern Sea Route issue to be held at St. Petersburg,                                                                    
  Russia in November.  Mr. Doyle emphasized that the meeting                                                                    
  would be attended "by all the players" involved with the                                                                      
  issue.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
  CHAIR BARNES and committee members agreed upon the need to                                                                    
  work on the difficulties presented by customs laws involving                                                                  
  the Russian Far East.  A letter is to be sent to the Russian                                                                  
  Consul General in Seattle to arrange a meeting to discuss the                                                                 
  issue, with involvement of the Alaska congressional                                                                           
  delegation.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
  COMMITTEE ACTION                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
  The committee took no action.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
  ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
  CHAIR BARNES adjourned the meeting at 2:41 p.m.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
  NOTE:                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
  The meeting was recorded and handwritten log notes taken.  A                                                                  
  copy of the tapes and log notes may be obtained by contacting                                                                 
  the House Records Office at 130 Seward Street, Suite 211,                                                                     
  Juneau, Alaska  99801-1182,  (907) 465-2214, and after                                                                        
  adjournment of the second session of the Twenty-First Alaska                                                                  
  State Legislature, in the Legislative Reference Library.