HJR 5-SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS PROGRAM  8:04:34 AM CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5, "Urging the United States Congress and the President of the United States to reinstate the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 and make the funding mechanism in the Act permanent." 8:04:57 AM REPRESENTATIVE JEREMY BYNUM, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, presented HJR 5 to the committee. He said that the resolution before the committee would urge the United States Congress and the president of the United States to reinstate Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding. 8:06:23 AM REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked Representative Bynum to describe what portion of Southeast Alaska communities' public school funding are coming from local property taxes. 8:07:27 AM TREVOR SHAW, Staff, Representative Jeremy Bynum, Alaska State Legislature, On behalf of Representative Jeremy Bynum, prime sponsor, answered committee questions on HJR 5. He said that the amount of property taxes that are directed to public schools varies between different school districts. He pointed to Yakutat as a strong example of a local school district that depends on SRS funding. 8:08:45 AM CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT opened public testimony on HJR 5. 8:09:06 AM RODNEY DIAL, Mayor, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Testified in support of HJR 5. He said that the Ketchikan Gateway Borough (KGB) has relied on SRS funding for decades and said that it provides essential financial support for KGB schools which ensure that its students have access to a quality education. 8:11:59 AM CYNNA GUBATAYAO, Assistant Borough Manager, Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Testified in support of HJR 5. She said that only 1 quarter of 1 percent of the land within the KGB boundaries is in private ownership and said that the SRS program is "not an entitlement". She explained that SRS funding is meant to compensate for a loss of income from not being able to utilize the revenue from the development of federal lands that surround the KGB. 8:13:33 AM The committee took an at-ease from 8:13 a.m. to 8:16 a.m. 8:16:28 AM LON GARRISON, Improvement Coordinator, Association of Alaska School Boards, Testified in support of HJR 5. He said that the Alaska Association of School Boards (AASB) has long supported the SRS program and explained that SRS was initially created to help communities that were located on national forest lands. He emphasized the AASB's "strong support" for HJR 5 and urged the committee to pass HJR 5. 8:18:45 AM BILL BURR, Superintendent, Wrangell Public Schools, Testified in support of HJR 5. He said that the SRS program is essential to the funding in his school district due to its location on untaxable federal lands. He explained that Wrangell Public Schools is generally funded by the SRS and emphasized that the funding deficit created by the lack of SRS funding is unsustainable for the school district. 8:21:16 AM CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT asked Mr. Burr how the Wrangell Public Schools would be affected by a lack of SRS funding. MR. BURR said that Wrangell Public Schools is currently facing a deficit of $800,000 and said that the SRS program represents another $800,000 loss if the program is not reinstated. 8:22:54 AM CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT closed public testimony on HJR 5. [HJR 5 was held over].