SB  34-CITIZEN ADVISORY COMM ON FEDERAL AREAS                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:32:24 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR BISHOP  announced the consideration  of SENATE  BILL NO.                                                               
34 "An  Act reestablishing the  Citizens' Advisory  Commission on                                                               
Federal  Management  Areas  in   Alaska;  and  providing  for  an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:32:29 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR BISHOP opened public testimony on SB 34.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:32:58 PM                                                                                                                    
RANDY ZARNKE, President,  Alaska Trappers Association, Fairbanks,                                                               
Alaska, stated  support for  SB 34  to reauthorize  the Citizens'                                                               
Advisory  Commission  on  Federal   Management  Areas  in  Alaska                                                               
(CACFA).  He  relayed  that  when   Congress  passed  the  Alaska                                                               
National  Interest Lands  Conservation Act  (ANILCA), the  Alaska                                                               
Legislature  recognized that  federal agencies  could impact  the                                                               
lives  of  individual Alaskans  and  that  they would  need  help                                                               
defending  their rights.  He said  CACFA staff  had knowledge  of                                                               
ANILCA and knew how to interact with federal agencies.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. ZARNKE  shared a  personal story  from 25  years ago  when he                                                               
needed help  from CAFCA to  get a permit  for a trapper  cabin on                                                               
BLM  land. ANILCA  obligates BLM  to allow  this, but  the agency                                                               
made the  process as  difficult as possible.  He asked  CACFA for                                                               
help  and they  responded immediately.  He emphasized  that there                                                               
are  many  individual Alaskans  that  need  help defending  their                                                               
rights from  federal overreach.  He opined that  the cost  to the                                                               
state treasury  to reauthorize  CACFA would  be minimal,  but the                                                               
impact on individual Alaskans would be huge.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:35:08 PM                                                                                                                    
CO-CHAIR BISHOP  closed public  testimony on SB  34 and  held the                                                               
bill in committee.