CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT called the Senate State Affairs Committee meeting to order at 3:40 p.m. Present were Senators Davis, Pearce, Phillips and Chairman Therriault. The first order of business was SJR 14 with a proposed CS. JOE BALASH, Senate State Affairs staff, introduced SJR 14 for sponsor, Senator Taylor, who was in another meeting. The joint resolution is in response to the new fees Alaskans will be charged for transporting firearms through Canada. "The Canadian government recently adopted new regulations requiring visitors without a valid Canadian firearms license to declare their firearms at a Canadian customs station before entering the country. Visitors would also have to fill out a Non-Resident Firearm Declaration form and pay a confirmation fee of $50.00 (Canadian). SJR 14 calls upon President George W. Bush, the U.S. State Department, and Congress to negotiate with the Canadian government to revoke the regulations. CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT said there was a prepared CS for the resolution but, prior to adoption, he wanted to remove the word Canadian from page 1 line 12 because it is redundant. He then asked for a motion to adopt the F version as a working document. SENATOR PEARCE made a motion to adopt F version of CS SJR 14 for discussion purposes. There were no objections. SENATOR PEARCE asked whether the new fees imposed by the Canadian government were in response to fees imposed on Canadians by the U.S. government. CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT said he didn't believe so but that Senator Taylor was now present and he could address the question. SENATOR TAYLOR said he wasn't aware of any U.S. fees or charges recently imposed on Canadians. He believes that the new fee regulation stems from Canadian concerns about firearms and handguns in particular. He assured members that this resolution does not suggest that the Canadian regulation is retaliatory. Number 348 SENATOR PHILLIPS said that Canadian firearms laws were phased in over a 3-4 year period and this is part of the final phase. He went on to say that Alaska state law requires anyone flying a plane to carry a firearm for survival purposes so this new regulation causes difficulties for Alaskans flying through Canadian airspace when transiting from one part of the state to another. SENATOR TAYLOR agreed saying that for Alaskans flying from Southeast into Canada for a fishing trip, customs clearance is received telephonically from Prince Rupert and then U.S. customs is cleared upon return. Now, when that plane enters Canadian airspace it's illegal because of the emergency firearm carried. He thanked the committee for hearing the resolution. CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT asked for questions and apologized to Senator Taylor for starting the meeting prior to his arrival. Next, he called Rod Arno. ROD ARNO, lobbyist for the Alaska Outdoor Council (AOC), testified that he and AOC support SJR 14. AOC is a state affiliate for the National Rifle Association. SENATOR PHILLIPS said that Yukon legislators would be visiting the "15th and 16th" and this would provide an opportunity for discussion. CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT asked whether there were any changes to the CS before the committee and noted that Senator Phillips had worked with Senator Taylor on changing the tone of the wording without changing the intent. SENATOR PHILLIPS offered an amendment to the bill on page 2, line 14. After "Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada;" he suggested inserting "MPs Yukon and B.C.". CHAIRMAN THERRIAULT said that amendment #1 would add to the section of the bill telling to whom copies of the bill would be sent. He asked for objections and there were none. The amendment was adopted. Number 743 He noted that there was a zero fiscal note. SENATOR PHILLIPS made a motion to move CS SJR 14 (STA) and the zero fiscal note to the next committee of referral with individual recommendations. There were no objections.