HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 29                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     Urging the United States Congress to reauthorize the                                                                       
     Secure    Rural   Schools    and   Communities    Self-                                                                    
     Determination Act of 2000.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:16:00 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wilson MOVED to  ADOPT the proposed committee                                                                    
substitute  for  HJR  29, Work  Draft  30-LS1116\J  (Laffen,                                                                    
3/24/18). There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GEORGE   RAUSCHER,  SPONSOR,  read   from  a                                                                    
prepared  statement.  He  stated  that  the  intent  of  the                                                                    
resolution  was  to  urge the  federal  government  to  take                                                                    
action   to   restore   funding   to   communities   through                                                                    
reauthorization  through  the  rural schools  and  community                                                                    
self-determination  action.  He   stated  that  the  program                                                                    
expired  in 2017,  and federal  funding for  the program  to                                                                    
local  school districts  had ceased.  He  remarked that  the                                                                    
recent federal  omnibus bill was included,  but would expire                                                                    
eventually.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
DARRELL  BREESE,  STAFF,   REPRESENTATIVE  GEORGE  RAUSCHER,                                                                    
shared that the changes made in the CS (copy on file):                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     House State Affairs  The Committee Substitute corrected                                                                    
     an error  in the list  of Copy of  Recipients, removing                                                                    
     the Secretary  of Interior and including  the Secretary                                                                    
     of  Agriculture.  This  change  reflects  that  the  US                                                                    
     Forest Service  is under the Secretary  of Agriculture,                                                                    
     which  manages  the  Secure   Rural  Schools  and  Self                                                                    
     Determination Act of 2000.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     House Finance  Committee  Changes were  made to reflect                                                                    
     the  authorization of  two years  for the  program made                                                                    
     under  the  Federal   Omnibus  Spending  bill  recently                                                                    
     passed  by   the  US  Congress;   and  to   modify  the                                                                    
     resolution call  for a  permanent authorization  of the                                                                    
     Secure Rural Schools Funding program.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Page  2, following  line 11  inserts:  "Whereas the  US                                                                    
     Congress  has temporarily  authorized the  Secure Rural                                                                    
     Schools  and Community  Self-Determination Act  of 2000                                                                    
     for Federal Fiscal Years 2017 and 2018; and                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2, line 14 After "to" Inserts "permanently"                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Page 2,  line 22  After "1027" Inserts  "or legislation                                                                    
     to permanently"                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Representative Wilson  stated there was a  zero fiscal note.                                                                    
She asked if the item would be mailed or emailed.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Breese  answered  that  they  were  traditionally  sent                                                                    
through mail,  and Legislative Affairs  covered the  cost of                                                                    
the postage for resolutions.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Wilson  felt that  they  could  be sent  via                                                                    
email.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
KATHIE  WASSERMAN,  EXECUTIVE   DIRECTOR,  ALASKA  MUNICIPAL                                                                    
LEAGUE, spoke in  support of the resolution.  She had worked                                                                    
on the issue for 15 years  and usually went to D.C. annually                                                                    
or  sent  a  timber.  The  resolution was  a  huge  boon  to                                                                    
municipalities, and  for small  communities like  Pelican it                                                                    
was   a  substantial   amount  of   money.  She   asked  the                                                                    
legislature  to help  lobby  for payment  in  lieu of  taxes                                                                    
(PILT).                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:22:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Guttenberg  did not  have a problem  with the                                                                    
resolution.  He asked  if there  was any  comparable program                                                                    
covering impact funds in those communities.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Ms. Wasserman  answered that  every community  received PILT                                                                    
payments.  The  payments in  Alaska  were  running at  about                                                                    
$0.07 per acre.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Foster CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair  Gara  reviewed the  zero  fiscal  note from  the                                                                    
Legislative Affairs Agency.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Seaton  MOVED  to  REPORT  CSHJR  29(FIN)  out  of                                                                    
committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying fiscal  note. There being NO  OBJECTION, it was                                                                    
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CSHJR  29(FIN) was  REPORTED  out of  committee  with a  "do                                                                    
pass" recommendation and with  one previously published zero                                                                    
fiscal note: FN1 (LEG).                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:26:32 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:27:05 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED