HJR 8-SUPPORTING ALASKA ARMY NATL. GUARD 1:15:43 PM CHAIR LYNN announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 8 "Expressing support of Alaska Army National Guard soldiers deployed worldwide". He related that HJR 8 will show legislative support for the Army National Guardsmen currently deployed around the world. TERRY HARVEY, Staff for Representative Bruce Weyhrauch, Alaska State Legislature, announced that this resolution is a way to address concerns and give support to the guardsmen from Alaska who are deployed all around the world. This resolution is a way of putting on record that the committee supports the Army National Guardsmen for serving the country. The bill sponsor believes it's important to show support for the National Guard who are letting their lives go while serving their country and state. It is important to show support, but it's also important to extend this gratitude to family and friends, as well as employers who also support the troops. CHAIR LYNN asked if the Air National Guard was also covered or if there was a similar bill for them as well. MR. HARVEY answered that there was not, and that since this bill was already in the works the sponsor decided that he would go forward with HJR 8. He indicated that he had been talking to the Air National Guard and that legislation addressing that branch of the military is in the planning stage. CHAIR LYNN continued by stating that this could be done as a committee bill. He indicated that he did not want to discriminate against any of the Guard units. 1:19:26 PM MR. HARVEY suggested that the committee ask the military representatives for comment. LIEUTENANT COLONEL MIKE BRIDGES, Alaskan Army/Air National Guard Officers Association, Legislative Liaison, Fort Richardson, stated that the Army National Guard is being deployed in very unique ways right now, more than since the years of World War II, and that he was all for the resolution. He also indicated that although he was all for including the Air National Guard into the resolution, he acknowledged that the resolution was addressing the high deployment that the Alaskan National Guard is currently experiencing. He added as a side note that the officers association that he is representing did include both Army and Air Force, and that he represented both. REPRESENTATIVE ELKINS asked if what he was saying was that he wanted to be considered as a separate entity at the present time. LT. COLONEL BRIDGES answered that the Army National Guard is being deployed at a very different rate than the Air National Guard and that it is more than anything military had experienced since World War II. He then pointed out that the Air National Guard is being deployed as well, but under different [non- combative] circumstances. He then added that the Air National Guard goes only for 30-120 days for operational deployment, whereas the Army National Guard goes for a 18 months and up to two-year deployments. REPRESENTATIVE DAHLSTROM moved to report HJR 8 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, it was so ordered. CHAIR LYNN announced that he was looking forward to seeing this on the floor and being voted into law.