HB 197-COMMUNITY SEED LIBRARIES  1:06:49 PM CO-CHAIR TARR announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 197, "An Act relating to the duties of the commissioner of natural resources; relating to agriculture; and relating to community seed libraries." CO-CHAIR TARR stated the committee substitute (CS) for HB 197, labeled 30-LS0493\O, Wayne, 4/24/17, was adopted at a previous the hearing of the bill on 4/26/17, and there is a forthcoming amendment. 1:07:34 PM REPRESENTATIVE JENNIFER JOHNSTON, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of HB 197, explained a forthcoming amendment would remove concerns regarding seed sellers' names and addresses attached to the seed packs. 1:07:57 PM TERRANOVA TASKER, staff to Representative Jennifer Johnston, Alaska State Legislature, further explained the amendment is in response to concerns raised at a previous hearing about having one's personal name and address written in a library log or on [seed packet] labels. The amendment would also remove any buyer/seller language to keep the recorded information consistent with noncommercial seed-sharing. Ms. Tasker reported a seed library in Pennsylvania keeps a check-out log with names and phone numbers, which is not uncommon for a seed library. In addition, Legislative Legal Services, Legislative Affairs Agency, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) advised her that the removal of the personal name and address limits some accountability. 1:09:30 PM CO-CHAIR TARR moved to adopt Amendment 2, labeled 30-LS0493\O.2, Wayne, 4/28/17. [There was no Amendment 1.] 1:09:45 PM CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON objected for discussion purposes. He referred to difficulties related to accountability if personal identifiers are removed from the bill, and asked whether personal names and addresses would still be logged by the library [if Amendment 2 was adopted]. MS. TASKER expressed her understanding [the effect of] Amendment 2 [would be] that the seed library does not have an obligation to keep personal information; based on how seed libraries operate, one must be a member of the library, thus the amendment leaves recording personal information "wholeheartedly in their hands." CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON relayed he was contacted by an Anchorage resident who said HB 197 is not necessary and regulates private trades or exchanges. MS. TASKER stated the bill was proposed because all seeds in the state are treated as commercial seeds, and there is no private seed exchange allowed by current applicable statute and code. Therefore, the bill gives seed libraries, and others through a personal exemption clause, the right to exchange seeds in or outside of the community seed library, as long as the exchange remains in the noncommercial realm. CO-CHAIR TARR further described Amendment 2 as follows: But it still does have the, ... deletes the language that says, "that it's harvested from a plant grown outside the state unless the seed is in the original packaging into which it was imported." CO-CHAIR TARR said Amendment 2 reflects an amendment and a conceptual amendment that were proposed in a previous hearing. 1:14:41 PM CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON removed his objection to Amendment 2 and, there being no further objection, Amendment 2 was adopted. REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON expressed support for the work done by the sponsor. REPRESENTATIVE PARISH questioned the purpose of changing the requirement for seeds harvested from plants grown out-of-state. REPRESENTIVE JOHNSTON explained seed libraries requested the change so that the libraries could accept donations that are received from sources such as The Home Depot. REPRESENTATIVE PARISH asked how HB 197 would interface with proposed [HB 19] regarding seeds treated with neonicotinoid pesticides. He asked whether it is common for seeds offered for sale by commercial sources to be pretreated. REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON said she did not know; however, seed libraries provide a good and social function, and she assured the committee that seed libraries would be familiar with this issue. CO-CHAIR TARR restated two issues are deleted by amendment to the bill: plants grown outside the state, and seed in its original packaging. She directed attention to language that would be deleted from the bill on page 4, lines 12 and 13, which read: (1) that is harvested from a plant grown outside the state unless the seed is in the original packaging in which it was imported into the state; 1:19:00 PM ROB CARTER, manager, Plant Materials Center, Division of Agriculture, Department of Natural Resources, explained many seeds shared through community seed libraries and amongst individuals are difficult to produce in Alaska, such as biannual plants that must be overwintered prior to setting seeds for harvest. Consequently, certain seeds are imported and shared with other growers in the state, which improves crop diversity within regions of the state. However, during this process it is common for seeds to be repackaged by the buyer or others, and the requirement that seeds remain in the original package would limit the possibility for crop diversity, which provides a foundation for food security and production. 1:21:38 PM REPRESENTATIVE PARISH restated his question about the correlation between proposed bills HB 197 and HB 19, as related to seeds that are treated with neonicotinoid pesticides. MR. CARTER said [HB 19] relates specifically to the chemical use of neonicotinoid pesticides and includes an exemption for plants confined within a greenhouse, as well as for certified pesticide applicators. He pointed out the majority of seed treatments for crops that are traded in seed libraries - nonlarge agronomic species such as wheat, barley, and corn - tend not to be neonicotinoids. Mr. Carter stressed [HB 19] is specific to treatments applied to plants or seeds in the ground, and not on crops traded within seed libraries such as carrots and broccoli, which are traditionally treated with a fungicide or seed protectant. REPRESENTATIVE PARISH posited if a seed was offered for trade at a seed library and it was discovered the seed had been treated with neonicotinoids, would the responsible party be the seed library, or the individual who offered the seed to the library. MR. CARTER opined HB 197, in its current form, places the liability upon the library. He characterized a seed library as a multitude of individuals hosted in a common place, and for the integrity of the library, individuals would self-police, as no seed library would want to jeopardize its event or its collection. He spoke in favor of this provision of the bill. 1:26:56 PM CO-CHAIR JOSEPHSON moved to report the committee substitute for HB 197, Version 30-LS0493\O, Wayne, 4/24/17, as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note. There being no objection, CSHB 197(RES) was reported out of the House Resources Standing Committee.