SB 94-SECOND VERSE OF ALASKA'S STATE SONG  CHAIR LYNN announced that the first order of business was SENATE BILL NO. 94, "An Act adding a second verse to the official Alaska state song." 8:08:15 AM SENATOR BETTYE DAVIS, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor of SB 94, noted that the proposed legislation has passed the House on several occasions, but had not passed through the Senate until last year. She said the legislation last year ran out of time, and she expressed her hope that SB 94 would pass both houses by the end of session. 8:09:23 AM SENATOR ALBERT KOOKESH, Alaska State Legislature, as co-sponsor of SB 94, said last year he never went to committee hearings on this legislation, and he said he thinks that was a mistake, because a Native perspective needed to be heard. He said he is an Alaska Native who served in the House for eight years and has finished a second term in the Senate. He said after reflection he has concluded that the bill is labored because of the word "Native" in its language. He said historically the words "tribe" and "Native" are not found in House legislation, and those words have been absent Senate legislation until the Senate recently formed a coalition. 8:11:57 AM SENATOR KOOKESH opined that another reason the legislation has not been supported is that people do not want change. He talked about making history through adopting the second verse of the Alaska Flag song. He noted that none of the former sponsors of this legislation have been Alaska Native. He related that Alaska Natives are taught not to talk about themselves. He said that by keeping quiet, the Alaska Native community has lost out on a lot over the years. For example, he said there is no representation of Alaska Natives on the Alaska State Seal. Senator Kookesh said Alaska Natives have been around the state for 10,000 years and have contributed to the state greatly, including over $4 billion through the Native corporations and a recent win of the Iditarod by an Alaska Native. He said a Native lad did, in fact, design the Alaska Flag; therefore, people should not be ashamed to recognize that. He said that acknowledgement would not give sovereignty to Alaska Natives, but it would help them lift their faces just a little bit. SENATOR KOOKESH said his purpose is not to criticize, but to ask for help. He said the Alaska Natives are an intrinsic part of the state, but cannot get the second verse adopted without help. He expressed his hope that the legislature will support SB 94 and not oppose it because of the word "Native". 8:19:35 AM CHAIR LYNN expressed his support of SB 94. 8:19:40 AM REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON said it hurts her to hear that Senator Kookesh would say she would not vote for the second verse because of the word "Native". SENATOR KOOKESH emphasized that he was relating an historical aspect. He related that as an Alaska Native he has witnessed prejudices in history books, and the prejudice still exists. However, he said he would not come before the committee if he thought its members would vote against the bill because of the word "Native". REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON said she has had Natives come to her and ask her not to support this legislation. She expressed her wish for the future to be the focus, not the past. KOOKESH responded that Representative Wilson's past and his own are not the same, and it would be wrong of him to forget the past through which he has lived. He acknowledged that there will always be those who do not agree - for example, the Native people of Alaska do not agree unanimously on the issue of subsistence - but there are some Natives who do support the bill. 8:24:14 AM REPRESENTATIVE JOHANSEN relayed that in Ketchikan there were bars where Natives and non-Natives could not drink together, and those people are still alive and remember that. He said he thinks that is what Senator Kookesh is talking about. He said that he was ambivalent about SB 94 when he arrived this morning, but was moved by Senator Kookesh's testimony. He related a story from his youth where inequality was pointed out to him. 8:28:24 AM REPRESENTATIVE SEATON talked about his involvement with coastal use and subsistence, a lot of which is Native use. He stated that the House has been actively engaged in issues that are vital to rural Alaskans, so that those who live on local lands - mostly but not exclusively Alaska Natives - have a voice in the impact of development in their communities. He emphasized that although everyone is not always in agreement, that does not mean "we don't agree on things." He pointed out that many of his constituents live in Native communities, and he related that he has been contacted by Native Alaskans who are opposed to SB 94, but not by any who support it. He said he does not know if that is because of the issue of not talking about oneself. Whether or not legislators support SB 94 has nothing to do with whether they support one Native voice or another, he stated. He opined that the House and the House Resources Standing Committee, which he co-chairs, is working strongly to ensure that all Alaskans have opportunities. 8:31:39 AM SENATOR KOOKESH acknowledged that things have changed; he said he no longer feels animosity within the walls of the Capitol, but said it was not that way when he first arrived. He agreed that the legislature makes decisions to benefit all Alaskans. 8:33:01 AM REPRESENTATIVE PETERSEN talked about the unique struggles in America and the progress that has been made. He said he voted in favor of the legislation in its last run, and plans to do so again. SENATOR KOOKESH stated for the record that the following entities support SB 94: the Federation of Alaska Natives; the Alaska Native Brotherhood; and the Alaska Native Sisterhood. CHAIR LYNN talked about his experience as a non-Hispanic growing up in a predominately Hispanic community. 8:35:48 AM REPRESENTATIVE KELLER emphasized that he believes everyone in Alaska is Alaskan, no matter his/her ethnicity, and he said he does not see that value of Alaskans being as one reflected in the second verse of the Alaska Flag song. SENATOR KOOKESH said he likes the part of the second verse that states "there be no bars among our cultures", and he offered his understanding that that underlines Representative Keller's remarks. REPRESENTATIVE KELLER said he agrees that there should be no bars, but opined that there should be no distinction in terms of "how we view each other." SENATOR KOOKESH said he wishes that was true, but he has experienced a different reality as an Alaska Native. 8:38:21 AM LORRAINE HAUSMAN stated that she opposes the addition of a second verse to the Alaska Flag song because "it's fine the way it is." She said her opinion has "nothing to do with anything other than I love the song and the intent of it." 8:40:17 AM CONNIE DAVIS, testifying in support of SB 94, noted that her mother, Carol B. Davis, was a good friend of Marie Drake, who wrote the first verse of the Alaska Flag song, with school children in mind. She said the words of this verse describe the meaning of the flag, as described by Bennie Benson, the boy who designed the flag. The second verse, she said, continues the thoughts of unity and progress. She said many new Alaskans don't know the state song, and "the adoption of the second verse might be a starting point." She stated that all disciplines learn something from the past, and she said she thinks both verses are acceptable. Ms. Davis said she has observed about two-thirds of an Alaskan audience not know the words to the Alaska Flag song, and she surmised that adding the second verse may generate renewed interest in the state's song. 8:42:58 AM PAMELA MARSCH, Staff, Senator Bettye Davis, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Senator Davis, sponsor of SB 94, read the sponsor statement: Senate Bill 94 would add a second verse to The Alaska's Flag Song. The late Carol Beery Davis wrote a beautiful second verse, which gives recognition to Alaska Natives and to Benny Benson, who designed the Alaskan flag. Similar bills have been introduced in the past. Last year The Alaska's Flag Song was performed with both verses as the Senate gaveled in on the first day of session. Also last year, the Senator from District G introduced SB 43. It passed the Senate, but stalled in the House. This year is the year to join me in supporting a long overdue addition to the second verse to the Alaska Flag Song. By passing this bill you will be recognizing history, our progress as a state and our first people. 8:44:22 AM CHAIR LYNN, after ascertaining that there was no one else who wished to testify, closed public testimony. 8:44:37 AM REPRESENTATIVE GRUENBERG moved to report SB 94 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, SB 94 was reported out of the House State Affairs Standing Committee.