HJR 29-REAUTHORIZE SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS ACT    3:16:03 PM CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 29, Urging the United States Congress to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act of 2000. 3:16:42 PM DARRELL BREESE, Staff, Representative George Rauscher, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Rauscher, prime sponsor of HJR 29, directed the committee members' attention to the letters of support from the communities that would be impacted by HJR 29, included in the committee packet, 3:17:19 PM CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS opened public testimony on HJR 29. 3:17:37 PM CLAY KOPLIN, Mayor, City of Cordova, testified that the City of Cordova is surrounded by the beautiful Chugach National Forest (CNF). He said that while the forest provides world-class subsistence and recreational opportunities for Cordova, there are very limited economic opportunities. He maintained that the community of Cordova invests heavily in its educational system, which is nationally recognized at both the elementary and high school levels; Cordova has funded its schools at the cap [state limit on local contribution to school funding] for many years until last year. MR. KOPLIN relayed that as Cordova struggles to "make ends meet" and to accommodate opportunities for business and new fisheries by expanding the harbor and providing land and waterfront, school funding has never been more important for the community, and the [Secure Rural Schools (SRS)] Program has never been more important. He expressed his appreciation for the proposed resolution. 3:19:32 PM KATHIE WASSERMAN, Executive Director, Alaska Municipal League (AML), testified that in her 15 years with AML, she has been actively working on timber receipt for secure rural school funding. She expressed her appreciation for the proposed resolution and stated that she has encouraged legislators to advocate for this issue for many years, knowing that the funding would someday "dry up." She relayed that Southeast Alaska alone has experienced a loss of almost $75 million per year because of timber receipts and [stumpage] fees; for the CNF the loss is over $2 million per year. These payments mostly contributed to secure funding for rural schools. She reported that the [Secure Rural Schools and Communities Self-Determination Act of 2000] has been expired for two years; she has encouraged legislators to realize that the expiration would be imminent; and now the act needs to be reauthorized. She emphasized that more effort is needed to advocate to Congress and urged the committee to move the resolution out of committee. 3:22:39 PM MARY WEGNER, PhD, Superintendent, Sitka Public Schools, paraphrased from her written statement, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: My name is Dr. Mary Wegner, and I am the superintendent of the Sitka School District. I am testifying today in support of HJR 29, Reauthorize Secure Rural Schools Act. Thank you for your consideration of advancing support for the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. Secure Rural Schools funding is critically important to the Sitka School District, as well as many other school districts around Alaska. The Sitka School District resides in the Sitka Borough of which 95% is comprised of Tongass National Forest. Around Alaska local municipalities have a limited ability to generate local tax revenue to support schools and roads due to the surrounding national forests, which is why it is so imperative that this act is immediately reauthorized and funded. The loss of Secure Rural Schools funding places an onerous burden upon our local citizenry, and federal assistance is appropriate compensation for the surrounding federal land. In your advocacy on behalf of the reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools, please seek a long-term reauthorization of the legislation, as failure to do so has the potential to wreak long-term damage on public education in Sitka and in communities across the state and nation. The limits imposed by national forests are a reality every year, which is why authorization is critical every year. This issue is so pressing to us in Sitka that on February 6, 2018 the Sitka School Board passed a resolution in support of HJR 29. Having Secure Rural Schools funding as a revenue source in the Sitka School District's FY19 budget would greatly help to save teacher jobs. Providing an excellent education to every student every day requires quality teachers combined with a culturally responsive learning environment with targeted instruction to meet a student's individual learning needs. All of which helps us to live the three commitments of Alaska's Education Challenge, which are increasing student success, cultivating safety and well-being, and supporting responsible and reflective learners. In Sitka we are facing a budget deficit that is 12% of our total general fund budget, and we need this federal funding to keep our talented teachers. Thank you for taking my testimony, and thank you for your commitment to public education in Alaska. I hope you will urge the U.S. Congress to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools Act. 3:25:13 PM CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS closed public testimony on HJR 29. 3:25:36 PM REPRESENTATIVE WOOL asked how the amounts of the payments [shown in the documents included in the committee packet, entitled "FFY16 SRS/NFR Payments Final (SFY 17)" and "FFY17 SRS/NFR Payments (SFY18)"] were calculated. MR. BREEZE replied that the amounts were based on the potential impact to the population and loss of economic development opportunity because of being surrounded by national forest; Anchorage has room to expand, but a community such as Sitka, surrounded totally by the Tongass National Forest (TNF), does not have the opportunity for economic growth through expansion. He explained that the calculations are complex and result from "a lot of moving parts and levers" in the Act; the school district population is a consideration as well. 3:27:07 PM REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked for information regarding the politics behind failing to reauthorize the Act; she inquired whether a bill was introduced [in Congress] to reauthorize it and if so, the outcome of that bill. MR. BREEZE answered that a bill was introduced prior to the 115th U.S. Congress [H.R. 2340 and S. 1027, copies included in the committee packet]. He maintained that the reason it did not pass and the politics behind its failure to pass is a question for Congress. REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX stated that it expired in 2015 and asked whether there was a bill [for reauthorization] introduced prior to the expiration date. MR. BREEZE replied, "There was." REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked, "Do you know who introduced it?" MR. BREEZE responded that he would provide that information. 3:28:20 PM REPRESENTATIVE WOOL moved to adopt Amendment 1, [labeled 30- LS1116\A.1, Glover, 1/31/18], which read: Page 2, line 25, following "United States;": Insert "the Honorable Sonny Perdue, United States Secretary of Agriculture;" 3:28:42 PM The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:29 p.m. 3:29:19 PM CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS relayed that Amendment 1 recognizes that the presiding agency for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); the secretary of the USDA will be added to the list of recipients of the resolution. 3:30:00 PM CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS objected to the proposed amendment for the purpose of discussion. REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked whether HJR 29, if amended by the House State Affairs Standing Committee, would be the committee's resolution or remain Representative Rauscher's resolution. CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS confirmed that with the amendment, the resolution would remain Representative Rauscher's resolution. MR. BREEZE clarified that in that circumstance, the resolution would become a committee substitute (CS) for HJR 29; however, the resolution would still be Representative Rauscher's resolution. REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX explained that when a bill is amended in committee, the result is a CS, but the sponsor remains the same. She said that a bill does not become a "committee bill" unless introduced by the committee. She concluded by saying the [amended resolution] would still be read as sponsored by Representative Rauscher, and not be read as sponsored by the House State Affairs Standing Committee. 3:31:56 PM REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER stated that he supports Amendment 1. CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS removed his objection. There being no further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted. 3:32:34 PM REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH opined that HJR 29 is a good [resolution}. 3:32:40 PM REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX moved to report HJR 29, as amended, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal note. There being no objection, CSHJR 29(STA) was reported from the House State Affairs Standing Committee.