SENATE BILL NO. 295 "An Act extending the termination date of the Navigable Waters Commission for Alaska; and providing for an effective date." This was the first hearing for this bill in the Senate Finance Committee. ZACH WARWICK, Staff to Senator Gene Therriault, stated that the Joint Federal and State Navigable Waters Commission for Alaska, which would consist of seven State and seven federal members, was established by the Legislature in 2002 "to expedite the process of acquiring legitimate title to the State's submerged lands; to determine which bodies of water are navigable or non-navigable; and to provide recommendations to the State and federal government concerning ways to improve the process of making navigability determinations in ways to acquire title to the State's submerged lands judiciously and expeditiously." He informed the Committee that while the Alaska Commission members were appointed, the accompanying federal legislation was not adopted and therefore, no federal members were appointed. Continuing, he stated that extending the life of the Commission until September 16, 2006 would provide an opportunity for Alaska's Congressional delegation to further the effort for the creation and authorization of the Commission on the federal level. Senator Bunde asked the fiscal impact of the legislation. Mr. Warwick responded that while an indeterminate fiscal note accompanies the legislation, it is estimated that, were the federal authorization approved, the fiscal impact would range between $180,000 and $200,000. Senator Hoffman asked why this legislation is limited to extending the years of the Commission rather than including a resolution requesting Alaska's Congressional delegation to further the federal legislation efforts. Mr. Warwick understood that a separate resolution, sponsored by Senator Ralph Seekins, is currently in the Senate Rules Committee and would be advanced to the Senate floor session. He stated that while the State's delegation is discussing the issue, the federal Commission legislation has not advanced beyond the one hearing that was conducted in 2002. Co-Chair Green summarized that this legislation would extend the termination date. DICK MYLIUS, Deputy Director, Division of Mining, Land and Water, Department of Natural Resources, testified via teleconference from an offnet site regarding the indeterminate fiscal note. He stated that no expenses would be incurred at the State level until the Commission is established at the federal level. He noted that the amount of State funding required at that time would also be dependent upon the level of federal funding allocated to the Commission. RON SOMERVILLE, Resource Consultant to the House of Representatives and Senate Majority, testified via teleconference from an offnet site. He agreed that the key to the establishment of the Commission is dependent on the federal government participation as well as the Commission's addressing of the issues outlined by Mr. Warwick in his opening remarks. Senator Dyson moved to report the bill from Committee with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal note. There being no objection, SB 295 was REPORTED from Committee with indeterminate fiscal note #1 from the Department of Natural Resources.