SB 33-DISPOSITION OF SERVICE MEMBERS' REMAINS  2:41:19 PM CHAIR FRENCH announced the consideration of SB 33. [CSSB 33(STA) was before the committee.] 2:41:27 PM MICHAEL CAULFIELD, intern for Senator Wielechowski, sponsor of SB 33, introduced the bill stating the following: In these times of war it is vital we hold service members in the highest regard and treat them with all the respect they deserve. This is never more important than in honoring their final wishes in the tragic event of their death while on duty. The Department of Defense requires active-duty service members, reservists and guard members to complete a Record of Emergency Data form (DD Form 93) annually or prior to deployment in which they stipulate who should manage their remains in the event of their death. The Coast Guard, which falls outside the Department of Defense, but follows the same federal statutes, has their own form - The Designation of Beneficiaries and Record of Emergency Data form. Unfortunately, many states including Alaska do not comply with the forms because no laws recognize the legal designees as the person in charge of their remains. Instead they default to predetermined lists, generally starting with the spouse. Clearly, this can lead to disputes where the person named on the form differs from the automatic default and they both wish to have an authority over the remains. These situations can draw out an already painful process of mourning and burial. SB 33 solves this problem by amending Alaska statutes to recognize the person on the emergency data forms as the primary manager of the remains. This will stop disputes over who should have authority and help protect against the worst case scenario when no one can be found to deal with the remains. Around 20 states already have laws which comply with the federal form and in our doing so we will be able to ensure our heroic soldiers' remains are handled by the person they truly desired. This bill is supported by the Alaska Veterans Association, the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, and the Alaska chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America. 2:43:31 PM SENATOR COGHILL stated that while he's never agreed with adopting the U.S. code into Alaska statutes, this bill deals with specific issues on disposition and he suspects that the requirements have to be set forth in order to act. CHAIR FRENCH commented that it will be an issue as long as we live in a nation of states. 2:44:54 PM MARK SAN SOUCI, Northwest Regional Liaison for Military Families, U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), stated that the basic issue is that they'd like Alaska to have a statute that recognizes what the federal form asks of military members. Before deployment and on a regular basis they are asked to select either a surviving spouse, blood relative, or adopted relative to handle the disposition of their remains. This has become a problem in states that don't recognize the federal DD Form 93 and those where the choices on the form don't align with state statures. Since 2009 DOD has asked states to recognize this form. At this point, 20 states accept the DD Form 93, 10 states last year passed legislation into law recognizing the form, and this year 9 more states, including Alaska, are addressing this issue. The National Funeral Directors Association supports the bill. 2:47:13 PM RIC DAVIDGE, President, Vietnam Veterans of America, and Chair, Alaska Veterans Foundation, stated strong support for SB 33 and expressed appreciation that the current version recognizes the Coast Guard, which is under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense. He reported that the Anchorage Funeral Home program and the National Cemetery in Virginia are very helpful and work closely with service organizations on base as well as the veteran community. He highlighted the joint program with Providence Hospital and Alaska Regional to ensure that no veteran in these institutions dies alone and no veteran anywhere is buried alone. CHAIR FRENCH closed public testimony and announced he would hold SB 33 in committee. SENATOR COGHILL asked about the possibility of giving the bill an immediate effective date. CHAIR FRENCH replied the prime sponsor can ponder that.