SCR 3-SOVEREIGNTY OF THE STATE; RESOURCES SENATOR TAYLOR, sponsor of SCR 3, explained that SCR 3 addresses where Alaska stands in regard to the federal mandate over fish and game management on federal lands in Alaska. At present, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) is negotiating with federal agencies about fish and game management in rivers. Senator Taylor said he believes the ADFG negotiations completely violate the Governor's comment that no Governor should ever barter away the state's sovereign right to manage its lands, waters and resources. The federal government is violating the Tenth Amendment and attempting to treat Alaskans as second class citizens. It is also violating the 14th Amendment and about 11 different provisions of the Alaska Constitution according to two different court cases; the Totemoff case and the McDowell case. SCR 3 tells Congress it has made a mistake and asks it to remove the federal mandate and to support the Governor's efforts to overturn the Katie John case. MR. DALE BONDURANT, representing himself, stated support for SCR 3. He recounted a discussion between Senator Stevens and Mr. Mitchell at a Congressional hearing in 1978 in which Senator Stevens said, It's another thing to give the Secretary of Interior veto rights and on the pretext of saying that subsistence provisions in Alaska law are not adaptable to protect the Alaska Natives and give them the right to give back to the Department of Interior the overriding controls of fish and game on federal lands in Alaska. It violates the intent of the statute that would deny the states the [inaudible] and, in violation of what I consider to be inherent constitutional rights, of the State to equality. We are an equal partner in the Union and we are not to be treated that way. Now, if we want to go into some cooperative management program where the federal government participates in it and if it appoints the joint board that's one thing, but to leave veto powers and the right to preempt the state is wrong. Mr. Mitchell responded, The federal government has an interest out there. They can enforce, and all we do with oversight provision - I can't expect the Senator to respectfully disagree with me - is to force the Secretary of the Interior to do something positive for a change. He's got that last right. Senator Stevens then said, He does not have it today. The [inaudible] Act does not give him the right. He has the right to post an area for hunting but he does not have a right to take away from the state the right to manage hunting. Now, under this bill, he would be entitled again, under the pretext that the state subsistence provision for Natives was not sufficient and to take over the entire management on federal lands, military posts, BLM, park lands, fish and wildlife lands, under the pretext of one incident, he could take back the whole thing. MR. BONDURANT stated it is time for Alaska to stand up and say it has a sovereign right like any other state. There being no one else wishing to testify on SCR 3, SENATOR TAYLOR moved SCR 3 from committee with individual recommendations. There being no objection, the motion carried.