HJR 34-FED TRAINING AND ASSISTANCE FOR FISHERMEN  CHAIR SCOTT OGAN called the Senate Resources Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. Present were Senators Thomas Wagoner, Ben Stevens, Ralph Seekins, Kim Elton and Chair Scott Ogan. Senators Fred Dyson and Georgianna Lincoln arrived at 3:37. The first order of business to come before the committee was CSHJR 34(FSH). REPRESENTATIVE DAN OGG, sponsor, introduced Melissa Dover, his staff person who worked on HJR 34. MS. MELISSA DOVER, staff to Representative Ogg, said HJR 34 relates to Alaska's commercial salmon fishermen qualifying for federal trade adjustment assistance and was introduced at the request of the Joint Legislative Salmon Industry Task Force. As salmon imports have increased, Alaska salmon fishermen have experienced a sharp decline in the price. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Labor have trade adjustment assistance programs to help workers whose industries have been hurt by imports. The USDA provides cash benefits of up to $10,000 and the Department of Labor provides retraining benefits. Last year, Alaska's salmon fishermen were made eligible for these programs, however the programs were designed primarily for agricultural workers and fishermen have problems qualifying for them. Many fishermen don't qualify for the program because of other income that counts as fishing income on their federal tax returns, such as Exxon payments from the 1989 oil spill. The resolution asks for four specific things. It asks the USDA to extend price adjustment benefits to salmon fishermen who fished five of the six years in the qualifying years 1997 - 2002 and subsequent qualifying years, if Alaska salmon fishermen continue to qualify for these programs - if they can prove that they lost income or lost their market due to imports. It also asks that the Department of Labor extend retraining benefits to the same group of people. It requests that the Congress and the USDA make salmon a covered commodity, which would make Alaska salmon fishermen eligible for various other kinds of relief. Finally, it requests that the United State Secretary of Commerce pursue the creation of a trade adjustment assistance program specific to commercial fishermen. CHAIR OGAN asked what trade adjustment assistance is. MS. DOVER answered that it's a federal program with sections in the USDA and U.S. Department of Labor. The USDA has cash benefits of up to $10,000 to workers whose industries have been hurt by imports and the Department of Labor extends retraining benefits to the same group of people. CHAIR OGAN asked if fishermen would be retrained to do something else. MS. DOVER replied not in all cases. Some people learn how to better market their fish and things like that. MR. MARK VINCEL, Executive Director, United Fishermen of Alaska, supported HJR 34 and offered to clarify questions about the USDA program. There were no further questions. SENATOR KIM ELTON moved to pass CSHJR 34(FSH) from committee with the attached fiscal note. There were no objections and it was so ordered.