CSHJR 17(RES)-FEDERAL LANDS RECREATION ENHANCEMENT ACT  CHAIR THOMAS WAGONER announced CSHJR 17(RES) to be up for consideration. JENNIFER BAXTER, staff to Representative Jim Elkins, sponsor of HJR 17, presented the sponsor statement. She explained that this resolution opposed the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which allows the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation to charge fees for recreational use of federally managed land by the general public. Once enacted, these fees will be required in order to enter onto certain lands. Failure to pay the fees can result in fines and criminal penalties. She said the federal government owns two-thirds of the state's total acreage and 80 million acres include national parks, wildlife refuges and national forests that have been set aside for public use. The proposed fees would place an undue burden on the people living in rural areas surrounded by these federal lands. The Montana, Oregon and Colorado state legislatures have already passed resolutions demanding that the U.S. Congress repeal this act. 4:49:46 PM SENATOR FRED DYSON remarked that Chugach National Forest controls his beach and he may have a conflict of interest. SENATOR RALPH SEEKINS asked if the charge for access is just a small portion of the act. MS. BAXTER replied that this is a small portion of the act that was slipped in. 4:51:09 PM SENATOR BERT STEDMAN said that tour businesses are required to have permits to go on Forest Service lands and he thought this tax was applicable to non-commercial uses of federal lands. At one time, he said, the federal government encouraged cabins to be built in the Tongass National Forest, but now the trend is have them removed and to encourage private access. He supported this resolution because Alaskan residents should be free to come and go and recreate on their public lands. 4:54:23 PM CHAIR WAGONER commented that the state already charges fees in a lot of its park areas. SENATOR KIM ELTON agreed with Senator Stedman saying he didn't mind paying for using a shelter at a picnic area, but this goes far beyond that and leads to a situation where people may be taxed for nebulous purposes just because they are using public land. He also recommended that the committee consider on page 1, line 15, to delete "of the state", because the land belongs to the people of the state and is land where every person is granted access. He suggested another change on page 2, line 31, to say "majority leader" and not "Tom DeLay" since no one knows whom it will be. 4:56:20 PM MS. BAXTER replied that the sponsor had no problem with those changes. 4:56:32 PM SENATOR SEEKINS said he understood the concept of federal and state lands being held in trust for all the citizens of the United States, but he abhorred permits and taxes for public use areas because the intent is to hold them in trust for the public in the first place. 4:59:38 PM SENATOR ELTON moved Amendment 1 on page 1, line 15, to delete "of the state" and asked for unanimous consent. There were no objections and Amendment 1 was adopted. SENATOR ELTON moved Amendment 2 on page 2, line 31, to delete "the honorable Tom Delay," so the resolution would be sent to whomever the majority leader will be. There were no objections and Amendment 2 was adopted. 5:00:41 PM SENATOR SEEKINS moved to pass SCS CSHJR 17(RES) and the attached fiscal note from committee and with individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered.