SB 90-ALASKA TERRITORIAL GUARD DAY    CHAIR GENE THERRIAULT announced SB 90 to be up for consideration. 4:49:32 PM SENATOR CHARLIE HUGGINS, sponsor of SB 90, stated Mr. Moore was prepared to introduce the bill. RYAN MOORE, staff to Senator Huggins, explained the following about the Alaska Territorial Guard: Right after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese seized the Islands of Attu and Kiska and bombed Dutch Harbor. After this happened, Governor Ernest Gruening was assigned two military aides to assist him in forming the Alaska Territorial Guard. The first one was Captain Carl Schneibner and he's responsible for organizing the Guard in the Interior. The second was Major Marvin 'Mucktuk' Marston and he was designated to organize the Guard on the Bering and the Arctic coast. These two men's combined efforts resulted in 6,500 - predominantly Alaska Native men - signing up to protect the territory and the country. The Alaska Territorial Guard was disbanded in 1947 though some [guardsmen] were included in the regular Alaska National Guard as scout battalion. 4:51:33 PM SENATOR THOMAS WAGONER congratulated Mr. Moore on the work he did and said the history is very interesting. SENATOR HUGGINS added this group of people wasn't recognized by the state and/or nation until recently. Less than 300 of the original guardsmen are living today one of which is Representative Carl Moses. There's a great deal of pride associated with having been a guardsman, he concluded. CHAIR THERRIAULT asked Senator Huggins whether he would object to removing the finding section and drafting a letter of intent to accompany the bill. SENATOR HUGGINS said that would be acceptable. The intent is to make sure that the essence of the effort is captured. CHAIR THERRIAULT made the point that findings are the un- codified section of law and would not appear together. SENATOR HUGGINS said he would defer to Mr. Moore since he was the author. SENATOR KIM ELTON stated that most of the time he would agree that findings and intent add clutter to a bill. However, the points made in the findings are important and shouldn't be forgotten over time. It's awkward, he said, that he feels less amenable to removing the findings than the sponsor, but he wanted to put his feelings on record. "In this instance, I think a finding in law that tells why we're doing this makes sense." CHAIR THERRIAULT replied he feels there needs to be compelling reason to have it included. Any interested party should go to the library to get the full history, he said. SENATOR ELTON admitted he would agree 99 times out of 100. CHAIR THERRIAULT asked Mr. Moore whether he had a comment. MR. MOORE replied he did not. CHAIR THERRIAULT said he would prefer to remove the findings and draft a letter of intent. SENATOR ELTON said he would not object because the sponsor was agreeing to the change. "This one is just different for me," he said. CHAIR THERRIAULT motioned to amend SB 90 by dropping Section 1 and said he would work with sponsor to write a letter of intent to replace the findings section. There being no objection, amendment one passed. He noted there was a zero fiscal note then asked for the will of the committee. SENATOR WAGONER motioned to move CSSB 90(STA) from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note. There being no objection, it was so ordered.