HB 35-MARCH 27: GREAT ALASKA EARTHQUAKE DAY  9:01:39 AM CHAIR STOLTZE announced the consideration of HB 35. [CSHB 35(STA) was before the committee.] 9:01:48 AM JEFF TURNER, Staff, Representative Charisse Millet, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, introduced HB 35 reading from the following sponsor statement: On March 27, 1964, Southcentral Alaska was torn apart as many of you know by a 9.2 magnitude earthquake; it devastated 50,000 square miles of Southcentral Alaska, leveled entire communities, and trigged massive tsunamis that brought even more devastation to coastal areas. What HB 35 does is recognize a great disaster and how it brought out the best of all Alaskans by establishing March 27 as Great Alaska Good Friday Earthquake Remembrance Day. The purpose of the bill is not to highlight the quake necessarily, but to honor the thousands of Alaskans who put the needs of others before their own needs: first responders, medical personnel, the Alaska Army and Air National Guard, the U.S. Core of Engineers, government employees, even ham radio operators were joined by everyday Alaskans to conduct search and rescue operations, provide medical care, food, shelter, and the restoration of vital infrastructure and services; it was their selfless determination that saved unknown numbers of lives and rebuilt Southcentral communities before the return of winter. The 1964 earthquake was also a watershed moment in the fields of geology, earth science, and more; it was a big part of what led to the creation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also known as FEMA, in 1979. This legislation means communities and civic groups can hold ceremonies around the state to mark a day that changed state history and it also directs the Governor to issue an annual proclamation commemorating Great Alaska Good Friday Earthquake Remembrance Day and to fly the state flag at half-mast; it also reminds Alaskans about the importance of building and designing safer structures, which a couple of our invited testifiers can speak to today. Representative Millet respectively asks for the committee's support for the legislation. 9:04:35 AM STEVE S. MASTERMAN, Director, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, Alaska Department of Resources, Fairbanks, Alaska, announced that the division supports HB 35. He said the Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys feels it is important to remember those people who gave their lives in the Great Alaska Earthquake disaster. He added that having a day on the calendar to remind people of the significance and danger of earthquakes in Alaska was important as well. He noted that the Remembrance Day calls attention to a need to build infrastructures and buildings that withstand the potential effects of a future earthquake as well as designing and planning Alaska communities to be resilient to earthquakes and tsunamis. 9:06:04 AM CHUCK VOLANTI, representing himself, Olympia, Washington, recalled the events on the day of the earthquake in 1964 when on duty for the Alaska National Guard in Anchorage. He noted that as devastating and ravaging as the earthquake and tsunamis were, the cornerstone remains the people of Alaska and how they rallied together without hesitation. He said first-responders from all walks of life came together and formed the largest humanitarian relief contingent in state history. He summarized that what Alaskans of today enjoy is because they stand on the shoulders of those giants of the past; their selfless sacrifice paid honor to the future and now it is up to Alaskans to pay honor to those of the past. 9:06:43 AM SENATOR MCGUIRE joined the committee meeting. 9:09:26 AM CHAIR STOLTZE thanked Mr. Volanti for his diligence and efforts in helping memorize the event. 9:10:17 AM CHAIR STOLTZE closed public testimony. 9:10:35 AM SENATOR MCGUIRE moved to report the CS for HB 35 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note. 9:10:49 AM CHAIR STOLTZE announced that hearing no objection, CSHB 35(STA) moved out of committee.