ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  HOUSE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE  May 19, 2003 9:05 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Bruce Weyhrauch, Chair Representative Jim Holm, Vice Chair Representative Bob Lynn Representative Paul Seaton Representative Max Gruenberg MEMBERS ABSENT  Representative Nancy Dahlstrom Representative Harry Crawford COMMITTEE CALENDAR SENATE BILL NO. 223 "An Act naming the state ferry first operating to serve between Metlakatla and Ketchikan; and providing for an effective date." - MOVED SB 223 OUT OF COMMITTEE SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 13 Encouraging the Department of Corrections to provide canned Alaska pink salmon to inmates of the Alaska prison system. - MOVED SCR 13 OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS ACTION BILL: SB 223 SHORT TITLE:NAMING THE FERRY LITUYA SPONSOR(S): RLS Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action 05/14/03 1390 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 05/14/03 1390 (S) STA 05/17/03 1501 (S) STA RPT 3DP 05/17/03 1501 (S) DP: STEVENS G, COWDERY, GUESS 05/17/03 1501 (S) FN1: ZERO(DOT) 05/17/03 1509 (S) RULES TO CALENDAR 5/17/2003 05/17/03 1509 (S) READ THE SECOND TIME 05/17/03 1509 (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 5/18 CALENDAR 05/17/03 (S) STA AT 11:30 AM FAHRENKAMP 203 05/17/03 (S) Moved Out of Committee -- Time and Location Change -- 05/17/03 (S) MINUTE(STA) 05/18/03 1558 (S) READ THE THIRD TIME SB 223 05/18/03 1558 (S) PASSED Y19 N- E1 05/18/03 1558 (S) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) SAME AS PASSAGE 05/18/03 1576 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) 05/18/03 1576 (S) VERSION: SB 223 05/18/03 1881 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 05/18/03 1881 (H) STA 05/19/03 1917 (H) STA RPT 5DP 05/19/03 1917 (H) DP: SEATON, HOLM, LYNN, GRUENBERG, 05/19/03 1917 (H) WEYHRAUCH 05/19/03 1917 (H) LETTER OF INTENT WITH STA REPORT 05/19/03 1917 (H) FN1: ZERO(DOT) 05/19/03 1932 (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 5/19/2003 05/19/03 1932 (H) READ THE SECOND TIME 05/19/03 1932 (H) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 5/20 CALENDAR 05/19/03 (H) STA AT 9:00 AM CAPITOL 102 BILL: SCR 13 SHORT TITLE:CANNED SALMON FOR PRISONERS SPONSOR(S): SENATOR(S) LINCOLN Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action 05/03/03 1129 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 05/03/03 1129 (S) STA 05/15/03 (S) STA AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 211 05/15/03 (S) -- Meeting Postponed to 5/17/03 -- 05/17/03 1507 (S) STA RPT 4DP 05/17/03 1507 (S) DP: STEVENS G, DYSON, GUESS, COWDERY 05/17/03 1507 (S) FN1: ZERO(COR) 05/17/03 (S) STA AT 11:30 AM FAHRENKAMP 203 05/17/03 (S) Moved Out of Committee -- Time and Location Change -- 05/17/03 (S) MINUTE(STA) 05/18/03 1571 (S) RULES TO CALENDAR 5/18/2003 05/18/03 1571 (S) READ THE SECOND TIME 05/18/03 1572 (S) PASSED Y19 N- E1 05/18/03 1577 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) 05/18/03 1577 (S) VERSION: SCR 13 05/18/03 1880 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 05/18/03 1880 (H) STA 05/19/03 1915 (H) STA RPT 5DP 05/19/03 1915 (H) DP: SEATON, HOLM, LYNN, GRUENBERG, 05/19/03 1915 (H) WEYHRAUCH 05/19/03 1916 (H) FN1: ZERO(COR) 05/19/03 (H) STA AT 9:00 AM CAPITOL 102 WITNESS REGISTER TOM BRIGGS, Deputy Commissioner Office of the Commissioner Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SB 223 and answered questions for the committee. MARK STOPHA, Staff to Senator Georgianna Lincoln Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Presented SCR 13 on behalf of Senator Lincoln, sponsor. ACTION NARRATIVE TAPE 03-71, SIDE A  Number 0001 CHAIR BRUCE WEYHRAUCH called the House State Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 9:05 a.m. Representatives Holm, Seaton, Lynn, and Weyhrauch were present at the call to order. Representative Gruenberg arrived as the meeting was in progress. SB 223-NAMING THE FERRY LITUYA Number 0022 CHAIR WEYHRAUCH announced that the first order of business was SENATE BILL NO. 223, "An Act naming the state ferry first operating to serve between Metlakatla and Ketchikan; and providing for an effective date." Number 0065 TOM BRIGGS, Deputy Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner, Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF), told the committee that the vessel from Metlakatla was [modeled] after the North Sea supply boats and was named through a contest with the children of Metlakatla. Lieutenant Governor Loren Leman selected the name, Lituya, from the final candidates' entries. MR. BRIGGS reminded the committee that Lituya Bay is an historical place and the glacier located there was the cause of a major tidal wave back in the 1950s that had cataclysmic consequences on many of the vessels that were in the bay at the time. He noted that a man named La Perouse was the first to record Lituya Bay. He said that the department, as well as the people of Metlakatla, feel that [Motor Vessel Lituya] is an appropriate name for a vessel in southern Southeast Alaska. Number 0222 MR. BRIGGS, in response to questions by Chair Weyhrauch, said that he doesn't know the meaning of the name Lituya, but surmised that it is probably an aboriginal name of Tlingit origin. Number 0330 CHAIR WEYHRAUCH asked if the bill would limit the route of the vessel to service between Metlakatla and Ketchikan. MR. BRIGGS interpreted that the language of the bill states where the ferry vessel would run initially; however, he stated that he hopes the Marine Highway System would reserve the right to reassign the ferry vessel to wherever it might do the most good. He noted that the vessel was designed specifically to serve the people of Metlakatla. He referred to the language [of Section 1] in the bill, which read as follows: *Section 1. AS 19.65.020 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: (f) The Motor Vessel Lituya is the authorized name for the state ferry first operating as part of the Alaska marine highway system to serve between Metlakatla and Ketchikan on or after the effective date of this section. CHAIR WEYHRAUCH stated that he really has no interest in hearing bills in the future to decide upon changes in the scheduling order of ferry destinations. He clarified that he does not want to bind the hands of the Marine Highway System by limiting the service area of the ferry now. MR. BRIGGS responded that that was not the intent of the bill. CHAIR WEYHRAUCH suggested an amendment to add "first" between the words "to" and "serve". REPRESENTATIVE HOLM asked if that is a title amendment. CHAIR WEYHRAUCH, upon reflection, said that he doesn't want to have to send [SB 223] back to the Senate for concurrence; therefore, he asked Mr. Briggs to send a letter of intent to the committee stating that the language will not bind the hands of the Marine Highway System. Chair Weyhrauch said that the committee would then make that letter part of the record. MR. BRIGGS agreed to do that today. Number 0563 REPRESENTATIVE HOLM moved to report SB 223 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal note. CHAIR WEYHRAUCH asked the committee if he could have the discretion to sign the letter when he receives it. [No objection was stated.] Number 0598 REPRESENTATIVE LYNN suggested that the letter allow the ferry to travel to any place in Alaska. CHAIR WEYHRAUCH said, "If it's so needed, yes." He offered the example of the [Exxon Valdez Oil Spill of 1989] when it was necessary to move ferries all around the system. CHAIR WEYHRAUCH [indicated that there was no objection to reporting SB 223 from committee]. Therefore, SB 223 was reported out of the House State Affairs Standing Committee. SCR 13-CANNED SALMON FOR PRISONERS Number 0650 CHAIR WEYHRAUCH announced that the next order of business was SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 13, Encouraging the Department of Corrections to provide canned Alaska pink salmon to inmates of the Alaska prison system. Number 0670 MARK STOPHA, Staff to Senator Georgianna Lincoln, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of SCR 13, informed the committee that there is a projected surplus supply of approximately 60 million "tall" cans of pink salmon in inventory, with a strong year of pink salmon returns projected for the 2003 [fishing] season. Mr. Stopha said that salmon is a traditional Alaskan food, yet Alaskan inmates - particularly those in Arizona - receive little Alaskan salmon in their diet. That fact was observed during Senator Lincoln's recent visit to the prison facility in Arizona [where many Alaskan inmates are housed], and was the impetus for this legislation, he noted. MR. STOPHA stated that canned pink salmon is an inexpensive source of Omega-3, a fatty acid known to decrease the risk of heart disease and other ailments. Furthermore, he noted, canned pink salmon inventories are readily available in state, as well as from Seattle "if they choose to ship to Arizona." Mr. Stopha stated that SCR 13 encourages correctional facilities throughout [Alaska] and in Florence, Arizona to serve Alaska canned pink salmon to promote inmate health. He pointed to the fiscal note, which shows that [those facilities] serve approximately 600,000 meals annually. He stated that the intent of this legislation is that the increased consumption of canned pink salmon will "benefit the state's commercial sale and industry by reducing surplus inventories." Number 0815 CHAIR WEYHRAUCH echoed a question he credited as Representative Holm's, asking why a resolution is necessary to carry this plan out. He added that he is not opposed to SCR 13. Number 0820 MR. STOPHA responded that he thinks [SCR 13] is just another promotion of Alaska's [fishing] industry and canned pink salmon. He noted that the Department of Corrections (DOC) has a contract with a food service company; this resolution would add pink salmon to that contract. CHAIR WEYHRAUCH said that if there was more time left in the legislative session he would be inclined to expand this legislation to include agencies that house children, or finance hospitals, for example. He said that the State of Alaska has an inherent interest in this product and the bill should be "incredibly broad." He clarified that he is not criticizing Mr. Stopha or the sponsor, but that "it's just one of those government things." Number 0900 REPRESENTATIVE HOLM stated that another consideration is to ask where this stops. He asked if [the legislature] then should promote reindeer or buffalo, or anything else that might be produced in the state. He indicated concern over determining contracts. Number 0954 REPRESENTATIVE SEATON noted, "At least it doesn't designate who we have to buy pink salmon from for the prisons." REPRESENTATIVE HOLM said the problem is that the salmon could be produced in Russia, for example. Number 0980 REPRESENTATIVE SEATON noted that the resolution specifies that the product would be "canned Alaska pink salmon". Number 0998 REPRESENTATIVE LYNN commented that the resolution was not going to be changed; however, he opined that it should include any product grown in Alaska [for consumption]. Number 1050 REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved to report SCR 13 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying zero fiscal note. There being no objection, SCR 13 was reported out of the House State Affairs Standing Committee. Number 1079 REPRESENTATIVE LYNN thanked all the members of the committee, especially Chair Weyhrauch, [for doing] an outstanding job. He also thanked the committee secretary, Legislative Information Office staff, and all other legislative staff who helped out during the session. CHAIR WEYHRAUCH expressed his appreciation for his committee members' work. ADJOURNMENT  Number 1233 There being no further business before the committee, the House State Affairs Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 9:20 a.m.