ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE STATE AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
April 12, 2011
9:07 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Bill Wielechowski, Chair
Senator Joe Paskvan, Vice Chair
Senator Albert Kookesh
Senator Kevin Meyer
Senator Cathy Giessel
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 11
Designating August 18, 2011, as Walter J. Hickel Day of the
Arctic.
- MOVED SCR 11 OUT OF COMMITTEE
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 101(STA)
"An Act establishing the fourth Saturday of July each year as
Ted Stevens Day."
- MOVED CSHB 101(STA) OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 19
"An Act relating to special request registration plates; and
providing for an effective date."
- MOVED SCS CSHB 19(STA) OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SCR 11
SHORT TITLE: WALTER HICKEL DAY OF THE ARCTIC
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) FRENCH
04/01/11 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/01/11 (S) STA
04/12/11 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
BILL: HB 101
SHORT TITLE: TED STEVENS DAY
SPONSOR(s): RULES
01/18/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/11 (H) STA
03/29/11 (H) STA RPT CS(STA) NT 7DP
03/29/11 (H) DP: PETERSEN, SEATON, GRUENBERG,
KELLER, P.WILSON, JOHANSEN, LYNN
03/29/11 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/29/11 (H) Moved CSHB 101(STA) Out of Committee
03/29/11 (H) MINUTE(STA)
03/30/11 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
03/30/11 (H) VERSION: CSHB 101(STA)
04/01/11 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/01/11 (S) STA
04/12/11 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
BILL: HB 19
SHORT TITLE: SPECIAL REQUEST LICENSE PLATES
SPONSOR(s): LYNN, KELLER, GATTO
01/18/11 (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/7/11
01/18/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/18/11 (H) STA, FIN
02/08/11 (H) STA AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/08/11 (H) Moved Out of Committee
02/08/11 (H) MINUTE(STA)
02/09/11 (H) STA RPT 7DP
02/09/11 (H) DP: JOHANSEN, P.WILSON, KELLER,
GRUENBERG, SEATON, PETERSEN, LYNN
02/22/11 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519
02/22/11 (H) <Bill Held Over to 2/24/11>
02/24/11 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519
02/24/11 (H) Moved Out of Committee
02/24/11 (H) MINUTE(FIN)
02/25/11 (H) FIN RPT 8DP 1NR
02/25/11 (H) DP: FAIRCLOUGH, GARA, T.WILSON,
GUTTENBERG, NEUMAN, DOOGAN, STOLTZE,
THOMAS
02/25/11 (H) NR: COSTELLO
03/23/11 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)
03/23/11 (H) VERSION: HB 19
03/25/11 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/25/11 (S) STA, TRA
04/12/11 (S) STA AT 9:00 AM BUTROVICH 205
WITNESS REGISTER
SENATOR HOLLIS FRENCH
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of SCR 11.
ERIN SHINE, Staff to Representative Craig Johnson
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HB 101 for Representative Craig
Johnson, the sponsor.
ROSITA WORL, PhD, President
Sealaska Heritage Institute
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 101.
THOMAS REIKER, Staff to Representative Bob Lynn
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HB 19 for Representative Bob Lynn,
the Sponsor.
MICHELLE SYDEMAN, Staff to Senator Bill Wielechowski
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Explained changes in proposed SCS for HB
101.
ACTION NARRATIVE
9:07:10 AM
CHAIR BILL WIELECHOWSKI called the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee meeting to order at 9:07 a.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Giessel, Meyer, Kookesh, Paskvan, and Chair
Wielechowski.
SCR 11-WALTER HICKEL DAY OF THE ARCTIC
9:07:38 AM
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced the first order of business would
be SCR 11, which honors the late Governor Walter J. Hickel by
establishing a day in his honor.
SENATOR HOLLIS FRENCH, sponsor of SCR 11, said he could probably
speak for hours about the late Walter Hickel. His
accomplishments were numerous in many arenas, and he changed the
landscape of Alaska. Senator French said he was thrilled to
present the resolution; Walter Hickel was one of his
constituents, and they attended the same church. He noted a book
by Governor Hickel, "Crisis in the Commons" is a great document
about managing common areas such as the Arctic. He said Governor
Hickel was a great Alaskan. Passage of SCR 11 would establish
August 18, 2011, as Walter J. Hickel Day of the Arctic.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI noted that many people in the legislature
have been influenced by former Governor Hickel.
9:09:30 AM
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI opened and closed public testimony.
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report SCR 11 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note.
Without objection, SCR 11 from the Senate State Affairs Standing
Committee.
9:10:21 AM
At-ease.
HB 101-TED STEVENS DAY
9:12:34 AM
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced the next order of business would be
HB 101, which would establish the fourth Saturday of each July
as Ted Stevens Day. [CSHB 101(STA) was before the committee.]
9:12:56 AM
ERIN SHINE, staff to Representative Craig Johnson, sponsor of HB
101, said that Ted Stevens dedicated his life to the state of
Alaska. The purpose of HB 101 is to establish Ted Stevens Day
each year in Alaska. At the request of his family, the original
date of November 18 was changed to the fourth Saturday in July
each year, so that Alaskans could observe the day in outdoor
activities, as Senator Stevens loved to do.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI opened public testimony.
9:14:55 AM
ROSITA WORL, PhD., President, Sealaska Heritage Institute, said
she had the pleasure of working with Senator Stevens through
Sealaska and with the Alaska Federation of Natives. She said it
is important to note some of the wonderful things he did, "He
was our uncle but he was also our brother." He was given a
Tlingit name, "The Bear Who Went Up Into Space." She noted he
was a member of the same clan as Senator Kookesh. The name was
given after he had proven himself, not only to the Native people
but to the state of Alaska. Beyond bringing money into the
state, he was a moral and principled man.
He fought for the settlement of the Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act (ANCSA). All Alaskans today benefit from that
act; ANCSA has been an economic engine for Alaska. It was really
important to Senator Stevens to make sure that Native children
had this connection to their land. The First Peoples of Alaska
are forever grateful to him for doing that. He wanted to make
sure that the state would have management of its own fish and
game; that is a task the state still needs to address.
If any Alaska Natives ever doubt the love he had for them, they
only need look at the health care that he is responsible for.
Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage is a tribute to what
he wanted to do, to make certain the physical and social welfare
of Alaska Natives were cared for. She said she wanted to say, on
the record on behalf of Alaska Native people; Senator Stevens
was a great man.
9:19:03 AM
SENATOR MEYER asked about the Tlingit name.
MS. WORL explained it was taken from a mask of a brown bear that
had been placed in a spaceship by a young Tlingit man who was
working for NASA; hence it was called "The Brown Bear Who Went
Up Into Space." The mask hangs in the Sealaska Building today.
SENATOR MEYER asked if she knew the Tlingit pronunciation.
MS. WORL answered she did not remember, but she could get it.
SENATOR KOOKESH observed that she could have said any words in
Tlingit and the committee would have accepted it.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI said that as he travels around the state for
hearings, it is obvious that every place in Alaska, down to the
smallest village, has been positively impacted by Senator
Stevens.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI noted a letter from Lilly Stevens Becker,
Senator Stevens' youngest daughter, was in the record.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI closed public testimony and asked the will of
the committee.
9:20:49 AM
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report CS for HB 101, version I, from
committee with individual recommendations and attached zero
fiscal note.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced that without objection, CSHB
101(STA) moved from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.
9:22:08 AM
At-ease.
HB 19-SPECIAL REQUEST LICENSE PLATES
9:26:29 AM
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced the next order of business would be
HB 19, authorizing the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to
create a special request license plate incorporating the phrase,
"In God We Trust."
9:26:51 AM
THOMAS REIKER, staff to Representative Bob Lynn, said the idea
for these plates came when Senator Lynn visited Indiana and saw
many "In God We Trust" license plates. His office asked the DMV
to come up with a format for the "In God We Trust" license plate
for Alaska. This bill creates an Alaska special request "In God
We Trust" license plate, which is available on request. It
follows the typical procedure for issuance of special request
license plates. The DMV does not oppose the bill; there is a
zero fiscal note.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI noted there was a CS, version X.
9:28:35 AM
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to adopt the proposed Senate committee
substitute (CS) for HB 19, labeled 27-LS0141\X, as the working
document.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI objected for discussion purposes.
9:29:18 AM
MICHELLE SYDEMAN, staff to Senator Bill Wielechowski, said the
version X Senate CS, incorporates several bills into the
underlying HB 19. These are a license plate bill that honors
Laotians who joined the United States Army during the Vietnam
War, which had support in the House State Affairs Committee; an
NRA license plate bill that added a breast cancer awareness
license plate; and SB 93 that authorizes the DMV to in the
future set up a clear process to gauge public interest before
proceeding with a specialty license plate. Whitney Brewster
indicated that DMV would be comfortable administering that
process. That bill passed the Senate unanimously and is now
being considered in the House.
9:31:28 AM
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI noted that when he presented SB 93 to the
House State Affairs Committee he learned that that committee did
the same thing, except they also incorporated a bill for Choose
Life plates and added a three-year sunset provision. He did not
support the sunset, because the idea is to remove license plates
from the legislature's consideration. Another addition was a
change in the minimum number of plates; this was dropped from 50
to 10 in the House version. He liked that idea.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI moved Conceptual Amendment 1.
CONCEPTUAL AMENDMENT 1
Page 3, line 4:
Delete "50"
Insert "25
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI found no discussion or objection and
announced that Conceptual Amendment 1 was adopted.
9:33:10 AM
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI asked if there were any other amendments.
SENATOR MEYER moved [Conceptual] Amendment 2, which would
incorporate SB 16, the Choose Life license plate bill. The
committee already heard his bill and compromised to include Pro
Family Pro-choice to avoid potential concerns. He noted he
preferred Senator Wielechowski's bill to the House version, but
if there is to be an omnibus license plate bill he would like
his to be included.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI said it's a fair way to go; incorporating
both views is best to avoid a potential lawsuit.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI recapped Conceptual Amendment 2, would add
Sections 1 and 2 of SB 16, version E, as well as any conforming
amendments. Finding no objection, he announced that Conceptual
Amendment No. 2 was adopted.
Finding no further amendments or discussion, he asked the will
of the committee.
9:36:14 AM
SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report Senate CS for HB 19, version [X]
as amended, with individual recommendations and accompanying
zero fiscal note.
CHAIR WIELECHOWSKI announced that without objection, SCS HB
19(STA) moved from the Senate State Affairs Standing Committee.
9:37:09 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Wielechowski adjourned the meeting at 9:37 a.m.