ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SENATE TRANSPORTATION STANDING COMMITTEE  April 6, 2016 8:29 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Senator Peter Micciche, Chair Senator Click Bishop, Vice Chair Senator Bert Stedman Senator Dennis Egan MEMBERS ABSENT  Senator Mike Dunleavy COMMITTEE CALENDAR  CS FOR HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 17(TRA) Supporting the aviation industry; and urging the governor to make state-owned land available to the unmanned aircraft systems industry for the management and operation of unmanned aircraft systems and related research, manufacturing, testing, and training. - MOVED CSHCR 17(TRA) OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: HCR 17 SHORT TITLE: SUPPORT AVIATION INDUSTRY; USE STATE LAND SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) HUGHES 01/29/16 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 01/29/16 (H) TRA 02/02/16 (H) TRA AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 17 02/02/16 (H) Heard & Held 02/02/16 (H) MINUTE(TRA) 02/04/16 (H) TRA AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 17 02/04/16 (H) Moved CSHCR 17(TRA) Out of Committee 02/04/16 (H) MINUTE(TRA) 03/15/16 (H) TRA AT 1:00 PM CAPITOL 17 03/15/16 (H) Moved CSHCR 17(TRA) Out of Committee 03/15/16 (H) MINUTE(TRA) 03/16/16 (H) TRA RPT CS(TRA) 5DP 1NR 03/16/16 (H) DP: NAGEAK, STUTES, CLAMAN, HUGHES, FOSTER 03/16/16 (H) NR: ORTIZ 03/21/16 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) 03/21/16 (H) VERSION: CSHCR 17(TRA) 03/23/16 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/23/16 (S) TRA, RES 04/06/16 (S) TRA AT 8:30 AM BUTROVICH 205 WITNESS REGISTER REPRESENTATIVE SHELLEY HUGHES Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of HCR 17. ACTION NARRATIVE 8:29:40 AM CHAIR PETER MICCICHE called the Senate Transportation Standing Committee meeting to order at 8:29 a.m. Present at the call to order were Senators Egan, Stedman, Bishop, and Chair Micciche.   HCR 17-SUPPORT AVIATION INDUSTRY; USE STATE LAND  8:30:27 AM CHAIR MICCICHE announced the consideration of HCR 17 and noted a further referral to the Senate Resources Committee. [CSHCR 17(TRA) was before the committee.] 8:30:51 AM REPRESENTATIVE SHELLEY HUGHES, sponsor of HCR 17, thanked the committee for hearing the resolution. She related that the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Legislative Task Force which will continue until June 30, 2017, is co-chaired by Senator Micciche and herself. The task force's primary focus is privacy and safety, however, HCR 17 does not pertain to that in particular. One duty of the task force is to promote the unmanned aircraft systems industry (UAS), and that is what HCR 17 is about. She pointed out that Alaska has excellent potential for growth in UAS. 8:32:08 AM REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES listed the three purposes of HCR 17: it encourages Alaska to welcome UAS to the state, it encourages the establishment of local UAS businesses, and to make state lands, as appropriate, available for research, manufacturing, testing, training, management, and operations of those systems. She noted when you compare the state of Alaska landholdings to the entire U.S., it equals 5 percent of the U.S. If that land were to be available to the industry, it would be advantageous to it. Space is a rare commodity and it is appropriate to offer it for the launching and landing of unmanned aircraft. REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES concluded that HCR 17 is good for Alaska, especially in light of the fiscal climate. It has potential for many high-paying tech jobs. She encouraged the committee to pass the resolution. 8:34:04 AM CHAIR MICCICHE commented that he helped write the resolution and thanked the sponsor for her work on it. He opened public testimony and seeing no testifiers, closed it again. He concluded that HCR 17 is a simple resolution and he is in support of it. 8:34:31 AM SENATOR BISHOP moved to report CSHCR 17(TRA) from committee with individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note. There being no objection, the motion carried. 8:35:07 AM There being no further business to come before the committee, Chair Micciche adjourned the Senate Transportation Standing Committee at 8:35 a.m.