Dear UFA Members and Friends,
In this issue:
- Johnstone Not Confirmed to BOF
- UFA is Hiring
- **Legislative Happenings from Last Week**
- **Legislative Meetings of Interest for Next Week**
- How to Testify, Watch, or Listen to a Hearing
- Bills Related for Fisheries, and other Bills of Interest to Fishermen
Johnstone Not Confirmed to BOF
On April 17, the joint meeting of the House and Senate voted not to confirm Karl Johnstone to the Alaska Board of Fisheries with a vote of 24 Yeas and 33 Nays with 3 excused.
The roll of the Senate was taken with the following result:Yeas: Birch, Coghill, Costello, Giessel, Hughes, Kawasaki, Shower, von Imhof, Wilson. Nays: Begich, Bishop, Gray-Jackson, Hoffman, Kiehl, Micciche, Olson, Reinbold, Stedman, Stevens, Wielechowski.
The roll of the House was taken with the following result: Yeas: Eastman, Johnson, Johnston, LeBon, LeDoux, Merrick, Pruitt, Rasmussen, Rauscher, Revak, Shaw, Sullivan-Leonard, Talerico, Tilton, Wilson. Nays: Carpenter, Claman, Drummond, Edgmon, Fields, Foster, Hannan, Hopkins, Josephson, Knopp, Kopp, Kreiss-Tomkins, Lincoln, Ortiz, Spohnholz, Story, Stutes, Tarr, Thompson, Vance, Wool, Zulkosky.Excused: Jackson, Neuman, Tuck.
United Fishermen of Alaska would like to send a thank you to all our user groups and commercial fishermen who testified and wrote letters in opposition to Johnstone. This truly was a group effort and it demonstrates how powerful we can be when we all use a united voice.
UFA is Hiring
United Fishermen of Alaska is seeking an Office Manager based in Juneau to work in a fast-paced environment. The Office Manager is responsible for general office work including membership correspondence, bookkeeping, filing of paper and electronic records, meeting preparation, and staff support to the Executive Director. The position is based in Juneau, Alaska. For a more detailed job description, please go to UFA’s website: UFA Office Manager Description.
-Frances Leach, Executive Director
Legislation – Happenings from last week on fishery related bills we are tracking. (April 15 – April 19)
House Floor- Tuesday, April 16
- HB 35 – Conflict of Interest: Board Fisheries/Game was read a third time and passed with 29 Yeas and 9 Nays. Yeas: Carpenter, Claman, Drummond, Edgmon, Fields, Foster, Hannan, Hopkins, Jackson, Johnston, Josephson, Knopp, Kopp, LeDoux, Lincoln, Ortiz, Revak, Spohnholz, Story, Stutes, Talerico, Tarr, Thompson, Tuck, Vance, Wilson, Wool, Zulkosky. Nays: Eastman, Johnson, Merrick, Pruitt, Rasmussen, Rauscher, Shaw, Sullivan-Leonard, Tilton. Excused: Kreiss-Tomkins, Neuman
The bill was referred to Senate State Affairs and Resource committee.
Joint House Fisheries Committee and House Resources Committee– Monday, April 15
**Watch the Meeting Here**
- Joint House Fisheries and House Resource Committee convened to hold a confirmation hearing on Alaska Board of Fisheries appointees. Public testimony was taken.
Senate ADFG Subcommittee, Tuesday, April 16
**Watch Meeting Here**
The Senate Finance Fish & Game budget subcommittee straight up accepted all of the Governor’s FY20 proposals for the DFG budget, which means, among other things:
- $997k less for commercial fisheries management
- 50% reduction in funds for travel across all divisions (including com-fish)
- $280k less for special areas management
- Transfer of two director-level positions and associated funding from the Division of Habitat and Division of Subsistence Research to the Office of Management and Budget. (these jobs will no longer be associated with Fish & Game related duties)
They also cut out more by eliminating a communications director position in the Commissioner’s Office.
It should be noted the House Fish & Game subcommittee did accept some of the Governor’s proposals too, listed below, but not all which is what the Senate did.
- Restoring CFEC receipt authority
- Adding $800k of statutory designated receipt authority for the Bristol Bay Science Research Institute Watershed Projects
- Eliminating and Addmin Officer II in Statewide Support Services
Legislative Meetings of interest for this week of April 22 – April 26, 2019.
MONDAY, April 22
House Finance – Adams 519
1:30 PM ~ **Teleconferenced**
- HB 41 – Shellfish Enhance. Projects; Hatcheries. Meeting Link
Senate Resources – Butrovich 205
3:30 PM ~ **Teleconferenced**
- SB 90 – Cook Inlet: New Admin Area; Permit Buyback Meeting Link
TUESDAY, April 23
House Fisheries Committee– Gruenberg 120
10:00 AM ~ **Teleconferenced**
- HB 116 – Aquatic Farm/Hatchery Site Leases. **Public Testimony (Invited & Public)** Meeting Link
- HR 8 – 2019 International Year of the Salmon Resolution. **Public Testimony (Invited & Public)** Meeting Link
WEDNESDAY, April 24
House Resources– Barnes 124
1:00 PM ~ **Teleconferenced**
- Presentation: Fisheries Taxes in Alaska by Dept. of Revenue by Brandon Spanos, Deputy Director, Tax Division, Dept. of Revenue Commissioner Bruce Tangeman, Dept. of Revenue Elizabeth Nudelman, Revenue Audit Supervisor, Fish Tax Group, Dept. of Revenue Meeting Link
- Presentation: Alaska Commercial Fishing Industry Update by Frances Leach, Exec. Dir., United Fishermen of Alaska Meeting Link
- HR 8 – 2019 International Year of the Salmon Resolution. <Pending Referral>
House Finance – Adams 519
1:30 PM ~ **Teleconferenced**
- SB 61 – Commercial Fishermen’s Fund: Vessel Owner Claims. <Pending Referral> **Public Testimony** Meeting Link
THURSDAY, April 25
House Fisheries Committee– Gruenberg 120
10:00 AM ~ **Teleconferenced**
- HB 116 – Aquatic Farm/Hatchery Site Leases. Meeting Link
- HB 65 – Fish Tax: Repeal Muni Refunds/Rev. Share **Public Testimony (Invited & Public)** Meeting Link
FRIDAY, April 26
House Resources– Barnes 124
1:00 PM ~ **Teleconferenced**
- HR 8 – 2019 International Year of the Salmon Resolution. <Pending Referral>
Please feel free to track bills in The Bill Tracking Management Facility (BTMF).
To testify, watch or listen in to a hearing …
To testify it’s best to go to a Legislative Information office – see them online at http://akleg.gov/lios.php . If you can’t get to an LIO you can call in to listen in or testify through the following numbers – call & ask for the specific committee hearing:
- From Anchorage based phones call 907-563-9085;
- From Juneau based phones or outside Alaska call 907-586-9085;
- From other areas of Alaska, call toll-free 844-586-9085…and ask for the specific hearing.
To watch hearings online go to legislative home page at http://w3.akleg.gov/ at the time of the hearing, and click on the “Live Now” tab, and then select the meeting.
To watch floor sessions and other hearings see Gavel to Gavel archives.
To find your legislators and contact info see http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/ – see “WHO REPRESENTS ME?” in the lower right corner of the page.
Bills related to fisheries that we are tracking, and others that may be of interest to fishermen.
SB 22 – Shellfish Enhance. Projects; Hatcheries (Stevens- Senate Finance- UFA Supports) Referred to Senate Finance with no scheduled hearings at this time.
SB 51 – Natl. Res. Water Nomination/Designation (Senate Resources) Currently in Senate Resources with no scheduled hearings at this time.
SB 61 – Commercial Fishermen’s Fund: Vessel Owner Claims (Stevens – UFA Supports) Currently in House Finance with a scheduled hearing on Wednesday, April 24.
SB 63 – Fish Tax: Repeal Muni Refunds/Rev. Share (Senate Rules by Request of the Governor- UFA Opposes) Currently in Senate Community and Regional Affairs with no scheduled hearings at this time.
SB 90 – Cook Inlet: New Admin Area; Permit Buyback (Micciche) Currently in Senate Resources with hearing scheduled for Monday, April 22.
SB 99 – Personal Use Fishing Priority (Kawasaki- UFA Opposes). Referred to Senate Resources with no scheduled hearings at this time.
HB 35 – Conflict of Interest: Board Fisheries/Game (Stutes – UFA Supports) Referred to Senate State Affairs with no scheduled hearings at this time.
HB 41 – Shellfish Enhance. Projects; Hatcheries (Ortiz – UFA Supports) Currently in House Finance with hearing scheduled for Monday, April 22.
HB 65 – Fish Tax: Repeal Muni Refunds/Rev. Share (House Rules by Request of the Governor – UFA Opposes) Currently in House Fisheries with hearing scheduled for Thursday, April 25.
HB 105 – Commercial Fishermen’s Fund: Vessel Owner Claims. (Ortiz- UFA Supports) Moved out of House Fisheries and assigned to House Finance with no scheduled hearings at this time.
HB 116 – Aquatic Farm/Hatchery Site Leases. (Story). Currently in House Fisheries with a hearings scheduled for April 23 and 25.
HR 8 – 2019 International Year of the Salmon Resolution. Currently in House Fisheries with a hearings scheduled for April 23, 24, and 26.
Please support our business members – see links on our website
To join UFA see https://www.ufafish.org/become-a-member/
This update is made possible by the support of our Group, Business, Individual and Crew members.
To join UFA see https://www.ufafish.org/become-a-member/