UFA Legislative Update: February 19, 2017

Note to members – Nominations are open for UFA at-large board elections. Four seats are open. Current Individual and lifetime members who hold an Alaska commercial fishing permit or IFQ are eligible to run, and to vote in the election that will take place in March.

Nomination forms have been mailed to paid and recent lapsed members and are also online at:

https://www.ufafish.org/nominations-open-for-ufa-at-large-board-election-deadline-march-1/

The UFA Spring 2017 meeting will be held Tuesday February 21 through Thursday February 23, at St. Ann’s Parish Hall at 430 Fifth St in Juneau.

UFA meetings are open to current members, except for executive sessions, which is expected for Tuesday 2/21.

 


Legislative Report

  1. Actions and hearings this past week:

House Fish and Game Budget Subcommittee took public comments on Tuesday Feb 14, and heard amendments offered by the Governor.

If above links do not work see video and documents tab at

http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Meeting/Detail?Meeting=HDFG%202017-02-16%2011:00:00#tab2_4e

-House Fisheries moved HB 87 Board of Fisheries and Game Conflict of Interest, it is now in House Resources

House Finance Committee heard HB 115 permanent fund / income tax bill with withholding on crew payments on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and took public comment for four hours on Friday. Video is online from the meeting page.

UFA’s letter opposing withholding requirements for crew payments has been included with compiled letters in opposition#1 in the documents page for the bill. We do not oppose the bill or income tax at this time but we think treating fishing crew differently than other non-employee IRS 1099 payees is very problematic – as clarified in this AP item that ran in several state papers.

Other hearings included:

House Finance Fish and Game Subcommittee Feb 14 Tuesday 11:00 AM– Room 120

Budget Overview: Div. of Habitat by David Rogers, Director

& Budget Overview: Div. of Subsistence by Hazel Nelson, Director

House Transportation committee – Tuesday, February 14 1:30 – Room 124

HB 60 – Motor Fuel Tax – House Rules by Request of the Governor

Presentation by Brian Fechter, OMB Policy Analyst

House Fisheries special committee – Feb 16 Thursday 10:00 – Room 120

CFEC Presentation on Limited Entry Permit Cap

+Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled

House Fish and Game Finance Sub Committee – Feb 16 Thursday 11:00 AM – Room 120

– Public Testimony on Fish and Game Budget

– Review of Prepunctual Subcommittee Proposals – Proposals will be posted 24 hours in

Advance (see documents tab at above meeting link).


  1. Meetings of interest scheduled for the week of February 20: 

Monday, February 20, 2017                         

House Finance Feb. 20 – Room 519 – 1:30 PM

Bills Previously Heard or Scheduled

Tuesday February 21:

House Fisheries – Tuesday, Feb 21 – 10:00am – 12:00pm – Room 120

+ Presentation: Alaska Resource Consortium and Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center (KSMSC)

+= Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled

–Please note: the DFG finance subcommittee will begin at 11:00am on both Tuesday and Thursday–

House Finance – Feb 21 – 1:30 Room 519

HB 115 – Income Tax; Pfd Credit; Perm Fund Income

HB 57 – Approp: Operating Budget/Loans/Funds

HB 59 – Approp: Mental Health Budget

+Subcommittee Reports; Amendment Proposals as available

+Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled

House Transportation – Feb 21 – Room 124

HB 60 Motor Fuel Tax;Transportation Maint. Fund

Presentation: Committee Substitute

HB 131 Relocation Assistance for Fed. Proj/Prog

HB 117 Art Public Facilities: Exempt St. Ferries

Wednesday, February 22:

Senate Fish and Game Budget Subcommittee – Feb 22 8:00 AM – Room 532

Overview

Joint House and Senate Session – Wednesday Feb 22 11:00 AM

Annual address by the honorable Senator Lisa Murkowski

To view live video go to http://akleg.gov/ and click on Live Now, once the meeting has started.

We look forward to hosting Senator Murkowski & Senator Sullivan at the UFA meeting.

House Resources Feb 22 – 1:00 PM   Room 124

Presentation: Ocean Acidification & its Potential Impacts to Fisheries in AK by Jessica Cross, NOAA Ocean Acidification Expert

Testimony by Invitation Only.

+SB 30 Approval: Royalty Oil Sale To Petro Star

— Public Testimony —

+HB 111 Oil & Gas Production Tax; Payments; Credits

— Testimony <Invitation Only> —

Oil & Gas Industry Testimony

UFA will also host a presentation by Dr. Cross on Ocean Acidification.      

Thursday February 23

House Fisheries – Feb 23 10:00am  – Room 120

+= HB 56-COMMERCIAL FISHING LOANS (Ortiz)

+= Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled

–Please note: the DFG finance subcommittee will begin at 11:00am on both Tuesday and Thursday–

House Fish and Game Finance Sub Committee – Feb 23 11:00 AM – Room 120

– Public Testimony on Fish and Game Budget

– Review of Prepunctual Subcommittee Proposals – Proposals will be posted 24 hours in

Advance (see documents tab at above meeting link).

– Testifiers must be signed up by 11:10 am or testimony will close

House Transportation ~ Feb 23 2017 1:30pm – Room 124

HB 60: Motor Fuel Tax;transportation Maint. Fund

Friday, February 24, 2017                            

House Finance – Feb 24 – 1:30 pm – Room 519

HB 115 – INCOME TAX; PFD CREDIT; PERM FUND INCOME

HB 57 Approp: Operating Budget/Loans/Funds

HB 59 Approp: Mental Health Budget

Alaska State Legislature home page: http://akleg.gov/ .

To watch committee meetings live, click on “Live Now” tab near the upper right of the legislature home page.

 


  1. Bills related to fisheries, and others that may be of interest to fishermen

HB 14 – Leg. approval of Bristol Bay sulfide mine- Josephson

HB 17 – Establishing a fish and game conservation program/account in ADFG – Josephson

HB 19 – Ban neonicotinoid pesticides – Drummond…

HB 29 -Prohibiting sale of genetically modified fish/fish products – Tarr

HB 32 – Relating to the labeling of food; relating to the misbranding of food; requiring labeling of food produced with genetic engineering – Tarr

HB 42 – Relating to seizure of property; relating to forfeiture to the state – includes language on seizure of fishing permits…

HB 46 Procure AK Fish, Ag Prod.; Raw Milk Sales – Tarr

HB 60 – Motor Fuel Tax – House Rules by Request of the Governor

HB 62 – Adoption of new regulations – would require repeal of another, except for regulations adopted by boards & commissions

SB25 – Motor Fuel Tax – Senate Rules by Request of the Governor

HB 56 Relating to limitations on certain commercial fishing loans made by the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development – Ortiz

HB 63 Transferring duties from DCCED to Department of Revenue – Rep. Pruitt

HB 76 – Mariculture revolving loan fund…” (Rep. Ortiz)

HB 87 Board if Fisheries and Board of Game – Conflict of Interest

HB88 Board of Fisheries Membership – Rep. Stutes

HB 107 Fisheries enhancement permit – egg & unfed fry enhancement in same waters (Talerico)

HB 115 – Income Tax & PFD – including withholding on crew payments (House Finance)

SJR 3   Urging the President of the United States and the United States Congress to mitigate the harm done to the state’s seafood industry because of the withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement; and urging the President of the United States and the United States Congress to work to benefit and protect the state’s seafood industry – by Senator Wielechowski.