UFA Legislative Update: January 20, 2017

This week the Alaska State Legislature started the first session of the 30th Alaska State Legislature. See the home page for committee lists and schedules, prefiled and new legislation.

So far, legislation has not been introduced for fishing industry specific taxes.

We will continue to monitor the bills and hearings.

 

  1. Committee meeting: House Fisheries special committee – Thursday January 26, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Presentation: State and Federal Fisheries Management, by ADFG

Documents and audio links are expected to be available online at:

http://www.akleg.gov/basis/Meeting/Detail?Meeting=HFSH%202017-01-26%2010:00:00#tab2_4e

 

  1. Letter from Alaska Board of Fisheries to Senator Pete Kelly and Representative Bryce Edgmon regarding Habitat Title 16. (this letter was finalized at the January 2017 Kodiak Finfish meeting)

The letter asks for:

-Improve public notification and opportunities for public comment.

-Enforceable standards for protection of fish

BOF Letter:

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static-f/regulations/regprocess/fisheriesboard/pdfs/2016-2017/jointcommittee/habitat_letter.pdf

UFA letter to BOF from October work session:

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/regprocess/fisheriesboard/pdfs/2016-2017/worksession/rcs/rc012_United_Fishermen_of_Alaska_Title_16.pdf

 

 

  1. Other committee meetings that might be of interest:

SENATE FINANCE  – Jan 24 Tuesday 9:00 AM   Room 532

Presentation: Intent Language Funding Plan – Alaska Travel Industry Association

HOUSE FINANCE    Jan 24 Tuesday 1:30 PM – Room 519

  • Continued budget overviews with Dept. of Health & Social Services and Dept. of Natural Resources, and
  • Presentation: A Sustainable Solution for Alaska Destination Marketing Funding: A Tourism Improvement District Model by Sarah Leonard, President & Chief Executive Officer, AK Travel Industry Assoc. (ATIA); Colleen Stephens, Stan Stephens Glacier & Wildlife Cruises & Past Chair of the ATIA Board of Directors; John Lambeth, President & Chief Executive Officer, CIVITAS

SENATE LABOR & COMMERCE Jan 24 Tuesday 1:30 PM       BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)

Alaska Travel Industry Association Presentation: Alaska Tourism Industry and Trends

Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Presentation: Alaska International Airport

System – An Economic Engine

Division of Insurance Presentation: Alaska’s Health Care Insurance Market

SENATE FINANCE     – Jan 25 Wednesday 9:00 AM – Senate Finance 532

Presentation: Intent Language Status Update – Alaska Seafood Marketing Institut

HOUSE FINANCE    – Jan 25 Wednesday 1:30 PM           – Room 519

HB 57 APPROP: OPERATING BUDGET/LOANS/FUNDS

HB 59 APPROP: MENTAL HEALTH BUDGET

Presentation: Modeling Alaska Fiscal Proposals: Implications of Different Fiscal Assumptions &

Choices Over Time by Gunnar Knapp, Professor Emeritus of Economics, University of Alaska

Anchorage Institute of Social & Economic Research (ISER)

HOUSE TRANSPORTATION – Jan 26 Thursday 1:30 PM – CAPITOL Room 17

HB 51 Small Passenger Vessel Wastewater Exemption – Stutes

HOUSE FISHERIES – Jan 26 Thursday 10:00 AM –see above

 

  1. Bills related to fisheries and others of interest:

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

HB 51 Small Vessel Wastewater Exemption – Stutes

Companion bill:

SB 3    Small commercial passenger vessel wastewater exemption; & exempting two new ferries from 1% for art -Stedman

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

This bill retains the current $400,000 total limit for an individual borrower, but relaxes caps on vessel or permits within this limit. Includes A, B, C, and F loan categories.

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

The bill transfers functions from DCCED to the Department of Revenue.

We will be looking more closely at this 55 page bill to understand its ramifications as the session continues.

SB 5 Prohibiting groups controlled by a legislator from soliciting and accepting contributions or from making certain contributions and expenditures during a regular or special legislative session; and prohibiting some lobbyists from making campaign contributions to certain groups – Meyer

SB 7 Establishing a museum construction grant program in the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development – Stevens

SB 12   – Employment tax for educational facilities – sets a tax rate on wages and self-employment from $50 – $500, “on wages and on net earnings from self-employment of every (1) resident individual; and (2) nonresident and part-year resident individual with income from a source in the state.”

Alaska State Legislature home page: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/