Dear UFA Members and Friends,
I just returned from the Alaska Board of Fisheries Statewide Dungeness Crab, Shrimp, & Miscellaneous Shellfish meeting. It was a productive meeting and it was nice to meet with current members as well as have the opportunity to talk to potential members about UFA.
The legislature has been moving along slowly but surely, and a few bills passed out of committee.
- HB 87: Board of Fisheries and Board of Game Conflict of Interest passed out of the House and is now in Senate State Affairs. UFA supports this bill which would allow board members to participate in deliberations but not vote on proposals for which they have conflicts.
- HB 354: Dive Fishery Management, which UFA supports, moved out of House Fisheries and is now in House Resources.
- HB 379: Fishermen’s Fund Reimbursement was passed out of House Fisheries and is now in House Labor and Commerce. I will be providing public testimony in support of this bill on Monday, March 19.
- SB 210: Mislabeling by retail food establishments is currently in Senate State Affairs. UFA supports this bill.
- SB 211: An Act relating to the temporary transfer of limited entry commercial fishing permits; and providing an effective date, was referred to Resource and Finance committees.
- HJR 35/SJR 13: Urging Co-Management Plan for Sea Otters. These are companion bills which UFA supports. They are currently in House Community and Regional Affairs and Senate Resources.
Thank you for your membership and support of UFA. As always, feel free to reach out to me with questions or concerns.
Frances Leach
Executive Director
Please support our business members – see links on our website…
To join UFA see https://www.ufafish.org/become-a-member/
Contents:
- What’s new… Board of Fisheries appointments
- UFA Board Meeting actions on legislation, etc…
- Legislative meetings of interest for the week of March 19
- To testify, watch or listen in to a hearing …
- Bills related to fisheries, and others that may be of interest to fishermen…
- What’s new… Board of Fisheries appointments
The Governor appointed Orville Huntington and Duncan Fields to the Board of Fisheries…
Read across on House floor on Monday 3/12 – referred to Fisheries committee – 15:20 in the video at:
https://www.360north.org/gavel/video/?clientID=2147483647&eventID=2018031119 .
&
Read across on the Senate Floor Monday 3/12 – referred to Resources and State Affairs committees – 6:00 in the video at https://www.360north.org/gavel/video/?clientID=2147483647&eventID=2018031118
House Fisheries special committee has scheduled a confirmation hearing Tuesday at 10:00 A.M. – public testimony will be taken… see below…
Senate State Affairs committee has scheduled a hearing next Thursday March 22 at 3:30 P.M. – public testimony will be taken –
We have heard that consideration in Senate State Affairs for Fields will be postponed to March 29. We will alert you if public testimony will be heard.
Senate Resources committee held confirmation hearings for CFEC Commissioner-designees V. Fate Putman and Dale Kelley on Wednesday 3/14. Video of the interviews and testimony is online at the meeting page.
Related news: Board of Fisheries appointment divides some anglers (KTUU 3/15)
“A good board member is someone who listens to all sides and does not already have their mind made up on how they’re going to vote on proposals prior to the meeting, and I think that’s very important,” Frances Leach, executive director with United Fishermen of Alaska said.
http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Board-of-Fisheries-appointment-divides-some-anglers-477062003.html
- UFA Board Meeting actions on legislation, etc…
UFA supported Jason Chandler and Duncan Fields for the Board of Fisheries at our Spring meeting. Fields was appointed by the Governor and there is opposition to his confirmation rising.
HB 354 Dive Fisheries management and HB 379 Fishermen’s Fund Reimbursement for Insured Vessel Owners were heard and passed by House Fisheries on March 8. This week HB 379 is up Monday in House Labor and Commerce committee and HB 379 will be heard in House Resources for public testimony on Wednesday and invited testimony on Friday – see links in the schedule below.
- Legislative meetings of interest for the week of March 19
Monday, March 19, 2018
1:00 P.M. House Resources Committee – Room 106
HB 173 Climate Change Commission – Invited testimony only
Meeting link…. Bill home page for tracking, full text, and documents
3:15 P.M. House Labor and Commerce committee – Room 124
HB 379 Commercial Fishermen’s Fund Vessel Owner Claims (UFA supports) – public testimony.
Meeting link…. Meeting Documents… Bill home page for tracking, full text, and documents
HB 379 is the third bill on the schedule for the meeting.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
8:30 A.M. Senate Special Committee on the Arctic – Room 205
HJR 19 – Arctic Marine Safety Agreements
Meeting link…. Meeting Documents… Bill home page for tracking, full text, and documents
10:00 A.M. House Fisheries special committee – Room 120
Confirmation hearings: Board of Fisheries appointees Orville Huntington and Duncan Fields – public testimony… and bills previously heard.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
1:00 P.M. House Resources committee – Room 124 –
HB 260 Fish and Game Licenses – Electronic form – invited testimony
HB 354 Dive Fisheries Assessments (fourth bill on the agenda) – public testimony
Thursday, March 22, 2018
10:00 A.M. House Fisheries special committee – Room 120
Presentation: Pike as an Invasive Species in AK & the Resulting Predation on Salmon Smolt by
ADF&G
Meeting link… look for presentation Acrobat .pdf file under the documents tab at the hearing link, before the meeting begins.
1:30 P.M. House Finance Committee – Room 519
HB 386 – Vessels” registration/Titles/Derelicts (House companion bill to SB 92)
3:30 P.M. Senate State Affairs – Room 205
Confirmation hearing for Board of Fisheries appointees Orville Huntington and Duncan Fields – public testimony
Friday, March 23, 2018
1:00 P.M. House Resources committee – Room 124
HB 354 Dive Fisheries Assessments – Testimony by invitation only
Meeting link… Meeting documents… Bill home page
- 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.
- Bills related to fisheries, and others that may be of interest to fishermen…
HCR 8 – Kodiak Seafood and Marine Science Center (House Fisheries – passed House and Senate Committees, now in Senate Rules – UFA Supports)
HJR 12 – Opposing FDA approval of GM Salmon and urging labeling (Tarr – passed House and Senate, awaiting transmittal to the Governor – UFA Supports)
HB 14 – Leg. approval of Bristol Bay sulfide mine (Josephson – now in House Resources – new fiscal notes posted by DEC, DNR & ADFG)
HB 17 – Establishing a fish and game conservation program/account in ADFG (Josephson – now in House Resources)
HB 19 – Ban neonicotinoid pesticides (Drummond – passed House Resources, now in Finance)
SB25 – Motor Fuel Tax – Senate Rules by Request of the Governor (Senate Finance)
HB 29 -Prohibiting sale of genetically modified fish/fish products (Tarr – House Fisheries)
HB 32 – Relating to the labeling of food; relating to the misbranding of food; requiring labeling of food produced with genetic engineering (Tarr- House Resources – UFA Supports)
HB 42 – Relating to seizure of property; relating to forfeiture to the state – includes language on seizure of fishing permits (Wilson – House Finance)
HB 46 Procure AK Fish, Ag Prod.; Raw Milk Sales (Tarr – House Finance)
HB 56 Relating to limitations on certain commercial fishing loans (Ortiz – Passed House – now in Senate Finance – UFA Supports)
& companion bill:
SB 71 – Relating to limitations on certain commercial fishing loans (Stevens –Senate Finance – UFA Supports)
HB 60 – Motor Fuel Tax (House Rules by Request of the Governor –now in House Finance)
SB 89 – Shellfish Enhancement Hatcheries (Stevens – now in Senate Finance – UFA Supports)
HB 128 – companion bill (Ortiz – passed House and now in Senate Finance – UFA Supports)
SB 95 – Mariculture revolving loan fund (Stevens – Senate Finance – UFA Supports)
HB 76 – House companion bill – (Ortiz – passed House and now in Senate Finance – UFA Supports)
HB 87 Board of Fisheries and Board of Game – Conflict of Interest (Stutes –passed House, now in Senate State Affairs – UFA Supports)
HB 88 Board of Fisheries Membership (Rep. Stutes – now in House Fisheries)
SB 92 – (CS Posted) An Act relating to abandoned and derelict vessels; relating to the registration of vessels; relating to certificates of title for vessels; relating to the duties of the Department of Administration; relating to the duties of the Department of Natural Resources; establishing the derelict vessel prevention program; establishing the derelict vessel prevention program fund; and providing for an effective date.” (Micciche – CS passed Senate Resources – now in Senate Finance)
& House companion
HB 386 (Seaton – passed House Fisheries and now in Senate Resources)
HB 107 Fisheries enhancement permit – egg & unfed fry enhancement in same waters (Talerico – House Resources)
SB 115 “An Act relating to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission; and providing for an effective date.” (Administration – Senate State Affairs) )
HB 231 “An Act relating to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission; and providing for an effective date.” (Administration –Passed House Fisheries, now in House State Affairs – UFA Supports)
HB 129 – Fish and Game offense, licenses, and penalties (Administration – Passed House Resources and Judiciary committees and was given an additional referral, currently in House Finance)
SB 60 -Companion bill passed (Administration -now in Senate Judiciary)
HB 149 – Board of Fisheries five year cycle (Chenault – House Fisheries – UFA Supports)
HB 155 – AK Mental Health Land Exchange (Ortiz –House Finance)
SB 173 – “An Act relating to the liability of a person or the state for the release of certain pesticides during application on a utility pole.” (Micciche – passed S. Resources and now in S. Judiciary)
HB 177 – Invasive Species (Tarr–House Finance)
HB 188 – Regional permit banks (Kreiss–Tomkins – passed House Fisheries, now in House Labor and Commerce)
HB 199 – Salmon Habitat permitting (Stutes – House Fisheries – awaiting new CS)
HB 237 – Salmon Escapement Goals (Neuman – House Fisheries)
HB 354 – Dive Fishery management (Ortiz – passed House Fisheries and now in House Resources – UFA Supports)
HB 379 – Fishermen’s Fund reimbursement (Ortiz – passed House Fisheries and now in House Labor and Commerce – UFA Supports)
SB 210 – Mislabeling by retail food establishments (Wielechowski – Senate State Affairs – UFA Supports)
SB 211 “An Act relating to the temporary transfer of limited entry commercial fishing permits; and providing for an effective date.” (Stevens, referred to Resources and Finance committees)
HJR 35 Urging Co-Management Plan for Sea Otters (Millett – House Community and Regional Affairs – UFA Supports)
SJR 13: Urging Co-Management Plan for Sea Otters (Stedman – Senate Resources – UFA Supports)
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 (Senator Wielechowski –Senate State Affairs – UFA Supports)
HCR 25 Requesting the Governor to establish an office of outdoor access and recreation…
Compiled by UFA staff and made possible by the support of our Group, Business, Individual and Crew members.
To join UFA see https://www.ufafish.org/become-a-member/