Dear UFA Members and Friends,
Where many bills have been moving out of committee this week, UFA’s main focus has been on the BOF appointee. We appreciate the support of members who responded to our action alert for the legislative confirmation of Duncan Fields to the Board of Fisheries. The Governor removed Field’s name as BOF appointee and re-appointed Al Cain. Here is the Governor’s press release: https://gov.alaska.gov/newsroom/2018/03/alan-cain-re-appointed-to-alaska-board-of-fisheries/ . UFA will be writing a letter of endorsement for Al Cain slated to go out early next week. Mr. Cain has proven himself to be an unbiased member of the BOF, which is a win for all user groups in Alaska.
The manner in which Field’s name was removed and Cain’s inserted has left many user groups scratching their heads. Early this week, UFA wrote a letter to the Governor, ADF&G Commissioner Cotten, and all legislators requesting a fair shot for appointee Fields and to please consider listening to both sides of the argument and not rely solely on the sport side to spin the vote with mistruths about equity on the BOF and Fields as a candidate.
A confirmation hearing for Cain and Orville Huntington is scheduled in Senate Resources committee on Monday April 2 at 4:00 P.M., and in House Fisheries Thursday 4/5 at 10:00 A.M. – see below.
Thank you for your continued support. For those of you headed out on the waters to catch the halibut, may your trips be prosperous and safe.
Frances H. Leach- Executive Director, UFA
Please support our business members – see links on our website…
To join UFA see https://www.ufafish.org/become-a-member/
Contents:
- Legislation – happenings from this week…
- Legislative meetings of interest for the week of March 26
- To testify, watch or listen in to a hearing
- Bills related to fisheries, and others that may be of interest to fishermen
- Legislation – happenings from this week…
CSSJR 13: Urging Co-management Plan for Sea Otters – was passed by the Senate and is now in House Resources… Current bill text… UFA letter of support.
SB 210 – Mislabeling by retail food establishments was heard and passed in Senate State Affairs Tuesday , and is now Senate Judiciary committee… UFA letter of support.
HB 231 Relating to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission was heard with public testimony today in House Finance, and is scheduled again for next Friday, March 6 (see below).
HB 354 Dive Fishery Management was passed by House Resources on Wednesday and is in House Rules committee awaiting scheduling for the House floor vote…UFA letter of support.
HB 379 Fishermen’s Fund Reimbursement was heard and passed from House Labor and Commerce on Wednesday, and is now in House Rules awaiting scheduling for a floor vote… UFA letter of Support.
HJR 19: Arctic Marine Safety Agreements has passed House and Senate committees and is in Senate Rules awaiting scheduling for the floor vote.
HB 173 – Climate Change Commission – was heard and held in House resources on Wednesday.
HB 386 – Vessels” registration/Titles/Derelicts (House companion bill to SB 92) was heard and held in House Finance Wednesday.
Senate Resources heard presentations on the State of Alaska’s Permitting System for Anadromous Streams by Department of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation, and Department of Fish & Game… the combined presentations are at http://www.akleg.gov/basis/get_documents.asp?session=30&docid=53711
HB 199 – Salmon Habitat Permitting – A new version is coming soon and scheduled for House Fisheries committee on Tuesday – and again for public testimony on Saturday April 7 – see below.
- Legislative meetings of interest for the week of March 26
Monday, April 2, 2018
4:00 P.M. Senate Resources Committee – Room 205 – Consideration of Governor’s Appointees for Board of Fisheries – Orville Huntington
and Al Cain…with public testimony… Meeting link… meeting documents
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
10:00 A.M. House Fisheries special committee – Room 120
HB 199 – Salmon Habitat permitting
Meeting link… Documents… Bill home page for tracking, full text, and archived documents
(We expect the new version of the bill to be placed under the meeting documents tab before the meeting.)
11:30 A.M. House Special Committee on Arctic Policy, Economic Development and Tourism – Room 124
HB 383 – Tourism Marketing Board – public testimony
1:30 P.M. Senate Finance committee – Room 532
HB 76 – Mariculture revolving loan fund – UFA supports
HB 128 – Shellfish Enhancement – UFA supports
1:30 P.M. House Finance Committee – Room 519
HB 129 – Fish and Game offense, licenses, and penalties – public testimony
Meeting link… HB 129 is the third bill scheduled.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
8:15 A.M. Senate Fish and Game Finance Subcommittee – Room 532
Department Closeout
Thursday, April 5, 2018
10:00 A.M. House Fisheries special committee – Room 120
Confirmation hearings – Board of Fisheries… and bills previously heard.
Meeting link… meeting documents
Friday, April 6, 2018
1:30 P.M. House Finance committee – Room 519
HB 231 “An Act relating to the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission; and providing for an effective date.”
Meeting link… Bill home page for tracking, full text, and documents (UFA supports)
Saturday, April 7, 2018
10:00 A.M. House Fisheries special Committee – Room 120
HB 199 – Salmon Habitat permitting – public testimony
Meeting link… Documents… Bill home page for tracking, full text, and documents
- 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, 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 Finance – 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 173 – Climate Change Commission (Josephson – now in House resources)
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 committees and in House Rules awaiting floor vote – UFA Supports)
HB 379 – Fishermen’s Fund reimbursement (Ortiz – passed House committees and in House Rules awaiting floor vote – 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 – Passed the Senate and now in House 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/