LEGISLATION THAT BECAME LAW IN THE PAST TWO SESSIONS

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After 6 years of sponsoring this bill, it was great to see it pass into law this year. This legislation exempts active commercial fishing vessels with Coast Guard documentation from the unnecessary and onerous burden of registering with the Division of Motor Vehicles. 

As the Chair of the House Fisheries Committee, I was proud to introduce this legislation on behalf of the joint Legislative Task Force on Alaska's seafood industry.  This new law will allow commercial fishermen to form Alaska-based insurance cooperatives. Rising costs and the availability of insurance serve as unnecessary barriers for many commercial fishermen. Local insurance pooling will provide more attractive and lower-risk alternatives for underwriters, as well as lower costs for our fishermen and policies tailored to local fleets. 

 Finally! I have sponsored this legislation since 2017, and it has been a priority of the United Fishermen of Alaska and coastal user groups for well over 20 years. HB 33 will bring fairness in debate during final deliberations to all user groups on the Board of Fisheries and Game, and I am thrilled to see it become law.  There is still much work to be done to rein in our Board of Fisheries process and restore fairness and balance to all user groups, but HB 33 was a good start. 

The availability of scientific data on catch rates, bycatch, and species retention is the hallmark of a well-managed fishery. HB 117 establishes an electronic monitoring program for trawl fisheries that occur in state waters. The program is limited to trawl fisheries, comes at no cost to our fishermen, and will give state fisheries managers the tools and data needed to make scientific decisions based on sound biological data. A lot of Alaskans are deeply concerned about bycatch, and I am proud to have introduced and ushered this bill through the process. 

This resolution called on President Trump, our Congressional Delegation, and Congress to extend and strengthen the ban on Russian Seafood imports into the U.S. The ban was extended several days after HJR 29 arrived at the President's desk. Continuing the ban on Russian seafood imports supports Alaska's seafood industry and our model of sustainable fisheries management. As the Chair of the House Fisheries Committee, I was pleased to bring forward and pass this legislation. 

I was very proud to introduce and pass this bill on behalf of my community of Seward and the Alaska Marine Highway System. This legislation approved an additional $75 million in bonding authority for the Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) to complete and expand the passenger dock and terminal in Seward. My office inserted language to ensure the passenger dock will be constructed to accommodate roll-on roll-off loading and unloading for the Alaska Marine Highway System. HB 65 came at no cost to the state, and it will benefit the travel industry, the community of Seward, and is the first step in having ferry service return to Seward (a long-term goal of mine). 

This common-sense bill supports veterans by allowing patriotic organizations to serve alcohol to members of another patriotic organization, as well as serve liquor, instead of just beer and wine, under an event permit.  The inception for this legislation came from my conversations with the American Legion Seward Post #5.