Alaska State Legislature
News from the House Majority

Jerry Ritter, House Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
phone: (907) 465-3804
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality line: 1-800-478-6540

Subsistence Measure Moves from Resources Committee

Judiciary Committee to Take Up Subsistence Next

For Immediate Release: March 5, 1998 Contact: Representative Scott Ogan at (907) 465-3878.

Juneau - The House Resources Committee Thursday evening moved out its subsistence bill. The Committee Substitute for House Bill 406, as the measure is now titled, moved to the House Judiciary Committee.

CSHB 406 contains a provision for an advisory vote in the August Primary Election as well as language that prevents the law from going into effect until federal law is amended to conform with it.

"If the public support for the legislative approach is not out there, this bill does not become law," said Representative Scott Ogan (R-Palmer), the bill's sponsor and Co-Chair of the Resources Committee. "In addition, even if Alaskans do support the legislative solution, but the concept fails in Congress, the law does not go into effect. I don't know how we could be fairer than that," Ogan said.

House Speaker Gail Phillips noted that the measure's passage from the Resources Committee is just about on schedule.

"This measure is very much a work-in-progress," Phillips said. "As we go through the public process in the Legislature, there will likely be new ideas incorporated and old ones discarded. But, I'm very pleased to see this measure advance. I look forward to the public discussion in the Judiciary Committee," Phillips said.

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Broadcasters note: Actualities from Rep. Ogan are available at 1-800-478-6540.
= Scott Ogan, 74 K