Alaska State Legislature
News from the House Majority

Jerry Ritter, House Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: (907) 258-8164
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality line: 1-800-478-6540

House Reports the 2nd Special Session on Subsistence Adjourns

Required 2/3 Vote Proves Elusive

For Immediate Release July 21, 1998 Contact: Jerry Ritter at (907) 258-8164.

Juneau -- The Alaska House of Representatives adjourned its 2nd Special Session on Subsistence this evening without passing a resolution that would have placed a measure on the November ballot. The proposed constitutional amendment would have given Alaska voters the opportunity to provide rural Alaska residents a priority for subsistence in times of shortage.

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt has notified the State that the Federal Government will take over management of fish and wildlife on Federal lands by December 1, 1998, if the State takes no action to bring Alaska law into compliance with Federal law.

While the consensus in the House was clearly to find a solution to the subsistence dilemma, the required two-thirds vote could not be found to support any one solution. July 26th is the deadline for the Legislature to take action to place a measure on the ballot. By adjourning today the House has determined not to take action to meet that deadline.

# # #