Kerttula's Bill to Expand Work Opportunities for
18 Year Olds Passes House

House Bill 430, sponsored [sponsor statement] by Representative Beth Kerttula (D-Juneau), will allow eighteen year olds to work in restaurants, hotels and other establishments - but not bars - that serve alcohol without parental permission. Currently sixteen, seventeen and eighteen year olds are required to get parental permission, while nineteen and twenty year olds do not need parental permission.

Employees of establishments under twenty-one years of age are not allowed to serve, sell, deliver or dispense alcoholic beverages. House Bill 430 makes no change to that provision.

House Bill 430 now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Gara's Bill to Safeguard Public Access to Fishing Streams
Passes Community and Regional Affairs

House Bill 308, sponsored [sponsor statement] by Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage), aims to ensure future public access to Alaska's fishing streams by putting in place a mechanism for voluntary land trade deals between the State and private owners along important recreational rivers. The program would be facilitated by the Department of Natural Resources and would be completely voluntary. It would not take land away from citizens who don't want to trade for other public land of equal value.

Alaska's rivers are a treasured resource for fishermen, boaters, hunters, hikers, and people of all walks of life. There are currently large stretches of private land on streams such as the Anchor River, Deep Creek, Parks Highway Streams like Montana and Willow Creeks, and others throughout the state. Today the public uses these streams, and has access to them. Once they're developed, we'll never be able to afford to get them back. In Montana, for example, fishermen have to pay for public access to some rivers. One hundred eighty miles of the Missouri River have been lost to public access, and that state now budgets $300,000 per year to buy back parcels of riverbank land.

HB 308 now goes to the Resources Committee.

Lincoln's Bill to Help Minto Residents Passes
Community and Regional Affairs

Senate Bill 132, sponsored by Senator Georgianna Lincoln (D-Rampart), will remove the Old Minto townsite from the Minto Flats State Game Refuge and authorize the Department of Natural Resources to convey certain land at the historic Old Minto site to the Minto Village Council. The community of Minto has historically used the Old Minto Site for spiritual, cultural, and community purposes and the conveyance of the site to the Native Village of Minto serves a public purpose and is in the public interest.

SB 132 now moves to Senate Resources.

Upcoming Events -

Sunday, April 14th - Representative Eric Croft sponsors Constituent coffee hour from 10am to noon at Cafe del Mundo midtown, 341 East Benson.

Tuesday, April 20th - "Who Covers You? Explorations of the Many Ways Alaskans are Insured for Health". The Joint Legislative Health Caucus will examine the many ways Alaskans are insured for health care coverage at their sixth forum on April 20th. The Health Caucus will meet from noon to 1 pm in the Butrovich and Fahrenkamp rooms in the Juneau Capitol Building. Presenters from public and private insurers will give an overview of the many avenues for health care coverage available in Alaska. Representative Sharon Cissna and Senator Donny Olson will co-chair the meeting.

The Joint Legislative Health Caucus will be teleconferenced statewide. For more information on how to participate in the meeting, please call Rep. Cissna's Juneau office at 1-800-922-3875.

Putting Alaskans First - Moving Alaska Forward