Juneau -- The Alaska Senate Wednesday approved House Joint Resolution 56, a proposed constitutional amendment which would remove wildlife management issues from the ballot initiative process in Alaska.

"If voters approve this amendment it will place into Alaska's Constitution the time-tested and scientific process of management through the Board of Game," said Representative Carl Morgan (R-Aniak), sponsor of HJR 56. "This measure is not about politics, it's about preserving a treasured part of the Alaskan way of life for all Alaskans.

"The last two election cycles in Alaska bear witness to the effectiveness of pressure groups from outside Alaska. Hunters, trappers, and Alaska Natives, both urban and rural, were forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend their rights, their cultural heritage, and their way of life from animal rights initiatives," Morgan said. "It is simply not acceptable to allow the management of Alaska's precious wildlife resources to be decided by the outcome of emotional political campaigns when sound wildlife science dictates a prudent alternative."

Recently, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled (Bess v. Ulmer) that the legislature has the power to amend, but not to revise the Alaska Constitution. HJR 56 would be an amendment to the State Constitution, not a revision.

"HJR 56 will effectively remove wildlife management from the prevailing political whims of the day," Morgan said.

HJR 56 passed the Senate 14-6.

Attachments:

• Sponsor Statement

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