Writing contract held for Cook Inlet salmon report

I attended Thursday's hearing on the request for $20,000 to hire someone to write the final report of the Cook Inlet Salmon Task Force, a legislative panel looking at weak runs and chronic allocation fights in the region.

Bottom line: Legislators never voted on the request.

State Rep. John Harris, a Valdez Republican and chairman of the joint committee considering the request, instead directed fellow Republican Rep. Craig Johnson of Anchorage to first consult with the Legislature's "presiding officers" on the matter. The presiding officers are Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, and House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski.

Johnson headed the salmon task force and was the one seeking the money to write the report, which he said might run 100 pages and cover some intensely technical material the task force gathered during the course of its work.

But his choice of writers, Mark Higgins of Anchorage, seemed to raise eyebrows.

Turns out Higgins is married to a member of Johnson's staff, Debra Higgins.

Johnson said the writing job will take someone with real ability plus plenty of time. Harris asked him if perhaps someone already in the state's employ could do the work.

"I haven't found that person," Johnson replied.

Johnson told Deckboss after the hearing that the contract wasn't advertised. Rather, he just happened to know of a good candidate for the work in Mark Higgins.

According to his resume, Higgins has done a lot of political and public relations consulting, including "emergency 'spin' control." He also was an aide to former state Rep. Mike Szymanski during the 1980s.

Higgins, who has a law degree from the University of Utah, has done consulting work for the commercial fishing industry on such issues as Bering Sea pollock and crab allocation.

At Thursday's hearing, state Sen. Bert Stedman, R-Sitka, said to Harris: "Mr. Chairman, I've got a whole lot of concerns about what's going on here."

For one thing, Stedman said it was his understanding that the presiding officers were to be strongly involved with the Cook Inlet Salmon Task Force, which the Legislature created in the spring of 2008.

Stedman questioned the "appearance" of Johnson acting as project director for a $20,000 contract awarded to the spouse of one of Johnson's own staff aides.

Johnson said he'd be fine with someone else supervising the writing contract, as he has great confidence that Higgins can write a fair report that might be a "catalyst" for policy debate in the Legislature.

The hearing concluded without a vote on Johnson's funding request.

Rather, committee chairman Harris made "an executive decision," directing Johnson to run the request past the Senate president and House speaker, each of whom has the power to approve the contract.

Speaker Chenault, for one, indicated during the hearing that he was comfortable with Higgins.

Of course, Deckboss will follow up on this.

Cook Inlet Salmon Task Force — still alive

Remember the Cook Inlet Salmon Task Force?

That was the 10-member panel of legislators formed in the spring of 2008 to look at ways to boost poor salmon returns to northern Inlet, and to settle the perpetual feuding among commercial, sport, subsistence and dipnet fishermen in Alaska's busiest fishing hole.

The task force held a bunch of public meetings and was due to submit a report to the full Legislature long ago, but never did.

Now the project might be coming alive again.

The task force is on the agenda for a Legislative Council hearing to begin at 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Legislative Information Office in downtown Anchorage.

The council is a group of senators and representatives that takes care of legislative business during the months when lawmakers aren't in session.

Anyway, the man who chairs the salmon task force, Anchorage Republican Rep. Craig Johnson, still wants to produce a report for his colleagues, and he has a proposal in front of the Legislative Council to deliver it by the start of the 2010 legislative session.

"Your approval is requested to authorize the expenditure of $20,000 to hire Mark Higgins to prepare a report for submission to the Alaska State Legislature," says a letter Johnson sent yesterday to Rep. John Harris, chairman of the Legislative Council.

Higgins would pull together the "huge amount of technical data" the task force compiled and draft "this highly complex and important report," the letter says.

Higgins has a University of Utah law degree and "professional experience working with Alaska fisheries issues," the letter adds.

Rep. Harris: DOT crackdown 'unacceptable'

Deckboss on Sunday told you about an Alaska Department of Transportation crackdown on fishermen for violations of commercial hauling regulations.

Now state Rep. John Harris, R-Valdez, is proposing legislation to exempt fishermen.

Here's the press release:

Rep. John Harris

Aug. 31, 2009

Harris Prefiling Commercial Fishing Vessel Transport Exemption Legislation

ANCHORAGE — Legislative Council Chair John Harris, R-Valdez, announced today that his office is preparing legislation for next session to exempt commercial fishing vessel owners from Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities regulations covering transportation and hauling requirements.

Harris has ordered the prefiling of the bill after learning DOT Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers are ready to start citing commercial fishermen.

Fishermen in Cordova and Petersburg recently became aware of DOT's intention to enforce these regulations. Over the weekend, fishermen contacted Rep. Harris and other coastal legislators seeking attention to the administration of the new enforcement policy.

"This administration of these regulations is unacceptable," Harris said. "We're working with commercial fishermen to help DOT do better things with their time than disrupting hard-working men and women from making their living."

"The regulations cover size and weight restrictions and require paperwork and permits that are more traditionally used by standard commercial trucking firms and other businesses," said Harris, a Teamster for 32 years.

Current rules provide exemptions for farm vehicles operating near their own local communities, and these provisions can be applied to similar circumstances for fishermen hauling gear around coastal towns across Alaska.

The regulations being enforced by DOT can be viewed here at the department's measurement standards and commercial vehicle enforcement Web site.

Possible help if you're hurt fishing

One interesting piece of legislation now pending in Juneau would boost from $2,500 to $10,000 the claim amount readily available to injured or ill fishermen under a state insurance plan called the Fishermen's Fund.

House Bill 207 cleared the House Special Committee on Fisheries today.

The prime sponsor is state Rep. John Harris, R-Valdez.