The House Special Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs voted Thursday to advance legislation modernizing the Joint Armed Services Committee. The panel adopted three amendments and rejected six others during a 59-minute hearing.

House Bill 382 updates statutes governing JASC, a 27-year-old legislative-civilian panel that sponsors say has functioned more as a ceremonial body than an active working committee. The bill passed out of committee 6-0 as amended. Members debated how to balance continuity with a fresh start for the panel's civilian membership.

"The first few months of being co-chair of JASC, you're just trying to figure out who is on JASC," Representative Gray said. The bill's sponsor described confusion over appointment dates and appointing authorities that prompted the legislation.

The committee adopted amendments requiring JASC to maintain Alaska's Declaration of Honor program for fallen service members, mandating invitations to senior military commanders for civilian-military meetings, and increasing minority party representation from one to two members in each chamber. Members rejected proposals to require attendance at all federal base realignment meetings, remove Legislative Affairs Agency roster-tracking duties, and vacate all current civilian appointments to allow fresh starts.

The sharpest debate centered on whether to flush JASC's existing civilian membership and require reappointments. Gray argued the move would create a clean roster with known appointment dates. Representative Sadler countered that it showed disrespect to volunteers who had served for years, sometimes uncertain of their own appointment history because the committee met so infrequently.

"There's nothing prohibiting all current members from being reappointed," Gray said. "This is more about starting the roster from scratch."

The amendment failed 2-4, with Representatives Sadler and Nelson voting yes.

Kyle Johansen, Gray's staff member, told the committee some current JASC members could not recall when they were appointed or by whom. He called it a symptom of the panel's "cloudy history." One member believed a governor had appointed them when legislative leaders actually made the selection.

The bill increases JASC membership from 16 to 17 by creating separate seats for the Alaska Municipal League and Alaska Federation of Natives. The two organizations have shared a single rotating position for 27 years. Gray said the sharing arrangement "didn't work that well."

Representative Sadler withdrew a conceptual amendment that would have added a seat for the Alaska Veterans Advisory Council chair and restored the shared AFN-AML seat. Gray said he would not oppose the proposal being raised in the bill's next committee, State Affairs.

The committee also adopted an amendment defining "Arctic security initiatives" and "national defense initiatives." The bill uses those terms to describe JASC's mission. Sadler said the definitions would give the committee "a more focused target to shoot at."

Members rejected an amendment removing language directing JASC to work with state and local government organizations and community groups. Gray said that collaboration reflects the bill's intent to make JASC "more than" a ceremonial committee.

"I think stating in statute that JASC should work with state and local government organizations and community groups related to military and defense issues is in the spirit of the bill itself," Gray said.

The committee met in Capitol Room 124. Members present included Chair Representative Eichide, Representatives Gray, Hall, Fields, Nelson and Sadler.

The bill now moves to the House State Affairs Committee. No fiscal notes were attached.