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My name is William Horn and I want to thank you for the opportunity to submit 

 testimony on H.R. 2028, the Federal Land Management Agency Concessions Reform Act 

 of 1995, on behalf of the Alaska Professional Hunters Association ("APHA"). 



APHA supports the notion of comprehensive concessions reform and very much 

 welcomes the idea of a uniformed system for all public lands. A consistent practice among 

 the federal land agencies will make it easier for small businesses to operate more efficiently 

 and in compliance with applicable requirements. It also ensures that operators will receive 

 comparable treatment. 



APHA strongly applauds the provisions for ten year permits and transferability. The 

 ten year duration of the contract allows a company to establish a reputable operation and 

 then maintain it without the constant threat of a renewal hanging over its head. Moreover, 

 long-term permits ensure that operators will maintain a commitment to resource 

 conservation in addition to quality service. 



APHA offers the following specific comments on particular features of the bill: 



Classifications 



H.R. 2028 has two classifications: concessioners and licensees. APHA 

 suggests splitting concessioners into major and minor. Lumping large and 

 small operators together into a single category troubles APHA as the rules 

 designed for major entities are likely to be difficult for small operations 

 especially in Alaska. 



Renewal/Evaluation 



APHA supports the evaluation process established in the bill and appreciates 

 the incentive based renewal process outlined in Section 7(d)(2) that rewards 

 those concessioners who perform well. APHA recommends, however, that the 

 percentage figure in Section 7(d)(2)(B) be increased from five to ten percent. 



Fees 



APHA supports letting each permittee pay a specified amount for each man- 

 day use on the subject federal lands. This enables the federal government to 

 collect an appropriate fee for access to and use of the subject lands. It 

 enables the permittee to pay an easily calculated fee which can be fixed on a 

 unit wide or regional basis ensuring equity among all classes of users. 



APHA is opposed to fee-bidding during the competition for licenses or 

 concession permits as fee-bidding will give an obvious advantage to large 

 operators over their smaller counterparts. 



