 Governor's Bill Signing Puts Alaska Veterans Advisory Council in Statute July 13, 2002
"The 65,000 veterans in Alaska deserve a permanent voice in their state government, and now they have it," Knowles said in signing the bill. "Today we are proudly witnessing the birth of a permanent institution dedicated to serving the interests of the state's veterans, dependents, and survivors." According to a news release, when Knowles took office in 1994, he was astonished to learn that among the 120 state boards and commissions, there was none devoted to veterans. "With the power of Alaska's chief executive embodied in our Constitution, I could remedy that concern with the stroke of a pen," Knowles said. "And I gladly did so by issuing Administrative Order No. 164, creating the Alaska Veterans Advisory Council, or AVAC as it come to be known, in 1996." The Council has representation from the major veterans' organizations, the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Disabled American Veterans (DAV), plus individual veterans, state agencies, and members of the public. Col. Pat Carothers of Juneau, who at the time of his retirement was the most decorated Marine in America, was chosen as the Council's first and, to date, only chair. "I can tell you, Pat runs a crisp meeting and demands participation," Knowles said. "He spent most of his military career in deep recon and could see over the horizon to spot unmet veterans' needs. He wanted no part of a do-nothing outfit, so, in typical no nonsense Marine style, he inspired his colleagues and fired them up over and over for mission after mission." Almost every veteran's related accomplishment during the eight years of the Knowles/Ulmer Administration is a result of advice, suggestions, recommendation, or endorsement of AVAC, according to information provided by the Governor's office. The list of accomplishments includes: This year, AVAC endorsed Lt. Governor Fran Ulmer's Vote in Honor of a Veteran program and of course, helped devise the Knowles' "Year of the Veteran" package of legislation, including: "As part of the 'Year of the Veteran' package of bills, I introduced legislation in January to place the Council in statute for perpetuity," Knowles said. "You are all aware of the long path the Legislature drew us down to get the measure passed. The Legion, VFW, and DAV, were instrumental in the final hours of the special session in unraveling legislative snafus and getting SB 2009 passed through the recalcitrant House. They had come to view the Council as a complementary partner in advocating for veterans' causes and were not taking 'no' for an answer." In the final version of the bill, the Legislature made the Council leaner, with 13 instead of 17 members, and under the new law, the Council has some new duties. The Chair of AVAC will sit on the Pioneers' and Veterans' Home Advisory Board and have a role in selecting grantees to be funded from the Alaska Veterans Memorial Endowment. Knowles was joined at Friday's bill signing by Col. Carothers and other AVAC members, representatives of statewide veterans groups, and Major General Phil Oates, Commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
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Governor Knowles Remarks: