Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Geographic Names Denali topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House resolution urging 'Denali' remain official name sent to Senate; referred to State Affairs
Summary
A House message dated Jan. 29 transmitted a concurrent resolution urging federal and state officials to maintain Denali as the official name for North America's tallest mountain. The Alaska Senate referred the message to the State Affairs Committee.
A message dated Jan. 29 from the Alaska House informing the Senate that the House had passed and transmitted a committee substitute for House Joint Resolution 4 (CS HJR 4) was read on the Senate floor. The resolution urges the president of the United States, the U.S. secretary of the interior, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and the state's congressional delegation to maintain "Denali" as the official name for the tallest mountain in North America.
Senator Kawasaki moved to be shown as a cosponsor of the House joint resolution, and other senators were recorded as cosponsors on the floor. The presiding officer instructed that the resolution be referred to the Senate State Affairs Committee.
Why it matters: the resolution expresses the legislature's preference on the mountain's official name and asks federal and state officials to preserve that name; such nonbinding resolutions serve as a formal statement of legislative intent and may be used to communicate the legislature's position to federal agencies and members of Congress.
Key details: - The message was read into the Senate record on Jan. 29 and explicitly cited the House Rules Committee as the source of the forwarded resolution. - The Senate referred CS for HJR 4 to the State Affairs Committee for consideration. - Multiple senators on the floor moved to be recorded as cosponsors.
Next steps: The referral to State Affairs places the resolution on that committee's agenda; committee action or a formal Senate vote was not recorded during the Jan. 29 session.
