House Finance adds feral cat spay-neuter provisions to invasive species bill

The Alaska House Finance Committee voted Monday to add feral cat management provisions to a bill designed to combat invasive species. The vote was 9-2. Some members objected that the amendments strayed from the bill's core purpose.

The committee approved two amendments to Senate Bill 174. The amendments allow animal control to spay or neuter feral cats and return them to communities without landowner permission. The amendments delay the effective date until 2028. The invasive species management council created by the bill has a sunset date of July 1, 2035.

Senate Bill 174 creates an invasive species management council. The council will develop a five-year strategic plan for Alaska, state Sen. Forrest Dunbar said. The bill also establishes a response fund but does not allocate money to it.

Rep. Calvin Schrage said current law prevents animal control from releasing cats back into communities without landowner consent. The amendment would allow cats to be picked up, spayed, ear clipped and returned, he said.

A second amendment broadened the definition to include community cats.

Dunbar, the bill's sponsor, said he remained neutral on the cat amendments but noted cats fit the bill's scope. Cats are an invasive species if not handled correctly, he said.

One committee member objected to adding the cat provisions to the invasive species bill. The member said the invasive species legislation should remain standalone. The committee was not prepared to vote on cat management provisions, the member said.

The member said the invasive species bill was important for Alaska. The bill would help combat green crab invasions that threaten fisheries with hundreds of millions of dollars in potential damage. The member said they would accept the committee's decision and ultimately support the underlying bill as it moves through the process.

Another committee member asked whether a fiscal note from a similar bill could be adopted to accompany the amendment. A committee member who sponsored the first amendment said the delayed effective date meant no fiscal note would be needed for the current budget year.

Committee Co-Chair Neal Foster announced both votes. The first amendment passed 9-2. The second amendment passed 9-2.

Committee members thanked Dunbar for bringing forward the invasive species legislation. One member noted the bill's importance for addressing invasive species across Alaska and mentioned a companion House bill on the issue.

The bill then moved out of committee as amended with individual recommendations and an attached fiscal note. The committee authorized legislative legal staff to make technical and conforming changes.