Gov. Mike Dunleavy allowed two fishing-industry bills to become law last week without his signature.

Under the Alaska Constitution, a governor may sign a bill into law, veto it, or allow it to become law by taking no action on it after it is sent to him by the Legislature.

House Bill 31, from Kodiak Rep. Louise Stutes, eliminates a state law that required fishing boats to register with the state Division of Motor Vehicles every three years. Now, any boat that’s actively in use fishing and registered with the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission and the U.S. Coast Guard will not have to also register with the DMV.

In a written statement, Stutes said the DMV registration — passed by the Legislature in 2018 — turned out to be excessive, particularly in rural Alaska. “A lot of these communities don’t even have a DMV (office).”

The second fishing-related bill was House Bill 116, which allows commercial fishing cooperatives to act like insurance without being regulated like insurance.

In some cases, fishing boat owners create pools of money to act as insurance funds to pay liability and damage claims themselves, bypassing the high rates charged by insurance companies.

Three pools already exist in Alaska but are organized under Washington state law because Alaska did not permit them. The new law enables pools under Alaska law, encouraging a less expensive alternative to traditional insurance.

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