House Fisheries committee recommends forwarding Renee Allard's reappointment to joint session

The House Special Committee on Fisheries on March 19 reviewed the governor's reappointment of Renee Allard to the Fisherman's Fund Advisory and Appeals Council and recommended her name be forwarded to a joint session for confirmation.

Allard, who identified herself as "Renee Allard here from Homer," told the panel she comes from a commercial fishing family, has prior medical experience and has served on the council since March 2016. "I'm happy and honored to have the opportunity to come back and serve again for our commercial fishery people," she said, describing the Fisherman's Fund as a safety net that "helps folks that were injured or sick on a vessel." (Renee Allard, Fisherman's Fund appointee)

The Fisherman's Fund, established in 1951, provides benefits financed from commercial fishing license and permit fees to assist Alaska‑licensed commercial fishers injured on the job. Committee members praised Allard's track record of outreach and engagement with fishermen statewide. "Renee is a fantastic member, and she is a very active participant in the fishery and has strong relationships with commercial fishermen all over the state," Representative Vance said.

With no public testimony, the committee closed the record and moved to sign a confirmation report. The chair noted that signing the committee's report is an administrative step and does not indicate individual members' intent to vote for or against the confirmation; the report recommends forwarding Allard's name to a joint session for final confirmation.

The recommendation will be transmitted to the legislature's joint session; the committee did not record a formal roll‑call confirmation vote at the March 19 meeting.