The House Rules Committee reported Senate Bill 152 out of committee on May 17, recommending that Ruby Airport be renamed Harold Smolka Airport.

Sen. Mike Kronk, the bill sponsor, told the committee that Harold Smolka was "a pioneer in Alaska aviation" who served dozens of communities over a long career and who operated Harold's Air Service and later TenOnAir service. Kronk said Smolka and his wife, Florence, settled in Ruby after buying the Ruby Trading Company and General Store, and that Smolka's operations provided mail, cargo, passenger and medevac services across the interior and Yukon River communities.

Kronk summarized several details about Smolka's operation: that Harold's Air Service at one point serviced about 63 Alaska communities with a fleet of about 20 aircraft; that one of those aircraft was a Douglas DC-3; that TenOnAir later provided service to more than 80 communities; and that medevac flights included childbirths in flight, which Kronk said occurred seven times, including one woman who delivered two babies on different flights. Kronk said the Yukon River communities "are really excited" and that a community celebration is planned for June 7 if the naming proceeds.

Committee Chair Stutes opened the hearing and asked the sponsor to present; there was no committee debate and no public testimony. Representative Cupp moved to report SB152 (LS0813N) out of committee with individual recommendations and an attached zero fiscal note; there were no objections, and the measure was reported out by unanimous consent.

The committee record shows the bill was advanced with the attached fiscal note labeled "0," indicating no fiscal impact reported in the committee packet. The hearing lasted only a few minutes: the committee convened at 10:19 a.m. and adjourned at 10:23 a.m.

No statutes, ordinances or other legal authorities were cited during the committee hearing. No amendments were offered and no roll-call vote was taken; the committee advanced SB152 by unanimous consent. The committee asked members present to sign paperwork after the meeting.