00                   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 24                                                                   
01 Relating to establishing a Joint Legislative Certificate of Need Task Force.                                            
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS Alaskans clearly believe in the value of the quality of medical care,                                   
04 delivery, and service; and                                                                                              
05       WHEREAS the legislature finds that the present certificate of need program should                               
06 be studied for possible modification and improvement; and                                                               
07       WHEREAS an alternative mechanism to the existing certificate of need program may                                
08 be desirable; and                                                                                                       
09       WHEREAS the Certificate of Need Negotiated Regulations Committee Report                                         
10 indicated 88.89 percent of its members voted against fully eliminating the certificate of need;                         
11       BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that the Joint Legislative                                       
12 Certificate of Need Task Force is established for the purpose of examining the certificate of                           
13 need program in Alaska; and be it                                                                                       
14       FURTHER RESOLVED that the duties of the task force include                                                      
15            (1)  evaluating the current certificate of need program;                                                     
16            (2)  recommending improvements to the laws relating to certificates of need;                                 
01            (3)  taking public comments on the certificate of need program; and be it                                    
02       FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force consists of 15 members as follows:                                         
03            (1)  two members shall be from the senate appointed by the president of the                                  
04 senate;                                                                                                                 
05            (2)  two members shall be from the house of representatives appointed by the                                 
06 speaker of the house of representatives; and                                                                            
07            (3)  nine members shall be public members appointed jointly by the president                                 
08 of the senate and speaker of the house of representatives as follows:                                                   
09                 (A)  one member with expertise in large hospital management;                                            
10                 (B)  one member with expertise in small hospital management;                                            
11                 (C)  one member of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home                                           
12       Association;                                                                                                      
13                 (D)  one physician member who is affiliated with a surgery center;                                      
14                 (E)  one physician member who is affiliated with a diagnostic imaging                                   
15       clinic;                                                                                                           
16                 (F)  one member of the Alaska State Medical Association;                                                
17                 (G)  one member of the American Association of Retired Persons;                                         
18                 (H)  two public members who do not represent a group under (A) - (G)                                    
19       of this paragraph;                                                                                                
20            (4)  the commissioner of the health and social services, or the commissioner's                               
21 designee;                                                                                                               
22            (5)  one public member who does not represent a group under (3)(A) - (G) of                                  
23 this clause appointed by the governor; and be it                                                                        
24       FURTHER RESOLVED that the president of the senate and the speaker of the house                                  
25 of representatives shall jointly appoint the chair and vice-chair of the task force; and be it                          
26       FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall meet at least six times and not more                                 
27 than 10 times; one meeting must be for invited testimony of groups with a special interest in                           
28 the certificate of need program; and be it                                                                              
29       FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a report of its findings and                                  
30 recommended legislation to the governor and the legislature by November 15, 2008, and may                               
31 submit any additional reports it considers necessary; and be it                                                         
01       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Joint Legislative Certificate of Need Task Force is                                   
02 terminated January 20, 2009.