HB 332: "An Act establishing the Alaska Public Health Commission."
00HOUSE BILL NO. 332 01 "An Act establishing the Alaska Public Health Commission." 02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 * Section 1. PURPOSE. The legislature finds that there is a compelling need for a strong, 04 clear focus on public health issues in the interest of protecting and promoting the public health 05 of the residents of the state. The legislature further finds that this focus can be best achieved 06 by the establishment of a commission with the primary responsibility for developing a plan 07 to improve the public health system in the state in a way that ensures equity of access by all 08 state residents to the state's public health resources. 09 * Sec. 2. ALASKA PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION ESTABLISHED. (a) There is 10 established in the Governor's Office the Alaska Public Health Commission consisting of 10 11 members as follows: 12 (1) the commissioner of health and social services or a designee appointed by 13 the commissioner; 14 (2) the commissioner of environmental conservation or a designee appointed
01 by the commissioner; 02 (3) a person appointed by the governor to represent the interests of local 03 governments; 04 (4) a person appointed by the governor who has no interest in health care other 05 than as a consumer of health care; 06 (5) five other persons appointed by the governor with due consideration for the 07 need to have representation on the commission for public and private health care professionals, 08 labor organizations, businesses, the education system, the Alaska Public Health Association, 09 and the Alaska Native Health Board; and 10 (6) one person representing the Alaska Area Native Health Service if that 11 agency wishes to participate; this person shall serve as a nonvoting member of the 12 commission. 13 (b) The governor shall attempt to appoint members of the commission so that the 14 commission reflects the geographical, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the state. 15 (c) The members of the commission serve for the duration of the commission, but 16 may resign or be replaced by the governor at any time without cause. 17 (d) The members of the commission shall select from among the voting members a 18 chair and other officers considered necessary by the members. 19 * Sec. 3. POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION. (a) The commission shall 20 develop, monitor implementation of, and every two years update a plan to improve the public 21 health system in the state. The plan must include the features identified in sec. 4 of this Act. 22 The commission shall develop and update the plan in consultation with 23 (1) the residents of the state; 24 (2) the Departments of Health and Social Services, Environmental 25 Conservation, and Labor; 26 (3) the Alaska Native Health Board; 27 (4) Alaska Native health corporations; 28 (5) the United States Indian Health Service; 29 (6) the United States Department of Defense; 30 (7) the Alaska Public Health Association; 31 (8) the University of Alaska; and
01 (9) other appropriate government agencies and organizations, as determined 02 by the commission. 03 (b) In order to accomplish its duties under (a) of this section, the commission may 04 (1) appoint a director and hire staff; 05 (2) collect and assemble data; 06 (3) draft recommendations and prepare reports; 07 (4) hold hearings and solicit advice; 08 (5) require state agencies to report to the commission on the extent to which 09 their activities are consistent with the plan developed under (a) of this section and sec. 4 of 10 this Act. 11 * Sec. 4. PUBLIC HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN. (a) The plan developed by the 12 commission must recognize the need for 13 (1) community involvement in health care planning and delivery; 14 (2) attention to local needs that may vary from place to place; 15 (3) accountability for the use of public funds; 16 (4) equity and stability in the distribution of public funds; 17 (5) shared responsibility of all levels of government for administering and 18 financing public health care delivery; and 19 (6) coordination of basic public health services. 20 (b) The plan must include 21 (1) an analysis of the health status of the residents of the state; 22 (2) an assessment of the most appropriate role for various levels of government 23 to play in addressing the health care needs of the residents of the state; 24 (3) a delineation of the standards that should be used in performing assessment, 25 policy development, and quality assurance in the delivery of public health services; 26 (4) documentation of the extent to which the current public health system 27 implements or achieves the standards identified under (3) of this subsection; 28 (5) identification of interjurisdictional issues involved in health care access and 29 delivery; 30 (6) recommendations, including recommendations for specific legislative action 31 when necessary, pertaining to the following:
01 (A) strategies, time lines, financial needs, and specific sources of stable 02 revenue for bringing the state public health care system up to standards identified by 03 the commission; 04 (B) appropriate sharing of the responsibility of local, regional, state, 05 and federal government entities to deliver public health care services efficiently and 06 effectively, including recommendations for organization within state government; 07 (C) integration of the public health care system with state and national 08 health care reform efforts; 09 (D) the commission's estimate of the optimal share that public health 10 should represent in the total health care delivery system of the state, expressed in terms 11 of a percentage of health care dollars spent or in terms of public dollars per state 12 resident. 13 * Sec. 5. DEFINITIONS. In this Act, 14 (1) "commission" means the Alaska Public Health Commission; 15 (2) "plan" means the public health improvement plan developed by the 16 commission. 17 * Sec. 6. The governor shall make appointments to the Alaska Public Health Commission 18 in a timely fashion so that the members may develop the initial public health improvement 19 plan and report it to the legislature by January 1, 1995. 20 * Sec. 7. This Act is repealed June 30, 2001.