05/05/2022 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

           SB 191-REPEAL COVID 19 DISASTER EMERGENCY                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:36:11 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON announced  the consideration of SENATE  BILL NO. 191                                                               
"An Act repealing emergency powers  of the commissioner of health                                                               
and  social  services  and  certain  provisions  related  to  the                                                               
response to the  novel coronavirus disease; and  providing for an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                              
1:36:25 PM                                                                                                                  
SENATOR BEGICH asked  what the impact would be to  the state with                                                               
regard to SNAP benefits if SB 191 were to pass.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                              
1:36:59 PM                                                                                                                  
MATT DAVIDSON,  Special Assistant to the  Commissioner, Office of                                                               
the  Commissioner,  Department  of  Health  and  Social  Services                                                               
(DHSS),  Juneau, Alaska,  offered his  understanding that  due to                                                               
the states   public health emergency (PHE)  declaration, the SNAP                                                               
program receives  an additional $7.6  million dollars a  month in                                                               
supplemental benefits to Alaskans.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                              
SENATOR  BEGICH  asked  what  triggers  the  extra  benefits  and                                                               
whether a  concomitant declaration  is required to  receive those                                                               
federal funds.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR.  DAVIDSON confirmed  that was  his  understanding; the  state                                                               
must  be under  a public  health emergency  for the  supplemental                                                               
benefits to be implemented.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:38:15 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR REINBOLD questioned why the state  should have to be in a                                                               
public  health emergency  to receive  the enhanced  benefits. She                                                               
asked how many people this affects.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR. DAVIDSON  said he would  have to  follow up with  the number,                                                               
but  his understanding  is that  a  PHE is  necessary to  qualify                                                               
because these are supplemental benefits.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:38:59 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR HUGHES asked him to  repeat the amount the state receives                                                               
each month in supplemental SNAP benefits.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR. DAVIDSON replied it's approximately $7.6 million per month.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR HUGHES asked if there  have been any adjustments recently                                                               
based on rising inflation.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. DAVIDSON  said he was  not aware  of any adjustments  to SNAP                                                               
due  to inflation.  The supplement  benefits were  an enhancement                                                               
due to the federal disaster.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR REINBOLD  asked if he  could say with certainty  that the                                                               
state  has  to  be  in  a  state  of  emergency  to  receive  the                                                               
supplemental SNAP benefits.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. DAVIDSON stated  that he would provide a  written response to                                                               
the committee.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:40:56 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON solicited a motion.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:40:59 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  BEGICH  moved  to  adopt Amendment  1,  work  order  32-                                                               
LS1497\I.1.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                                                 32-LS1497\I.1                                                                  
                                                 Ambrose/Foote                                                                  
                                                       5/4/22                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                         AMENDMENT 1                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     OFFERED IN THE SENATE                    BY SENATOR BEGICH                                                                 
     TO:  SB 191                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 5:                                                                                                            
        Delete "9, 10,"                                                                                                         
        Delete "21(b)-(e)"                                                                                                      
        Insert "21(c) and (e)"                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:41:01 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON objected for purposes of discussion.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:41:03 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BEGICH explain that the  amendment removes the references                                                               
in the  bill to  Sections 9 and  10 [ch. 2,  SLA 2021]  that deal                                                               
with charitable  gaming and school operating  funds respectively.                                                               
Legislation  on  these issues  has  yet  to  pass so  they  could                                                               
unnecessarily be  affected if  they are included  in SB  191. The                                                               
reference to "21(b)  - (e), ch. 2, SLA 2021,"  is also changed to                                                               
"21(c) and (e)" to reflect the removal of Sections 9 and 10.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:42:43 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR REINBOLD  stated that she  would support Amendment  1 out                                                               
of comradery and to ensure that minority voices are heard.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:43:22 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR  WILSON   removed  his  objection;  he   found  no  further                                                               
objection and Amendment 1 was adopted.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR REINBOLD  stated her  belief that  the local,  state, and                                                               
federal  mandates have  created a  larger disaster  than COVID-19                                                               
itself.  SB   191  responds  by   stripping  what  she   sees  as                                                               
illegitimate,  illegal constitutional  powers from  public health                                                               
Commissioner  Adam  Crum.  She   emphasized  that  there  was  no                                                               
justification for the continued  emergency and the department had                                                               
failed to provide data in response  to her questions for the past                                                               
two years. She  thanked the chair for scheduling  the hearings on                                                               
the bill and asked the members for their support.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WILSON solicited the will of the committee.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
1:45:10 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR HUGHES  moved to report  SB 191, work  order 32-LS1497\I,                                                               
as amended,  from committee  with individual  recommendations and                                                               
attached fiscal note(s).                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:45:21 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR WILSON  found no objection  and CSSB 191(HSS)  was reported                                                               
from the Senate Health and Social Services Standing Committee.