02/29/1996 03:26 PM House HES

 HCR 26 - PUBLIC INEBRIATE TASK FORCE                                        
                                                                               
 Number 1050                                                                   
                                                                               
 TOM WRIGHT, Legislative Assistant to Representative Ivan Ivan                 
 presented the sponsor statement for HCR 26.  He said Representative           
 Ivan introduced this resolution because of a growing problem in               
 Alaska that will undoubtedly need to be addressed by future                   
 legislatures.  The resolution establishes a task force to develop             
 and recommend to the legislature a plan for treatment and services            
 for intoxicated persons and persons incapacitated by alcohol who              
 are affected by Title 47.  As many are aware, under AS 47.37.170,             
 local police take into protective custody a person who appears to             
 be intoxicated and incapacitated in a public place and place that             
 person in an approved public treatment or detention facility.  A              
 licensed physician or other qualified health practitioner must then           
 examine the inebriate as soon as possible.  If the person is found            
 to be incapacitated by alcohol or drugs, he or she is detained for            
 no more than 48 hours in a health facility or for no more than 12             
 hours in a detention facility.  Treatment costs, of course, accrue            
 to municipalities and public health facilities due to this program.           
 However, the costs, all affected programs, and other aspects of the           
 Title 47 equation are unknown or sketchy at best.  He said that's             
 why Representative Ivan believes it is necessary to form a task               
 force and look into this problem from all angles.  Those who are              
 listed as participants have a vested interest in finding a                    
 resolution and Representative Ivan believes they will be                      
 instrumental in tackling this problem.                                        
                                                                               
 Number 1137                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE BRICE referred to page 3, line 1, and noted that the           
 task force would include a member of the Advisory Council on                  
 Alcohol and Drug Abuse.  He questioned why the Advisory Council               
 wasn't undertaking this project instead of establishing a task                
 force.                                                                        
                                                                               
 MR. WRIGHT said he couldn't respond on behalf of the Advisory                 
 Council.  He pointed out there have been a number of task forces in           
 the past which have touched on this issue, but no one had really              
 gotten a firm grasp on the whole problem.                                     
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ROBINSON asked if Mr. Wright was aware of any task             
 force in the past that had specifically looked into this issue.               
                                                                               
 MR. WRIGHT responded he was not aware of any.  He noted the                   
 Department of Health & Social Services had requested, with the                
 sponsor's concurrence, that an official of the department be                  
 included on the task force rather than a member of the Division of            
 Alcohol and Drug Abuse.                                                       
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ROBINSON noted the proposed task force would consist           
 of 17 members and said she had always favored a smaller number of             
 members.  She acknowledged that the sponsor was trying to bring in            
 all the affected parties, but it increases the cost.  Her concern             
 is the end result will be similar to a commission that was                    
 established last year whereby little or no action was taken on the            
 commission's recommendations.  She questioned why the division                
 wasn't undertaking the task set out in the resolution.                        
                                                                               
 MR. WRIGHT replied the Advisory Council or division would need to             
 speak to that issue.  He said Representative Ivan was trying to               
 include the agencies affected by this.  He referred to testimony              
 given on another bill regarding reimbursement to municipalities for           
 public inebriate costs, and said every time one step is taken, it             
 appears there are three or four other steps that need to be looked            
 at.  He admitted it was a large task force, but it was                        
 Representative Ivan's hope to get as much of the problem addressed            
 as possible from all the different angles.                                    
                                                                               
 Number 1375                                                                   
                                                                               
 ELMER LINDSTROM, Special Assistant, Office of the Commissioner,               
 Department of Health & Social Services, testified the department              
 would request consideration of an amendment on page 3, lines 4 and            
 5, to simply specify a member from the Department of Health &                 
 Social Services rather than a member of the Division of Alcoholism            
 and Drug Abuse within the Department of Health & Social Services.             
 Commissioner Perdue had alluded that she may wish to participate.             
 In any event, he assured the full cooperation of the staff from the           
 division.  Mr. Lindstrom did not believe there had ever been a task           
 force or a working group within the department who had looked                 
 specifically at this issue, but as Mr. Wright had indicated there             
 had been a number of task forces and commissions that have                    
 addressed one or more aspects of this issue.  He believed currently           
 there is a Municipality of Anchorage task force looking at this               
 issue.  The department had worked with them, but Mr. Lindstrom had            
 not seen a final report or recommendations from that group.  He               
 said the issue of involuntary commitment had come to the                      
 department's attention, which ultimately resulted in legislation              
 sponsored by Representative Ivan.  Mr. Lindstrom said the                     
 department had been working with the board and the sponsor and that           
 is the one discreet piece of the problem the department feels they            
 would like to move forward with.  However, the department is sure             
 there will be other issues that would come forward from the                   
 proposed task force.                                                          
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIR BUNDE stated HCR 26 would be held in committee to allow              
 time for the Department of Health & Social Services to address the            
 amendment with the sponsor.                                                   
                                                                               
 MR. LINDSTROM addressed the concern about the size of the task                
 force, and said it was a real concern but he knew that each and               
 everyone of the groups did have a legitimate interest and                     
 involvement in this issue.                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE ROBINSON said reducing the size of the task force              
 may not save a lot of money, recognizing that all these groups need           
 to be involved.  She asked if it was possible to involve them                 
 through the teleconferencing system rather than having to bring 17            
 people together at a specific location.                                       
                                                                               
 Number 1647                                                                   
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DAVIS referenced HB 523 which just passed out of the           
 House HESS Committee, cited the policy in the first "Whereas" in              
 the resolution, and suggested that language be incorporated in HCR
.