02/13/2012 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

          SB 127-FETAL ALCOHOL DISORDERS AWARENESS DAY                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:35:37 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS announced  that the first order of  business would be                                                               
SB 127.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  KEVIN MEYER,  sponsor,  introduced SB  127, which  would                                                               
proclaim September  9 as Fetal Alcohol  Spectrum Disorders (FASD)                                                               
Awareness Day. He  said that FASD is caused  by prenatal exposure                                                               
to alcohol. FASD Day is  observed internationally on September 9.                                                               
He noted that in previous  years he had introduced FASD Awareness                                                               
Day and he felt that now was the  time to put it into statute. He                                                               
explained  that  the  bill  supports   a  good  effort  to  bring                                                               
attention  to  a  condition  that has  a  devastating  effect  on                                                               
Alaska, which  has the  highest rate  of FASD  in the  nation. He                                                               
pointed out that FASD can  result in brain damage, birth defects,                                                               
learning disabilities,  behavioral problems,  and the loss  of an                                                               
individual's potential;  however it  is preventable.  He stressed                                                               
that education is key to solving the problem of FASD.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS opened public testimony.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:39:02 PM                                                                                                                    
KATE BURKHART,  Executive Director, Advisory Board  on Alcoholism                                                               
and Drug Abuse,  Alaska Mental Health Board,  testified on behalf                                                               
of the boards  in support of SB 127. She  spoke of the advantages                                                               
of having  a day that  highlights the  risks of FASD.  She shared                                                               
statistics regarding risky behavior  during pregnancy. Alaska has                                                               
one of the highest rates of binge drinking among women of child-                                                                
bearing   age.   According   to  the   Behavioral   Risk   Factor                                                               
Surveillance  Survey,  women from  18-44  consumed  five or  more                                                               
drinks in one sitting  in the past 30 days at a rate  of 18 to 26                                                               
percent. She termed the bill "imperative to prevention efforts."                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DYSON moved  to  report  SB 127  out  of committee  with                                                               
individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  zero  fiscal                                                               
note.  There being  no objection,  SB 127  was reported  from the                                                               
Senate Health and Social Services Standing Committee.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS commented  on the importance of  the legislation. She                                                               
referred to  a handout  about things a  person should  know about                                                               
FASD.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DYSON pointed  out that years ago there  was no awareness                                                               
of the  dangers of FASD. He  stressed that it is  preventable. He                                                               
shared a personal  story about one woman that has  had seven FASD                                                               
children. He  spoke of the  difficulties experienced  by children                                                               
with FASD. He suggested ways to support those with FASD.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:46:19 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  MEYER  brought  attention   to  the  fact  of  alcohol's                                                               
devastating effect on pregnancies.