02/26/2014 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

           SCR 14-H&SS REGIONAL BEST PRACTICE MODELS                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:44:43 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEDMAN  announced that the  final order of  business would                                                               
be  SCR 14.  He  said  that the  committee  would  hear from  the                                                               
sponsor, take public testimony, and set the bill aside.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:44:52 PM                                                                                                                    
RYAN RAY,  Staff, Senator Pete  Kelly, Alaska  State Legislature,                                                               
Juneau, Alaska,  presented SCR  14 on behalf  of the  sponsor. He                                                               
said as an Alaskan, he believes  that it is the most beautiful of                                                               
states. However,  Alaska continues to  struggle with some  of the                                                               
most severe rates of social ills.  Alaska leads the states in the                                                               
rates  of   suicides,  forcible  rape,   alcohol-related  deaths,                                                               
domestic violence,  and Fetal  Alcohol Spectrum  Disorder (FASD).                                                               
He said  that SCR 14 calls  for the development of  a grass roots                                                               
community-based  effort  to  create  positive  social  norms  and                                                               
institute  regional  best  practice  models  addressing  Alaska's                                                               
social challenges.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
He shared  statistics related to  the cost of those  social ills.                                                               
He  said FASD  costs  the  state over  $100  million every  year.                                                               
According to  the McDowell Group  Report, the economic  impact of                                                               
alcohol and drug abuse was over  $1.2 billion a year in 2010. The                                                               
report  that came  out  in  2005 reported  the  cost  to be  $738                                                               
million, which  shows that the  problem is  growing at a  rate of                                                               
$66 million  a year.  He called this  "social train"  that cannot                                                               
stop, unacceptable.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR.  RAY  explained  that SCR  14  establishes  an  on-the-ground                                                               
strategy   for   addressing   Alaska's   social   challenges   by                                                               
accomplishing   two  things.   The  first   is  identifying   and                                                               
empowering "natural helpers," community  leaders who are making a                                                               
difference. The  second step  is to  bring these  natural helpers                                                               
together  to have  a conversation,  find  solutions, and  develop                                                               
best  practice models  to address  social  issues. Best  practice                                                               
models can be shared with other  communities. He said the goal is                                                               
to come back  to the state with best practice  models and develop                                                               
a strategic approach for spending and accountability measures.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
He  related  that   SCR  14  resolves  four   things.  First,  it                                                               
encourages  the  identification  and  development  of  a  citizen                                                               
network  involving natural  helpers from  the community.  Second,                                                               
the  citizen  networks will  participate  in  the creation  of  a                                                               
positive community and  social norm related to  the prevention of                                                               
FASD,  as well  as  other challenges.  Third,  it encourages  the                                                               
development  of  regional  best practice  models  addressing  the                                                               
state's  critical  health  and   social  challenges.  Fourth,  it                                                               
encourages the Governor  to support the development  and usage of                                                               
the regional best practice models  in an effort to establish more                                                               
effective and  cost-efficient methods  of addressing  the state's                                                               
critical health and social challenges.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:51:30 PM                                                                                                                    
MR. RAY referred  to a legislative research report  on the public                                                               
funding of programs in Alaska. From  FY 2003 to FY 2012 over $500                                                               
million in public funding was  spent addressing health and social                                                               
issues. The  hope is that  SCR 14  will provide the  strategy and                                                               
infrastructure   to  develop   a  community-based   ground  floor                                                               
solution.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:52:27 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEDMAN noted one zero fiscal note from the legislature.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEDMAN  opened public testimony. Seeing  no one interested                                                               
in testifying, he closed public testimony.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. RAY thanked the committee for hearing the resolution.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEDMAN held SCR 14 in committee.