02/25/2003 01:30 PM Senate L&C

                                                                                                                                
                 SB  47-EXTEND BOARD OF NURSING                                                                             
                SB  48-EXTEND BOARD OF MIDWIVES                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CON BUNDE called the Senate Labor and Commerce Standing                                                                 
Committee meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. and announced SB 47 to                                                                  
be up for consideration. All members were present.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. AMY SEITZ, staff to Senator Wagoner, sponsor of SB 47, said                                                                 
the purpose of SB 47 is to extend the sunset date of the Board                                                                  
of Nursing from June 30, 2003 to June 30, 2011. She explained:                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
     The  Board of  Nursing  was  established to  insure  the                                                                   
     protection of  the public's health, safety  and welfare.                                                                   
     The  Board accomplishes  this  by setting  a minimum  of                                                                   
     education and  experience an individual needs  to become                                                                   
     a licensed  professional and  also by investigating  any                                                                   
     complaints  against  these professionals.  The  Division                                                                   
     of Legislative  Audit reviewed  the board and  concluded                                                                   
     that  due  to  their  success   in  carrying  out  these                                                                   
     responsibilities,   the  termination   date  should   be                                                                   
     extended until the year 2011.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  BUNDE said  the Division  of Legislative  Budget and  Audit                                                              
(LBA) made  two recommendations:  to develop procedures  to notify                                                              
the Board  of Pharmacy  of changes in  the status of  prescription                                                              
authority to  various nursing  licensees; and  to develop  a self-                                                              
evaluation monitoring  check list  for organizations  that utilize                                                              
certified  nursing  aide  training  programs. He  asked  if  those                                                              
recommendations had been addressed.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. SEITZ replied that the Board is working on them now.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR FRENCH  asked if  those two  recommendations would  be the                                                              
subject of later legislation.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS. SEITZ replied that she thought so.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR.  RICK URION,  Director,  Division of  Occupational  Licensing,                                                              
said he supported  both SB 47  extending the Board of  Nursing and                                                              
SB 48, which extends the Board of Midwives.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  BUNDE asked  if the Board  was making  progress on  meeting                                                              
the recommendations of LB&A.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  NANCY  SANDERS,  Chair,  Board of  Nursing,  said  that  both                                                              
recommendations  were  administrative  procedures and  were  being                                                              
addressed by the board.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR SEEKINS  asked if these  are relatively minor  things that                                                              
could be taken care of administratively.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS. SANDERS replied, "Absolutely."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  SEEKINS said  that it  shouldn't  take a  meeting of  the                                                              
Board of Nursing to accomplish.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS.  SANDERS  agreed that  it  could  be  taken care  of  in-house                                                              
fairly quickly.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MS.  PAT DAVIDSON,  Director  of  LBA,  agreed that  no  statutory                                                              
fixes  are necessary.  The eight-year  extension of  the Board  of                                                              
Nursing takes into account the minor operational deficiencies.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  BUNDE said  there has  been  an increase  in applicant  for                                                              
licensure. He  asked if that increase  would begin to  address the                                                              
nursing shortage.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS. SANDERS replied that they hope so.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  SEEKINS   moved  to  pass  SB  47  from   committee  with                                                              
individual recommendations  and its  zero fiscal note.  There were                                                              
no objections  and the  roll was  called. SENATORS DAVIS,  FRENCH,                                                              
STEVENS,  SEEKINS and  BUNDE voted  in favor  therefore SB  47 was                                                              
passed from committee.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR BUNDE announced SB 48 to be up for consideration.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. SEITZ, Staff  to Senator Wagoner, sponsor of  SB 48, explained                                                              
that it  extends the  sunset date for  the certified  direct entry                                                              
midwives to 2007. They have done a good job according to LB&A.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS. KAYE  KANNE, Executive Director,  Juneau Family  Birth Center,                                                              
said  she  is  a  Juneau  midwife  and  served  on  the  Board  of                                                              
Certified  Direct Entry Midwives  for eight  years. She  testified                                                              
that the  board had done  a good job  of writing and  implementing                                                              
regulations and continues  to keep them up to  national standards.                                                              
She  pointed  out  that Alaska  certified  direct  entry  midwives                                                              
delivered  almost 10  percent  of Alaska  babies  last year.  That                                                              
number  has grown  considerably  since  the board's  inception  in                                                              
1992. In the  Mat-Su Borough midwives delivered 25  percent of the                                                              
babies, in  Fairbanks 12 percent  of the  babies and in  Juneau 15                                                              
percent of the  babies. Nationwide, midwives attend  the births of                                                              
5  percent or  less.  She said  the  midwives  have delivered  the                                                              
babies with really good outcomes.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  SEEKINS   moved  to  pass  SB  48  from   committee  with                                                              
individual  recommendations  and its  zero  fiscal note.  SENATORS                                                              
DAVIS,  FRENCH,  STEVENS,  SEEKINS   and  BUNDE  voted  in  favor,                                                              
therefore SB 48 passed from committee.