03/26/2019 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

         SB 44-TELEHEALTH: PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS; DRUGS                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:32:04 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR REINBOLD announced  that the first order  of business would                                                               
be SENATE  BILL NO. 44, "An  Act relating to the  prescription of                                                               
drugs by a physician assistant without physical examination."                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
1:33:03 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  CATHY  GIESSEL,  Alaska State  Legislature,  Juneau,  as                                                               
sponsor of SB 44 said that an amendment was in members' packets.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
1:33:14 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  COSTELLO moved  to  adopt Amendment  1,  work order  31-                                                               
LS0019\U.1, Fisher, 3/22/19, which read as follows:                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
                          AMENDMENT 1                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, line 2, following "examination":                                                                                 
         Insert "; and providing for an effective date"                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     Page 3, following line 13:                                                                                                 
     Insert a new bill section to read:                                                                                         
        "* Sec. 5. This Act takes effect March 1, 2020."                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BIRCH objected for the purposes of discussion.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR COSTELLO explained  that at a previous hearing  on SB 44,                                                               
she had asked whether the sponsor  would like to add an immediate                                                               
effective date  to the  bill. The ideal  effective date  would be                                                               
March 1,  2020, to  allow time for  draft regulations  to comport                                                               
with the changes in the bill.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR BIRCH removed his objection.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:34:23 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GIESSEL said that she did not have any further comments.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  REINBOLD,  after  first   determining  no  one  wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on SB 44.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:35:06 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR BISHOP removed his objection.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:35:20 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR COSTELLO moved  to report SB 44,  work order 31-LS0019\U,                                                               
as amended,  from committee  with individual  recommendations and                                                               
attached fiscal  note(s). There being no  objection, CSSB 44(L&C)                                                               
was  reported  from  the  Senate   Labor  and  Commerce  Standing                                                               
Committee.