Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
05/03/2022 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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Audio | Topic |
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Start | |
Presentation: Pacific Dataport | |
HB297 | |
HB234 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
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+= | HB 234 | TELECONFERENCED | |
*+ | HB 297 | TELECONFERENCED | |
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HB 297-MILITARY MEMBER CHILD PROTECTION 4:23:39 PM CHAIR SHOWER announced the consideration of CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 297(HSS)(title am) "An Act relating to the duties of the Department of Family and Community Services; relating to child protection; and relating to children of active duty military members." 4:23:55 PM REPRESENTATIVE GRIER HOPKINS, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, sponsor of HB 297, stated that the US Department of Defense (DoD) recommends this legislation to all states that have military personnel and bases within their boundaries. It provides proof that the state is supporting the military families already residing in the state and that it will continue to do so for those families that arrive in the future. He noted that the bill was drafted in close consultation with the Fairbanks Tiger Team, which is a military advocacy organization. He explained that if the Office of Children's Services (OCS) needs to take any action involving a military family, HB 297 requires that action to be reported to the local designated authority within the Department of Defense (DoD). In Alaska those individuals reside at Fort Wainwright and JBER. Both are licensed social workers that work in the Family Advocacy Program. He noted that the seven day timeline for DoD to be notified was carefully negotiated with OCS. REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS stated that HB 297 ensures that military families are able to access the support services provided on a base. Further, any paperwork OCS has given to DoD will be forwarded when the military family moves to another state. This information is confidential and kept separate from the military member's service record. REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS concluded saying that HB 297 will help ensure that Alaska continues to be a good place for those in service to work and raise a family. 4:28:47 PM TANYA CLUCAS, Staff, Representative Grier Hopkins, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, advised that the DoD State Liaison Office identified 10 key issues for all states to work on in 2022. The DoD looks at the responses to these issues when it makes decisions about placing bases and whether or not the state is promoting the mission of DoD. She reported Alaska's status as of last week: • Military spouse licensure is in the process of being advanced. • Purple Star Schools Program, the policy has passed. • Child abuse identification and reporting is being addressed in HB 297. The sponsor is working with DoD and the state to ensure that Alaska is demonstrating its commitment to its military partners so it continues to be a good place to live, work, and serve. 4:30:38 PM MS. CLUCAS reviewed the information bulleted on slide 3: Child Abuse Identification and Reporting Policy Status • Child Abuse Reporting is one of the ten key issues the Department of Defense advocates for across the nation • This initiative is part of the Department of Defense's efforts to identify and address the most pressing needs of service members and military families • DoD is required to address child abuse in military families, but with 70% of active-duty families living in civilian communities, service officials are often unaware of problems MS. CLUCAS reviewed the data on slides 4 and 5: Military Children in Alaska • Alaska has ~180,000 children, of which over 10% are military dependents, with caregivers who are active duty or in the National Guard or Reserves • Alaska ranks 16th in the USA for rates of reported child abuse • Since 2003 the reported child abuse in military families has outpaced reported abuse for the civilian population, coinciding with increased deployments and overseas operations Collaboration and Coordination of Services • States have the statutory authority and legal responsibility to address child welfare issues for children in their states • The Department of Defense's Family Advocacy Program has the responsibility to prevent and identify abuse and provide services for affected youth and children • The State of Alaska and DOD already coordinate. However, mandating a reporting requirement and the authority to report will ensure that there's not unintended impediments to coordination • Creation of a reporting requirement and the authority to report will allow for a better quality of care and consistent rehabilitative services for families • This improved continuum of care will help our military families receive the services they need to stay healthy and together • Having these laws in place helps improve Alaska's national ranking when the Department of Defense is deciding where to place future deployments and infrastructure 4:32:42 PM SENATOR COSTELLO asked what happens to the information from OCS that is placed in a confidential file. REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS explained that the reports that OCS provides go to the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) on a regionally designated base. A specifically designated individual in FAP receives the report and works through a process that involves meeting with the member's superior officer and military physicians. He deferred further explanation to Tammie Perreault. 4:33:53 PM TAMMIE PERREAULT, Northwest Regional Liaison, Defense-State Liaison Office, U.S. Department of Defense, Washington, D.C., confirmed that the information is given to a designated individual in the Family Advocacy Program office at each designated installation. The information can also be provided to other partners on the installation that provide support to military families. She deferred to the DoD representative on the phone if the committee wanted more detail on the process. SENATOR COSTELLO asked, once the information is passed to the base, whether the family would then be going through two processes, one with OCS and the other with the military. MS. PERREAULT relayed that DoD has a requirement to provide wraparound services for military families for such things as new parent support, medical care, and counseling. OCS coordinates but DoD actually provides this additional support. SENATOR COSTELLO asked if other states have this agreement and how it has worked out. MS. PERREAULT answered that 31 states have this in statute. Several years ago it became a requirement to coordinate with states to ensure that DoD was getting the necessary information about potential child abuse and neglect cases to ensure the families get the services and support they need. Sometimes it's not a wraparound service that's needed; it may be that the family needs a cooling off period. The airman or soldier can be taken to the installation to provide that needed separation. This legislation supports the memorandum of understanding that states may have in place and if there isn't an MOU, the legislation provides the basis to ensure the coordination. 4:38:19 PM CHAIR SHOWER relayed his experience that it didn't matter who controlled this type of information, the member's commanding officer will know about it and it will affect the service member's career. He then asked what the threshold is for OCS to file a report with DoD. MS. PERREAULT deferred the question to the DoD representative. 4:40:09 PM JENNIFER FRYSZ, LCSW, Social Worker, Family Advocacy Program (FAP), Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska, explained that DoD defines family maltreatment as behavior that includes bullying, berating, exposure to domestic violence, threats of suicide, threats of self-harm, threats of harming each other, and threats that alter somebody's ability to function on a regular basis or rising to a level where somebody experiences fear. The four categories covered by those definitions are physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect. Any interaction that falls within this definition will be reported. If children are in the home and the Department of Public Safety (DPS) responds, the FAP office will have a conversation with DPS to determine whether or not it reached that federal definition. She said a police officer who responds to a home but does not make an arrest may or may not notify the commanding officer. If the commander is notified the family advocacy office will receive the report, but it may not be screened in and assigned to a case manager. To the question of false reporting, she said they rely on the information and assessment from the people or persons who responded to the home, what was alleged to have happened, and the documentation involved. 4:43:04 PM CHAIR SHOWER asked her to forward that to the committee for the record. SENATOR REINBOLD expressed her lack of trust and concern with OCS and her preference for programs that support families rather than splitting them up. She asked why the bill didn't pass previously and whether the sponsor had contacted former Representative Tammie Wilson. 4:45:09 PM REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS said he shares her concerns about OCS and SB 297 is important to ensure that it is not the only avenue for these families to receive services. Rather, the bill will ensure they are able to work through the military system to receive the wrap around services that were described earlier. The bill didn't pass when it was initially introduced in 2020 because of the early adjournment due to COVID-19. He acknowledged that his office had not spoken to former Representative Tammie Wilson who introduced the bill in 2020. CHAIR SHOWER expressed his desire to hear from former Representative Tammie Wilson. REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS agreed to reach out. 4:47:16 PM SENATOR KAWASAKI noted that OCS collaborates with DoD and the Family Advocacy Program. He asked whether FAP coordinates with OCS as a mandatory reporter. REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS deferred the question. 4:48:00 PM MS. FRYSZ answered that every Family Advocacy Program follows the mandatory reporting requirements in the state in which the office resides. FAP is a mandatory reporter in Alaska and they follow that law. She acknowledged the concerns about OCS and said it may help to know that when FAP screens and assigns a case manager, they not only talk to OCS, but also to the troopers, the police department, attorneys, and the command. After that they sit down formally with a board that uses a DoD logarithm to make a determination without bias. She posited that knowing the entire process should relieve some of the concern about relying on OCS. SENATOR KAWASAKI cited data that showed that just a small percentage of cases rise to the investigation level and fewer yet need to go through the entire process. He asked whether DoD had a similar experience. MS. FRYSZ responded that the FAP office at JBER receives 600 referrals a year and just 300 may be screened in. Of those 300 cases, there may be one-fourth that go to the board and meet the criteria to keep the case open and clinical treatment is recommended for the family. It's important to receive the reports from OCS to ensure the appropriate action is taken and that the required wraparound services are provided. 4:52:21 PM CHAIR SHOWER opened public testimony on HB 297; finding none, he closed public testimony. 4:52:47 PM CHAIR SHOWER held HB 297 in committee.
Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
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HB297 Slides.pptx |
SSTA 5/3/2022 3:30:00 PM |
HB 297 |
PACIFIC DATAPORT BACKGROUND.pdf |
SSTA 5/3/2022 3:30:00 PM |
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Tribal Letters to Sec. Raimondo - Combo File.pdf |
SSTA 5/3/2022 3:30:00 PM |
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PDI - Connecting Rural Alaska - AK Senate Rural Affairs 5.3.22.pdf |
SSTA 5/3/2022 3:30:00 PM |