Legislature(2023 - 2024)DAVIS 106
04/15/2024 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Alaska Excel | |
| HB202 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 202 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
April 15, 2024
8:00 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Jamie Allard, Co-Chair
Representative Justin Ruffridge, Co-Chair
Representative Mike Prax
Representative CJ McCormick
Representative Tom McKay
Representative Rebecca Himschoot
Representative Andi Story
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): ALASKA EXCEL
- HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 202
"An Act relating to the availability and administration of
opioid overdose drugs in public schools."
- MOVED CSHB 202(EDC) OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 202
SHORT TITLE: OPIOID OVERDOSE DRUGS IN SCHOOLS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) D.JOHNSON
05/15/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
05/15/23 (H) EDC, HSS
04/03/24 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
04/03/24 (H) Heard & Held
04/03/24 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
04/05/24 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
04/05/24 (H) Heard & Held
04/05/24 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
04/15/24 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
WITNESS REGISTER
JAMIE KLAES, Program Manager
Public Relations and Aviation
Alaska EXCEL
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the Alaska EXCEL presentation.
CHRISTA WILSON, Executive Finance Director
Alaska EXCEL
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the Alaska EXCEL presentation.
NELLIANN SMITH, Alumnus
Alaska EXCEL
Tuntutuliak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the Alaska EXCEL presentation.
NOAH ULROAN, Alumnus
Alaska EXCEL
Chevak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the Alaska EXCEL presentation.
REPRESENTATIVE DELENA JOHNSON
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HB 202.
KELLY MANNING, Deputy Director
Innovation and Education Excellence
Department of Education and Early Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the hearing on HB
202.
SAVAY BIEBER, Staff
Representative DeLena Johnson
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the hearing on HB
202 on behalf of Representative D. Johnson, prime sponsor.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:00:32 AM
CO-CHAIR JUSTIN RUFFRIDGE called the House Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. Representatives Prax,
McKay, Himschoot, and Ruffridge were present at the call to
order. Representatives McCormick, Story, and Allard arrived as
the meeting was in progress.
^PRESENTATION(S): Alaska Excel
PRESENTATION(S): Alaska Excel
8:01:10 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that the first order of business
would be the Alaska EXCEL presentation.
8:02:37 AM
JAMIE KLAES, Program Manager, Public Relations and Aviation,
Alaska EXCEL, co-presented a PowerPoint presentation, titled
"Alaska EXCEL" [hard copy included in the committee packet].
She began with a brief introduction and provided information
regarding the evolution of the program.
8:04:39 AM
MS. KLAES moved to slide 2, titled "Alaska EXCEL Background:,"
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
?November 2012: Established
?2014: Students served 16; 4 school districts
?2015: Students served 375; 8 school districts
?2023: Students served 677; 12 school districts; 797
HS credits; 440 Industry certificates
?2024: Students served 900 (projected)
8:06:18 AM
MS. KLAES continued to slide 3, titled "Impact on Rural
Students," which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
? Total Rural Alaskan Students served: 2,434
? Total High School credits Earned: 2,213
? Total Industry Certifications Earned: 1,655
? EXCEL Session Completion Rate: 98.5%
? High School 4-Year Graduation Rate: 88% graduation
rate for EXCEL Concentrators.
*Concentrator is a student who has attended two or
more Alaska EXCEL sessions. Data collected from 2017
through 2023
MS. KLAES added that there is a big problem with substance abuse
in the state. She then moved to slide 4, which showed a map of
the districts served.
8:09:56 AM
CHRISTA WILSON, Executive Finance Director, Alaska EXCEL, joined
the presentation on slide 5, addressing foundational sessions
for career development, leadership, budgeting, and personal
wellbeing; CTE sessions; and internship sessions. This begins
in seventh grade, but students can join as late as twelfth
grade. Students learn skills, job shadow, and become aware of
the idea of choosing a career. She outlined the sessions by
year and said students are connected to jobs for which they are
suited. She outlined the steps students learn to seek jobs and
become successful in the workforce. Eleventh grade students
take assessments to determine any educational gaps. She noted
other topics that are covered include suicide prevention and
drug awareness. She noted that the twelfth grade level is
highly individualized.
8:18:06 AM
MS. WILSON showed a video on the foundational sessions.
Following the video, she noted that students must complete a
foundational session in order to be eligible for Alaska EXCEL's
career pathway sessions. She turned the presentation over to
Nelliann Smith.
8:20:52 AM
NELLIANN SMITH, Alumnus, Alaska EXCEL, joined the discussion
during the Alaska EXCEL presentation and spoke in her Native
language, followed by English, regarding Career Pathways. She
shared that with the help of Alaska EXCEL, she became the first
woman pilot from her home village, and that she is currently a
private pilot also working on her commercial license. She said
she wanted to inspire other students, especially Native women,
to pursue their dreams.
8:22:13 AM
MS. SMITH showed a short video on aviation maintenance.
8:23:25 AM
MS. WILSON rejoined the presentation and continued expounding on
the contents featured on slide 5. As for Career Pathways, she
noted that there are three separate sessions offered including
fall, spring, and a summer session which is a month long. Both
the foundational and Career Pathways are tied to high school
credits, she said, and Career Pathways include industry
instructors and many training partners. She explained that
students in the twelfth grade can transition into internship
programs, and she introduced Noah Ulroan, who completed the
program.
8:25:06 AM
NOAH ULROAN, Alumnus, Alaska EXCEL, joined the discussion during
the presentation and shared that he was a private pilot with an
instrument rating working to complete his commercial pilot's
license, and that he attended the internship for piloting. He
provided a brief background on his work experience and said that
the program changed his life as well as the lives of many other
rural students.
8:25:47 AM
MR. ULROAN showed a short video highlighting the piloting
internship program.
8:27:02 AM
MS. KLAES rejoined the presentation and added context regarding
the internship program, which was featured on slide 5. She
stressed the importance of the internship program because for
many students, it is the first time they are putting a job on
their resume, but she noted there is much more to the internship
program than just aviation. She briefly explained the set-up of
the internship program in terms of logging hours and actual
training, and that it provided a network of industry partners
and mentorships for students.
8:29:31 AM
MS. KLAES proceeded to slide 6, titled "Alaska EXCEL Alumni
2012-2022." The slide featured survey results based on 188
alumni students, and she highlighted that 80 percent were
working in a career cluster; 12 percent were currently in
college, trade schools, or miliary; and 8 percent were currently
not working. She pointed out that 96 percent of EXCEL alumni
remain in Alaska, but those who did not were either in the
military or attending school and had plans to return to the
state.
8:31:17 AM
MS. WILSON continued the presentation on slide 7, titled
"Current Challenges," which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
? Student waitlists exceed 30% current capacity
? Current growth rate 20%
? Additional Rural School Districts want to partner
? Alaska EXCEL's current Lease Agreement with APU does
not have room for expansion of the program
MS. WILSON also noted the graph on the right side of the slide,
titled "Alaska EXCEL Annual Stunts Served." She stressed that
students need an extra one to two years of transitioning support
to be fully successful when transitioning out of high school
into the workforce or urban setting.
8:34:19 AM
MS. WILSON moved to slide 8, titled "Solution" [the slide shown
during the committee meeting read differently than that which
was provided on BASIS]. She explained that EXCEL had located a
building outside of the Palmer/Wasilla area which will soon be
vacant, and the timing for that would line up with EXCEL's
proposed timeline for building its own campus. She added that
it would increase capacity by approximately 44 percent for
seventh- through twelfth-grade students. She pointed out a bar
chart on the right side of the slide that featured student
capacity per session.
8:37:24 AM
MS. WILSON proceeded to slide 9, which featured a picture she
described as the potential of what the building could look like.
She advanced to slide 10, which featured an aerial view of
proposed building plans with 4 points: existing building,
student housing, atrium, commercial kitchen, and transition
dorm. She noted it sits on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. She
continued to slide 11, titled "Alaska EXCEL Capital Project 4-
Year Budget." The slide featured costs for Pre-Development
Design 2024, Construction 2025, Remodel 2026, and Construction
2027.
8:40:41 AM
MS. WILSON concluded on slide 12, which featured Alaska EXCEL's
4-year funding projections. She noted that the size of the
project would require multiple stakeholders to make it a
possibility, and she spoke of the strong partnerships Alaska
EXCEL had with regional corporations.
8:42:06 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE thanked the presenters and invited questions
from committee members.
8:42:42 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX noted a recent court decision about not
funding private schools. He inquired whether Alaska EXCEL was a
private school.
MS. WILSON replied that it was a 501(c)(3) non-profit that
served public schools, and any homeschool that gets served would
be routed through their district; therefore, the court decision
did not affect Alaska EXCEL being it does not serve many
homeschool students.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX inquired about how the operating funds
worked.
MS. WILSON responded that the majority of the school districts
are getting written into federal grants. She noted working with
the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) for
guidance on funding. She noted many of the district partners
use the Perkins Fund to send students to Alaska EXCEL.
8:46:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked about support provided to kids
who struggle and what kind of counseling is available.
MS. WILSON responded there are two clinicians on Alaska EXCEL's
staff who help with substance abuse and mental health issues.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked where the program sites are.
MS. WILSON replied that they are on the Alaska Pacific
University (APU) campus but travel in the summer to different
areas throughout the state. She added that some programs are
through their industry partners.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT brought up the extended bridge program
for transitioning and asked how eligibility is determined or
whether it is open to anyone.
MS. WILSON said there is a month-long transition program
currently operating out of APU because that is all it has the
capacity for. The students are ideally prior Alaska EXCEL
students, she said.
8:51:33 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked why students need transitioning
support.
MS. WILSON said the support offered is to help students get into
a job aside from job core. She noted the difficulties students
may experience transitioning from rural to urban jobs if they do
not utilize job core.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked Ms. Wilson how many staff she had
and whether the staff are subject to mandatory in-services
required for teaching the K-12 population.
MS. WILSON replied there are 30 full- and part-time staff
members, 3 certified principals, 6 certified teachers, and 2
clinicians. She added that some of the staff hired were prior
students, who have gone through training to learn how to deliver
curriculum. She clarified that Alaska EXCEL does not receive
state funding and is managed under a non-profit; therefore, it
is not bound to any of the state mandates. The districts also
honor Alaska EXCEL's credits, she added.
8:55:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked Ms. Smith and Mr. Ulroan what
their plans are.
MS. SMITH replied that she wanted to be a certified flight
instructor.
MR. ULROAN replied that he wanted a commercial pilot license and
to be a certified flight instructor.
8:56:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX recognized that Alaska EXCEL is its own
entity and asked who was on the board.
MS. WILSON replied that they must have an 80 percent Alaska
Native board and there are currently 11 members on the board.
8:57:36 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY noted the numbers served listed on the
PowerPoint and questioned the different numbers.
MS. WILSON clarified that the 2,400 are total students served
since 2010, and the 900 projected relates to the current year.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY offered her belief that it was critical
that there was a data person to collect all the data.
MS. WILSON explained there is a data bank platform, and the data
collected for graduates was a team effort.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY inquired what the Free Application for
Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion rate was.
MS. WILSON replied it was close to 70 percent, but acknowledged
it was a difficult application for many of her students.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether Alaska EXCEL was eligible for
Technical Vocational Education Program (TVEP) funds.
MS. WILSON affirmed that it is eligible for TVEP, but it is
"pretty coveted."
9:02:03 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked Ms. Wilson if there are contracts with
the districts that Alaska EXCEL serves.
MS. WILSON said in the memorandum of agreement (MOA), it is
based on the number of students the districts have and the
number of slots Alaska EXCEL can fill, and she stated that the
districts pick the students that attend.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked whether each district allots a certain
amount of funds for students to come to the program each year.
MS. WILSON clarified yes, for travel only, and the program
grants pay for everything else.
9:05:20 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD asked how many students attend annually.
MS. WILSON replied that there were approximately 900 slated for
the current year.
9:05:39 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT noted that the new FAFSA form was
supposed to be faster.
MS. WILSON responded that it is not faster but is "more secure."
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT asked whether the program was eligible
for residential school support since it was not a residential
program.
MS. WILSON answered that Alaska EXCEL has not explored that
route.
9:07:37 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE thanked the presenters.
9:08:04 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:08 a.m. to 9:10 a.m.
HB 202-OPIOID OVERDOSE DRUGS IN SCHOOLS
9:10:25 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced that the final order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 202, "An Act relating to the
availability and administration of opioid overdose drugs in
public schools."
9:11:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DELENA JOHNSON, Alaska State Legislature, as
prime sponsor of HB 202, thanked the committee for presenting
the bill and said she looked forward to addressing the
amendments.
9:11:43 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE moved to adopt Amendment 1 to HB 202, labeled
33-LS0705\S.3, Bergerud, 4/9/24, which read as follows:
Page 1, line 7:
Delete "naloxone nasal spray"
Insert "an opioid overdose drug"
Page 2, line 1:
Delete "naloxone nasal spray"
Insert "an opioid overdose drug"
Page 2, line 3:
Delete "naloxone nasal spray"
Insert "an opioid overdose drug"
Page 2, line 4:
Delete "naloxone nasal spray"
Insert "an opioid overdose drug"
Page 2, line 9:
Delete "naloxone nasal spray"
Insert "an opioid overdose drug"
Page 2, line 14:
Delete all material.
Renumber the following paragraphs accordingly.
Page 2, line 21:
Delete "new paragraphs"
Insert "a new paragraph"
Page 2, lines 22 - 24:
Delete all material.
Renumber the following paragraph accordingly.
Page 3, line 2:
Delete "naloxone nasal spray"
Insert "an opioid overdose drug"
REPRESENTATIVE STORY objected for the purpose of discussion.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE said the amendment adjusts the language in
the bill each time naloxone is mentioned.
9:12:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT referred to a 15-minute video noted in
prior conversations and whether it was specific to the nasal
spray in an overdose situation.
9:13:29 AM
KELLY MANNING, Deputy Director, Innovation and Education
Excellence, Department of Education and Early Development
(DEED), explained that there was a course on DEED's eLearning
platform developed in partnership with the Department of Health
(DOH) covering [naloxone] spray and signs and symptoms of an
overdose. It also covers opioids and opioid prevention, she
said.
9:14:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX opined that things are more difficult when
they become law and asked for further clarification on the
language in the amendment.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE replied that there is broader language in the
amendment, and the intent is to not name a specific medication,
as there are other reversal agents that can be administered
aside from naloxone.
9:17:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked Ms. Manning whether the proposed
amendment concerned her.
MS. MANNING replied that with the adjustment in the amendment,
DEED would continue to use the course as it is written, and it
would allow flexibility if there were further changes. She
stated that DEED would work closely with DOH.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether the bill sponsor was
comfortable with the amendment.
REPRESENTATIVE D. JOHNSON replied that it was considered a
friendly amendment.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY removed her objection. There being no
further objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.
9:18:31 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE moved to adopt Amendment 2 to HB 202, labeled
33-LS0705\S.2, Bergerud, 4/9/24, which read as follows:
Page 2, following line 9:
Insert a new subsection to read:
"(c) A school district, school, or an individual
is not liable for civil damages for an injury to
another individual resulting from a failure to possess
or maintain naloxone nasal spray under this section."
Reletter the following subsection accordingly.
Page 2, line 25:
Delete "AS 14.30.145(c)"
Insert "AS 14.30.145(d)"
CO-CHAIR ALLARD objected for the purpose of discussion.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE explained that Amendment 2 inserts a new
subsection in reference to a concern that a school district or
individual may be liable for damages, and the district or
individual would, under the amendment, be non-liable.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD expressed concern about the impact on children.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE reiterated that the amendment referenced an
individual not being liable.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD stressed that she would hesitate and may opt her
child out of any administering of a drug, as it could be
traumatizing. She further explained her concern was about
children being too exposed and whether they would be held
responsible for not administering [naloxone]. She said she was
not keen on showing the [opioid] video to 13- and 14-year-olds.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE responded that the intent is that it be a
school district component, not a requirement, that students get
the education which included the aforementioned video. The
amendment would eliminate a student's liability in the event
they did not feel trained and chose not to engage.
9:23:06 AM
SAVAY BIEBER, Staff, Representative DeLena Johnson, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative D. Johnson, prime
sponsor of HB 202, added that the amendment is specifically for
an injury resulting from failure to possess and maintain;
therefore, it did not have to do with children.
9:23:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX said it occurred to him that the word
"administer" should be added in the new subsection, and he also
expanded on how personal injury lawyers could look at things.
9:25:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX moved Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 2,
to insert a comma after "possess", delete the word ["or"], add a
comma after "maintain", and [following "maintain"] to add
"administer".
9:25:30 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE objected. He said the intent of the
amendment was to clarify that should someone go to a box
[containing naloxone], on the wall or a in the nurse's office,
and the box is empty, the school district would not be liable
for the empty box. Other law already protects individuals from
administering or not administering the antidote. He mentioned
the Good Samaritan Law.
9:26:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE D. JOHNSON agreed that the Good Samaritan Law
should cover everything else regarding someone not wanting to
administer.
9:27:41 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD stated that she supported the conceptual
amendment.
9:28:00 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Prax and Allard
voted in favor of Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 2.
Representatives McCormick, McKay, Himschoot, Story, and
Ruffridge voted against it. Therefore, Conceptual Amendment 1
to Amendment 2 failed to be adopted by a vote of 2-5.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked for further discussion on Amendment 2.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD withdrew her objection. There being no further
objection, Amendment 2 was adopted.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE moved to adopt Amendment 3 to HB 202, labeled
33-LS0705\S.4, Bergerud, 4/9/24, which read as follows:
Page 1, line 14, through page 2, line 1:
Delete all material.
Renumber the following paragraphs accordingly.
Page 2, lines 5 - 7:
Delete ", and on a school bus while students are
being transported to or from school or a school-
sponsored event"
CO-CHAIR ALLARD objected for the purpose of discussion.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE explained that the amendment was in response
to prior committee discussion and would remove the language
dealing with school buses.
9:29:32 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK asked for understanding why the
language is being removed and school buses would not have to be
involved.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE stated that he agreed, but school buses are
contractual arrangements with school districts. He added that
naloxone spray should not be stored in freezing temperatures
which can happen if it were on a bus. A requirement that school
buses have the spray on board seemed impractical, he posited.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK stated objection to the Amendment 3.
9:31:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT stated that she had a similar amendment
about language that could be added to encourage districts to
encourage their contractors. She mirrored Representative
McCormick's concerns and hoped that individual contractors would
put policy in place to where drivers are equipped.
9:32:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE D. JOHNSON said she considered the amendment
friendly. She said she did not have a chance to look at every
school district, and that there are different ways the many
districts and contractors deal with things.
9:33:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY stated that she supported the amendment but
work to renegotiate contracts should be considered. She
suggested the committee take further action and reach out to the
school boards.
CO-CHAIR ALLARD maintained her objection.
9:35:06 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Prax, McKay,
Himschoot, Story, Allard, and Ruffridge voted in favor of
Amendment 3 to HB 202. Representatives McCormick voted against
it. Therefore, Amendment 3 to HB 202 was adopted by a vote of
6-1.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE announced Amendment 4 [would not be offered].
9:36:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT stated she would not offer Amendment 5.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT moved to adopt Amendment 6 to HB 202,
labeled 33-LS0705\S.6\Bergerud 4/10/24, which read as follows:
Page 2, line 9, following "spray.":
Insert "The department shall require each individual
who is employed full time by a school district to
watch the training video within the individual's first
six months of full-time employment."
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE objected for the purpose of discussion.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT explained that there would be a one-
time, 15-minute video training commitment by staff, the district
would always be compliant in statute, and everyone would know
how to administer the spray.
9:37:22 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD stated that the school district can handle who
they wish to designate; it should not be a requirement.
9:38:07 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE expressed concerns about requiring another
"set of things" for someone to accomplish, and that although the
video would likely be useful, he stated that having it be a
requirement for everyone is taking it a step too far at this
point.
9:39:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK asked for a description of the training
video.
9:39:39 AM
MS. MANNING explained that the video on DEED's eLearning
platform is 15 minutes long and covers both the signs of an
opioid overdose and the administration of an effective overdose
reversal drug.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked whether data is kept on the number of
times the eLearning platform is accessed.
MS. MANNING replied that there are records, and she could
provide the data to the committee as a follow-up.
9:40:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked Representative Himschoot if she had
talked to other districts.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT responded that she had not and stated
it would not be practical to always have the one person trained
to administer always on site; therefore, with the amendment,
everyone would be trained.
9:42:22 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment 6, as follows:
Following "require"
Insert "to the extent practicable that"
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE objected.
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY stated that he did not think the language
should be in state law.
9:43:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY explained her reasoning and added that she
did not know the "ins and outs" of each district, being they are
all unique. She asked to hear the bill sponsor's thoughts on
the conceptual amendment.
REPRESENTATIVE D. JOHNSON responded that there is no way to
identify what the words fully mean.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE maintained his objection.
9:44:50 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Story, Prax,
McCormick, and Himschoot voted in favor of Conceptual Amendment
1 to Amendment 6. Representatives McKay and Ruffridge voted
against it. Therefore, Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 6
was adopted by a vote of 4-2.
9:45:46 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:45 a.m. to 9:46 a.m.
9:46:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT questioned how the language, "to the
extent practicable" could be interpreted.
MS. MANNING responded that she would need to look into how DEED
would track "with the language as stated." She added that with
current courses, DEED tracks off of certification.
9:48:12 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE maintained his objection to Amendment 6 [as
amended].
9:48:17 AM
A roll call vote was initiated.
[Co-Chair Allard entered the room while voting was taking
place.]
9:48:45 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 9:48 a.m.
9:49:03 AM
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE said the roll call vote was voided and asked
for another.
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Himschoot, Story,
and McCormick voted in favor of Amendment 6, as amended, to HB
202. Representatives McKay, Prax, Allard, and Ruffridge voted
against it. Therefore, Amendment 6, as amended, failed to be
adopted by a vote of 3-4.
9:50:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT moved to adopt Amendment 7 to HB 202,
labeled 33-LS0705\S.7\Bergerud 4/10/24, which read as follows:
Page 1, line 12:
Delete ", whether the event is"
Page 1, line 13:
Delete "or off of"
Page 2, line 5:
Delete ", whether the event is"
Delete "or off of"
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE objected.
9:50:24 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 9:50 a.m.
9:50:46 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT explained that the amendment limits the
requirement to events only on school grounds.
REPRESENTATIVE D. JOHNSON said the amendment is something that
she could work with.
9:52:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY recalled that the superintendents who had
previously testified spoke to the difficulty of having to do
this for events, and they cautioned the committee that it would
be hard to do.
9:52:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK said he understood why it may be
difficult to enforce the overdose drugs being present and stated
that he preferred more discussion on the amendment to shape a
better decision.
9:53:59 AM
REPRESENTATIVE D. JOHNSON mentioned the importance of the bill
becoming law so that the antidote is widely accessible, and she
reiterated that the spray is easily administered.
9:55:05 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives McCormick,
Himschoot, and Prax voted in favor of Amendment 7 to HB 202.
Representatives McKay, Story, Allard, and Ruffridge voted
against it. Therefore, Amendment 7 failed to be adopted by a
vote of 3-4.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT moved to adopt Amendment 8 to HB 202,
labeled 33-LS0705\S.8\Bergerud 4/10/24, which read as follows:
Page 2, line 8, following "(b)":
Insert "The Department of Health shall provide
each school district with the naloxone nasal spray
required under this section."
Page 2, line 29:
Delete "and"
Insert "from the department and may"
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE objected.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT explained that the amendment puts the
expense of the kits on DOH to relieve the burden on districts.
9:56:37 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY asked about a fiscal note of how much it
would cost for 54 school districts.
REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT offered her understanding that a fiscal
note would be needed regardless.
REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY opined that school districts should not
have to provide a fiscal note and that their money is their
business; however, DOH would require a fiscal note.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE asked about the potential of utilizing opioid
remediation funds and expressed his concern that the language
would reduce that option.
REPRESENTATIVE D. JOHNSON said the issue could best be taken up
when it moves to the next committee.
9:59:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY acknowledged that districts have many
demands on their finances, and she opined that it seemed
appropriate that DOH take the lead on supplying the kits.
REPRESENTATIVE MCCORMICK articulated that the bill should move
as quickly as possible, but with some pause. He touched on
unfunded mandates and that smaller rural school districts often
operate out of compliance; therefore, financial backing must be
in place. He offered his support for Amendment 8.
10:01:57 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Prax, McCormick,
Himschoot, and Story voted in favor of Amendment 8 to HB 202.
Representatives McKay, Allard, and Ruffridge voted against it.
Therefore, Amendment 8 was adopted by a vote of 4-3.
10:02:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY moved to rescind action on Amendment 7.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE objected.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY explained that she had voted wrong.
CO-CHAIR RUFFRIDGE removed his objection. There being no
further objection, Amendment 7 was back before the committee.
10:03:49 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Prax, McCormick,
Himschoot, and Story voted in favor of Amendment 7 to HB 202.
Representatives McKay, Allard, and Ruffridge voted against it.
Therefore, Amendment 7 was adopted by a vote of 4-3.
10:04:56 AM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 10:05 a.m.
10:05:11 AM
CO-CHAIR ALLARD moved to report HB 202, as amended, out of
committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying
fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHB 202(EDC) was
reported out of the House Education Standing Committee.
10:05:58 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:06 a.m.