Legislature(1995 - 1996)
03/21/1995 01:36 PM House FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
March 21, 1995
1:30 P.M.
TAPE HFC 95-58, Side 2, #000 - #386.
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Mark Hanley called the House Finance Committee
meeting to order at 1:36 p.m.
PRESENT
Co-Chair Hanley Representative Martin
Co-Chair Foster Representative Mulder
Representative Brown Representative Navarre
Representative Grussendorf Representative Parnell
Representative Kelly Representative Therriault
Representative Kohring
ALSO PRESENT
Representative Cynthia Toohey; Catherine Reardon, Director,
Division of Occupational Licensing, Department of Commerce
and Economic Development; Harlan Knudsen, Alaska State
Hospital and Nursing Home ; Jerry Shriner, Department of
Corrections.
SUMMARY
HB 124 An Act extending the termination date of the Board
of Nursing Home Administrators; and providing for
an effective date.
CSHB 124 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with
a "do pass" recommendation and with a fiscal
impact note by the Department of Commerce and
Economic Development, dated 3/6/95.
HB 200 An Act reassigning responsibility for the custody
of persons pending their arraignments, commitment
to the custody of the commissioner of corrections,
or admission to a state correctional facility, and
authorizing the commissioner of corrections to
employ guards for emergencies on the same basis as
the commissioner of public safety, as partially
exempt service employees; and providing for an
effective date.
HB 200 was reported out of Committee with a "do
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pass" recommendation and with a zero fiscal note
by the Department of Public Safety, dated 3/14/95.
HOUSE BILL NO. 124
"An Act extending the termination date of the Board of
Nursing Home Administrators; and providing for an
effective date."
REPRESENTATIVE CYNTHIA TOOHEY spoke in support of HB 124.
She stated that the legislation will abolish the Board of
Nursing Home Administrators and transfer its licensing and
regulatory functions to the Division of Occupational
Licensing in the Department of Commerce and Economic
Development. She noted that federal regulations require
that nursing home administrators be licensed by the state to
receive medicaid funds from the federal government. The
current amount of medicaid monies coming from the federal
government is approximately $157 million dollars. She
observed that the federal licensing requirement can be met
by a board or by an executive branch agency. The
legislation is supported by the Department of Health &
Social Services and the Hospital & Nursing Home Association.
She observed that Representative Parnell will propose an
amendment to give the Division the ability to deny a license
if an application has been falsified, Amendment 1, #9-
LS0491\C.1 (Attachment 1).
CATHERINE REARDON, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF OCCUPATIONAL
LICENSING, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
testified in support of HB 124. She asked that the
Committee adopt Amendment 1 to enable the Division to deny
licenses of nursing home administrators for the same reason
that a license would be revoked.
Representative MOVED to adopt Amendment 1. There being NO
OBJECTION, it was so ordered.
HARLAN KNUDSEN, ALASKA STATE HOSPITAL AND NURSING HOME
ASSOCIATION spoke in support of HB 124.
Representative Parnell MOVED to report CSHB 124 (FIN) out of
Committee with individual recommendations and with the
accompanying fiscal note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was
so ordered.
CSHB 124 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "do
pass" recommendation and with a fiscal impact note by the
Department of Commerce and Economic Development, dated
3/6/95.
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HOUSE BILL NO. 200
"An Act reassigning responsibility for the custody of
persons pending their arraignments, commitment to the
custody of the commissioner of corrections, or
admission to a state correctional facility, and
authorizing the commissioner of corrections to employ
guards for emergencies on the same basis as the
commissioner of public safety, as partially exempt
service employees; and providing for an effective
date."
Representative Mulder testified in support of HB 200. He
noted that the legislation transfers the Contract Jails
Program from the Department of Public Safety to the
Department of Corrections. He noted that the transfer was
recommended by Governor Hickel's Organizational Efficiency
Task Force. He noted that community jail programs have
grown. He observed that the House Finance Subcommittee for
the Department of Corrections recommended increased funding
for community jails for upgrades in training and
maintenance.
In response to a question by Representative Brown,
Representative Mulder clarified that the commissioner
referred to in sections 1 and 2 is the commissioner of the
Department of Corrections.
JERRY SHRINER, DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS explained that
section 3 provides for the hiring of temporary guards when
necessary due to over crowding or employee illness. Section
3 provides that in order to hire temporary guards at
additional costs to the contract that approval must be
obtained by the commissioner of the Department of
Corrections.
In response to a question by Representative Brown, Mr.
Shriner clarified that the contractual arrangement between
the state and local communities is not in statute.
Representative Brown questioned the lack of an accompanying
fiscal note by the Department of Corrections. Mr. Shriner
explained that a fiscal note was not included, with the
understanding that funding for the transfer would be
included in the FY 96 budget. Representative Mulder
observed that funding was included in the Subcommittee's
recommendation.
Mr. Shriner stated that the Commissioner is concerned that
the funding level recommended by the Subcommittee is
approximately $1.0 million dollars below the level needed to
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operate the facilities. He observed that some facilities
have indicated that they will not continue to operate if
full funding is not provided.
Representative Mulder observed that the amount identified
for transfer from the Department of Public Safety's budget
was $3.7 million dollars. The Department of Corrections'
request was $5.8 million dollars. The House Finance
Committee Subcommittee for the Department of Corrections
recommended funding the Contract Jail Program at $4.6
million dollars.
Representative Foster MOVED to report CSHB 200 (FIN) out of
Committee with individual recommendations and with the
accompanying fiscal note.
HB 200 was reported out of Committee with a "do pass"
recommendation and with a zero fiscal note by the Department
of Public Safety, dated 3/14/95.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m.
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