Legislature(2025 - 2026)ADAMS 519
04/23/2025 01:30 PM House FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview: Capital Update | |
| HB105 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 57 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | HB 105 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
April 23, 2025
1:36 p.m.
1:36:01 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Schrage called the House Finance Committee meeting
to order at 1:36 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Neal Foster, Co-Chair
Representative Andy Josephson, Co-Chair
Representative Calvin Schrage, Co-Chair
Representative Jeremy Bynum
Representative Alyse Galvin
Representative Sara Hannan
Representative Nellie Unangiq Jimmie
Representative DeLena Johnson
Representative Will Stapp
Representative Frank Tomaszewski
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Jamie Allard
ALSO PRESENT
Noah Klein, Associate Counsel, Alaska Court System; David
Jiang, Staff, Representative Alyse Galvin; Andrea Mueca,
Deputy Director, Division of Behavioral Health, Department
of Health.
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
James Biela, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention,
Alaska Chapter, Bethel; Ruth Billy, Self, Panuak; Ann
Ringstad, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental
Illness Alaska, Anchorage; Kelly Manning, Deputy Director,
Division of Innovation and Education Excellence, Department
of Education and Early Development, Juneau; Dr. Kristy
Becker, Chief of Clinical Services, Alaska Psychiatric
Institute, Anchorage.
SUMMARY
OVERVIEW: CAPITAL UPDATE
SB 57 APPROP: CAPITAL/FUNDS/REAPPROP
SB 57 was SCHEDULED but not HEARD.
HB 105 PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION
HB 105 was HEARD and HELD in committee for
further consideration.
Co-Chair Schrage reviewed the agenda.
^OVERVIEW: CAPITAL UPDATE
1:36:56 PM
NOAH KLEIN, ASSOCIATE COUNSEL, ALASKA COURT SYSTEM,
introduced the PowerPoint presentation "House Finance
Committee Alaska Court System: Capital Request" dated April
23, 2025 (copy on file). He began on slide 2 and gave an
overview of the court system's FY 26 capital budget
request. He noted that the slide reflected priorities
identified by the Alaska Supreme Court the previous fall.
He mentioned requests including $22 million for phase two
of the Palmer Courthouse expansion, $2 million for court
security projects, and $3.525 million for deferred
maintenance projects statewide. He made note of the final
item on the slide comprised of the Sitka and Bethel
courthouses, where the supreme court had identified an
updated need for an updated or new facility, but there had
been no feasible items identified.
Mr. Klein continued to slide 3, which addressed what was
currently in HB 54, the capital budget bill from the
executive branch. Of the approximately $28 million
requested by the supreme court, there was $1 million for
court security projects in the bill. He wanted to make sure
the committee was aware of the supreme court's capital
budget request considering the difficult fiscal year the
state was facing.
Representative Johnson asked for further detail on how the
court got its request brought forward.
Mr. Klein responded that typically in the summer
progressing into the fall of each year, the supreme court
looked at the court system's needs to determine at list of
items that were deemed to be "reasonable asks. The list
was presented to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
with the hope that the requests would be presented to the
legislature to fund. He noted that historically the court
system had differing amounts of luck with capital requests
that were funded.
1:40:38 PM
Mr. Klein continued on slide 4 and identified what was in
CSSB 57(FIN), which was not currently before the committee.
On top of the $1 million in court security projects
presented in the current capital budget, the bill had an
additional $750,000 for deferred maintenance projects.
There was no appropriation, but there was language
encouraging the sale of a facility in Sitka to the court
system.
Representative Johnson asked if the court system would be
back before the committee when it considered the capital
budget.
Mr. Klein continued to slide 5, which was a photo of the
Palmer Courthouse.
Representative Johnson assumed that Mr. Klein would offer
information related to the history of the courthouse and an
explanation related to phase two of the expansion project.
Mr. Klein explained that the image showed the entrance to
the Palmer Courthouse. He affirmed that he would discuss
both phase 1 and phase 2 of the expansion project. He
continued to slide 6 and explained that the expansion
project was deemed a priority because the four superior
court judges in Palmer were by far the busiest in the
state. He cited that the average caseload for a superior
court judge in the state was approximately 450 cases, and
those in Palmer had over 660 cases each on average. He
thought the high case load was not surprising considering
that the last addition of a superior court judge in Palmer
was almost twenty years previously. In that time period,
the population had increased dramatically in the Matanuska-
Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley from almost 80,000 to approximately
115,000. There was a growth expectation of an additional
20,000 in the following 20 years.
1:44:28 PM
Representative Galvin asked if Mr. Klein could explain how
population expansion was being managed. She asked if the
extra courthouse was needed in order to have an extra judge
to handle the caseload.
Mr. Klein responded in the affirmative. The court had not
been able to find a way to add courtrooms to the facility
without expanding the courthouse. There were less court
houses than there were judges in the building, and the goal
was normally a one-to-one ratio. He discussed the challenge
of scheduling and potential delays. The legislature had
given additional judicial offices, but not superior court
judges. He noted that judges worked extremely long hours
and thought the Palmer judges had done a good job keeping
up with items that had mandatory timelines. He identified
the example that domestic relation matters took about 50
percent longer in Palmer than in Anchorage.
Representative Johnson thought it seemed as though some
workload had been shifted from Palmer to the Anchorage
court when possible. She asked Mr. Klein to expand.
Mr. Klein responded that anecdotally he had heard that at
times and when possible, lawyers would choose to file in
Anchorage to have a matter adjudicated on a faster
timeline. He considered the practice problematic. He
referenced a venue map for matters in Alaska and explained
that the Palmer Courthouse served the entire valley.
1:48:24 PM
Mr. Klein continued on slide 6 and reiterated the need for
more superior court judges in the Mat-Su Valley. He
believed that the Department of Law had requested an
additional attorney in the valley due to increasing
workloads. He referenced the courtroom expansion request
and explained that if the courthouse was expanded, the
courts would be back to request operating funds for an
additional judge position as well as supporting positions
associated with a judge. He used the examples of a judicial
assistant and a law clerk.
Mr. Klein discussed the history of the project. He thought
the Palmer judges had been the busiest for at least five
years running. In FY 23 the legislature had appropriated
funds that were used for the preliminary design of an
approximately $35 million project. The design had provided
for a three-courtroom expansion, a shell on top of the
courtrooms, as well as additional clerk and security space.
The courts had come to the legislature in FY 25 for the
funding that had not been included in the original capital
budget the previous year. At the request of the
legislature, the courts provided a phasing plan. Phase 1 of
the project was $7.2 million, and the legislature had
appropriated the funds. The $7.2 million was for the full
design of the project, site work, utility work, and other
items such as capital overlay.
Mr. Klein continued that the courts had encumbered over $3
million of the initial funds, primarily for a full design.
The site was being prepped for utility expansion in the
current year. He explained that the courts were currently
asking for $22.2 million for phase 2 of the project. Phase
2 included the three courtrooms through a building
expansion, "shelf space" on top for future expansion needs,
as well as the space for additional employees.
Representative Hannan asked about the phase 1 appropriation
of $7.2 million and whether it would cover the site work
planned for the upcoming summer.
Mr. Klein indicated that the funding would cover the
summer's site work, but if there were no additional
appropriations for FY 26, it would necessitate further
planning decisions.
Representative Hannan asked if there was any staging in the
design that would keep the project moving forward despite
not having the entire $22 million in one appropriation.
1:53:00 PM
Mr. Klein responded that if the court system was unable to
receive the full amount for phase 2, it would have to have
conversations about whether the goal would be a smaller
project or to further push out the project. He noted that
pushing out the project was not desirable because another
year would pass without an additional judge. He added that
there had been other building projects in which the phases
did not work well together. He used the example of flooding
repairs that were underway with differing repair needs in
different phases.
Co-Chair Foster discussed phasing projects in order to keep
the projects moving along. He mentioned mobilization of
contractors and losing the momentum of a project due to
phasing. He recognized the difficulties referenced by Mr.
Klein.
Mr. Klein agreed with Co-Chair Foster and thought that if a
smaller appropriation was available for the Palmer
Courthouse, there could be conversation about a smaller
scale project. He relayed that getting an additional
superior court judge was the highest priority. He continued
on to slide 7 and explained that the slide gave a
representative view of the courthouse. Everything on the
left-hand side was the Palmer Courthouse, which was
connected to a state office building.
Mr. Klein continued to slide 8 and phase 2 of the project,
which was shown in blue on the right-hand side of the
slide. He described the layout of the project, with
hallways expanding to a large lobby and a shell for
potential future expansion. He referenced the last time the
court system built a building in Fairbanks, a project which
had utilized a similar shell and had created savings when
the space was needed later.
1:58:45 PM
Representative Hannan asked if the expansion design would
result in a courtyard being created and an open space
between the corridors in the expansion.
Mr. Klein responded that the courtyard existed, and the
expansion would close off the courtyard. He described that
there was currently a "hallway to nowhere," which the
project would block off.
Representative Hannan asked if the planned additional space
was different than the courtyard and was over the courtroom
expansion.
Mr. Klein responded in the affirmative. He relayed that he
would need further discussion with the facilities design
person to determine if the second story was the entire area
or just the area above the courtrooms. He noted that the
design shown on the slide was from the preliminary design
rather than from the updated design. H
Representative Johnson reminded that the Palmer Courthouse
had been around for quite some time, and that the state
contracted to use some space in the building.
Mr. Klein responded that there was a Department of
Corrections facility across the street and thought there
was a subsurface connector tunnel among the facilities. He
noted that considering the size of the project, the
department had looked at all the nearby facilities to be as
creative as possible. He was not certain about the
ownership of the facility across the street.
2:01:19 PM
Representative Johnson relayed that she had recently found
that there was not enough space to hold women at the Mat-Su
pre-trial facility. She thought the area was a justice
complex. She did not know when the original building was
constructed but thought the needs had increased. She noted
that she would be looking into the matter further.
Mr. Klein continued to slide 9 and the court system's
second capital budget request priority of court security
projects. He noted that there was currently $1 million in
proposed funding for court security projects in HB 54. The
supreme court had requested $2.15 million for court
security projects. He relayed that court security had
become important due to facilities nationwide seeing an
increase in levels of violence towards members of court
staff and the public. The department had been working for a
number of years to update court security statewide, and the
state had over 40 facilities that were very different. To
the extent possible, the goal was to have an integrated
alarm system and CCTV system where everything went to the
court system security manager. Many of the projects in the
past and future were all tied to the need for upgraded
security in court buildings.
Mr. Klein continued that $1.5 million of the request was
for finishing an access control project in Anchorage, with
the goal to move from physical hard key access to uniform
key card access. The project was phased and was underway.
The other court security projects requested in the current
year were physical projects such as hardening the judge's
bench in Seward and a clerk's counter to make them
ballistic safe. In the Diamond Courthouse in Juneau, the
employee elevator was used for prisoner transport and there
was no current system to let users know there was a
prisoner in the elevator. He described potential security
issues because of proximity to the staff and prisoners, and
a notification system that would include a light on every
floor to indicate when the elevator was in use for prisoner
transport.
2:05:46 PM
Mr. Klein continued to slide 10 and discussed the court's
deferred maintenance list. The department had contracted
for numerous years with a contractor to help determine the
list. He reminded that the courts had around 40 facilities
statewide, and the total expected costs for the 31 highest
priority projects was $15 million. He noted that generally
the department had been coming to the legislature
requesting $2.5 million to $3.5 million per year to help
keep in line with the deferred maintenance needs of the
court system.
Representative Johnson asked about the locations of the
different courthouses.
Mr. Klein discussed the facilities in the list of five
projects for the FY 26 request. He mentioned Snowden, an
administrative building that was the pre-statehood old
Anchorage Times building. He noted the building had
physical needs. Boney Courthouse was one of the two
courthouses in Anchorage. The primary deferred maintenance
project would be for the crumbling façade of the Snowden
building. He mentioned water intrusion in multiple windows
and the need for a full envelope replacement of the
building. The building housed the court's administrative
offices, accounting, and other functions. He continued to
slide 11 which included a photo of the Snowden facility
façade.
Mr. Klein moved to slide 12 and the Sitka and Bethel
Courthouses, areas where the court had identified a future
need. The facility in Sitka had maintenance issues outside
the court system's control because it did not operate the
building. He mentioned a $2 million appropriation for
purchase of the Stratton Library from the previous year,
which had been vetoed. He was not sure if the library was
still an option for the court system. The lease in Bethel
was set to expire in a couple of years, and there were
issues in the facility. He mentioned the expense of the
lease, and discussion of building a justice center with
stakeholders such as the Bethel Native Association.
Representative Hannan commented that the need of the Palmer
Courthouse was real, and that justice delayed was justice
denied. She mentioned long wait times and higher caseloads.
She mentioned her question about phasing the project and
pondered that squeezing $22 million out of the other body
seemed difficult. She did not consider that the project
proposed to "overbuild," but rather that it would meet the
need. She hoped forward momentum could continue because
prices were likely not going to decrease.
2:11:27 PM
AT EASE
2:12:40 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Foster took over chairing the meeting. He
discussed the order of events.
HOUSE BILL NO. 105
"An Act relating to mental health education."
2:13:44 PM
Representative Galvin introduced herself as the sponsor of
the bill. She gave credit to Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson. She
noted that the bill was not new and had been introduced
before but not passed [SB 24 passed the Senate but not the
House in 2024.] She referenced the mental health budget
being recently taken up on the House floor, and thought the
committee was familiar with many of the state's needs as
well as the desire to do something different. The bill
represented an effort to address mental health challenges
facing youth. She read the sponsor statement (copy on
file):
HB 105 represents a significant effort to address the
mental health challenges facing our youth. This
legislation recognizes that mental health education is
a vital component of a comprehensive K-12 curriculum
and aims to ensure it is treated with the same level
of importance as physical health education.
To achieve this, the bill directs the Board of
Education & Early Development to work alongside the
Department of Health, the Department of Family and
Community Services, regional tribal health
organizations, and both national and state mental
health experts. This collaborative effort will ensure
that mental health instruction is developed with input
from a broad range of professionals, leading to a
well-rounded and effective curriculum.
Acknowledging the essential role of parents in their
children's education, HB 105 includes a provision
requiring schools to notify parents or guardians at
least two weeks before introducing any mental health
instruction. This measure promotes transparency,
strengthens trust between schools and families, and
encourages parental involvement in their child's
learning experience.
By revising existing health education laws, this bill
guarantees that mental health receives the same
priority as physical health in Alaska's K-12 education
system. The Board of Education will be responsible for
creating clear, age-appropriate guidelines to
integrate mental health instruction effectively into
classrooms. To maintain oversight and accountability,
HB 105 requires the Board of Education to submit a
report to the Legislature within two years of the
law's enactment. This report will outline the
established mental health education guidelines and
detail the process used in their development, ensuring
lawmakers stay informed on its progress and
implementation.
The bill also allows for a two-year transition period,
providing sufficient time for careful planning,
stakeholder input, and curriculum preparation before
mental health instruction is fully implemented in
schools.
HB 105 is a proactive measure designed to equip
Alaska's students with the knowledge and resources
they need to understand and manage their mental well-
being. By fostering collaboration among education and
health professionals, this legislation lays the
foundation for a healthier, more resilient generation.
I encourage my colleagues to support this critical
initiative.
Representative Galvin stressed the importance of families
learning at the same time as children, as well as being
aware of the curriculum content.
2:17:50 PM
DAVID JIANG, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE ALYSE GALVIN, asked if
he should do the presentation or sectional analysis first.
Co-Chair Foster asked Mr. Jiang to address the
presentation.
Mr. Jiang introduced the PowerPoint presentation "HB 105:
Mental Health Education," dated April 15, 2025 (copy on
file). He continued to slide 2 and explained that HB 105
spearheaded the creation of statewide guidelines and best
practices for Alaska school districts to implement mental
health education, while taking into account the districts'
unique needs. He continued to slide 3 and relayed that
Alaska faced a growing mental health and suicide crisis. He
discussed statistics published by the Alaska Mental Health
Trust Authority (AMHTA) which reported that Alaska's
suicide rate had been nearly twice the national average for
years. Among young adults aged 15 to 24, as shown on the
graph, the suicide rate was three to four times the
national average. He cited that death by suicide was the
leading cause of death for Alaska's youth, surpassing
accidents and homelessness.
Mr. Jiang referenced the 2023 Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Survey, in which 39.7 percent of
high school students reported persistent feelings of
sadness or hopelessness nationwide, while 28.5 percent
reported poor mental health. He cited that nearly 1 in 10
high schoolers attempted suicide in 2023 and continued that
AMHTA cited depression as the most common contributing
factor. Other mental health challenges increased the risk
and often went undiagnosed and untreated. He asserted that
statewide education was a key prevention strategy. He
discussed the economic impacts and relayed that death by
suicide cost the country nearly $70 billion annually in
lifetime medical expenses and lost productivity. He
stressed that addressing the crisis was a moral and
economic necessity, and that early awareness and
intervention were critical and would save lives.
2:20:53 PM
Mr. Jiang continued to slide 4 and noted that more states
across the country were recognizing that mental health was
equally as important as physical health. The slide showed a
map that highlighted states that had implemented or
encouraged mental health education in schools, with
different colors showing different levels of commitment in
terms of funding, materials, and encouragement. He pointed
out the diversity of states on the map. He thought the map
was a testament to the fact that poor youth mental health
was a nationwide problem that underscored the importance of
improving awareness.
Mr. Jiang continued to slide 5 and referenced Oklahoma's HB
1568, also called Maria's Law. The bill passed in 2021 with
overwhelming support in both bodies, and mandated that the
state Board of Education require that all schools to
include mental health instruction into health education
curriculum. The board would also provide a list of age-
appropriate resources for K-12 students in collaboration
with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Services. He distinguished that while HB 1568 made mental
health education a requirement, HB 105 proposed to provide
encouragement and guidance, and was not a mandate. He
relayed that he had a short video to show from one of the
sponsors of the Oklahoma bill.
2:23:37 PM
AT EASE
2:23:46 PM
RECONVENED
Mr. Jiang played the video from Oklahoma State Senator John
Haste discussing the rationale behind HB 1568. The Senator
explained that the law was about drawing additional
attention to mental health within schools and the need for
training. He mentioned mental health issues kids were
facing in school and mentioned "ACES scores. He discussed
a story of a girl who was assaulted by her father but did
not want to say anything because it was a small town. He
discussed the work of removing the stigma of mental health,
and the need for counseling work to help kids and adults
work through the traumas associated with mental health.
Representative Galvin explained that ACES represented
Adverse Childhood Experiences, and described a scale used
by individuals in mental health and education that
represented how many ACES an individual had.
Mr. Jiang continued on to slide 6 and discussed aspects of
HB 105. The bill directed the Board of Education and Early
Development (DEED) to develop guidelines for mental health
instruction in mental health in consultation with the
Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Family and
Community Services (DFCS), as well as various
organizations. The non-binding guidelines allowed school
districts to implement mental health programs tailored to
each district's needs. He noted that the bill fully
recognized parental authority and viewed parents as
partners in the process.
Mr. Jiang continued that school districts would ensure
transparency by giving parents at least two weeks' notice
before a child would participate in a mental health class
or program and would give parents an opportunity to review
content. A parent could withdraw a child from any activity
found to be objectionable. He summarized that the goal was
to integrate mental health with other health topics already
in statute. He posited that well-informed youth developed
healthier habits and behaviors with lasting benefits. To
ensure oversight, the legislature would receive a report of
the new mental health guidelines and how the guidelines
were developed.
2:27:42 PM
Mr. Jiang continued to slide 7 and explained that HB 105
was built with several key principles in mind. The bill
sought to establish that mental health was equal in
importance to physical health. The bill viewed parents,
schools, and students as equal partners; and valued the
input in shaping programs. An important goal of the bill
was to reduce the shame in talking about mental health and
encourage those affected to seek help and resources. There
was a built-in accountability and review process.
Co-Chair Foster asked if Mr. Jiang could briefly walk
through the sectional analysis.
Mr. Jiang reviewed the sectional analysis (copy on file):
Section 1 - Adds a new section to 14.03.016(a)
Legislative Intent: It is the intent of the
legislature that the Board of Education and Early
Development develop guidelines for instruction in
mental health in consultation with the Department of
Health, the Department of Family and Community
Services, regional tribal health organizations, and
representatives of national and state mental health
organizations.
Section 2 - Adds a new subsection to 14.03.016(a) - A
parent's right to direct the education of the parent's
child. (7) Provides for notification of parents or
guardians no less than two weeks before a class or
program may provide mental health instruction to a
child.
Section 3 - Amends AS 14.30.360(a) - Health education
curriculum; physical activity guidelines. Amended to
add mental health to the K-12 health education
curriculum, placing mental and physical health on
equal footing.
Section 4 - Amends AS 14.30.360(b) - Health education
curriculum; physical activity guidelines. Amended to
include board establishment of guidelines for
developmentally appropriate instruction in mental
health. In developing these developmentally
appropriate guidelines, the State Board shall consult
with the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of
Family and Community Services (DFCS), regional tribal
health organizations, and national and state mental
health organizations.
Section 5 - Adds a new section to AS 14.30.360(b),
Report to the Legislature: Two years after the
effective date of this Act, the State Board of
Education and Early Development shall submit a report
to the Senate and House and notify the legislature
that the report is available. The report must: (1)
include a copy of the guidelines for developmentally
appropriate instruction in mental health developed by
the Board as required under AS 14.30.360(b), as
amended by Section 4 of this Act; and (2) describe the
process the Board used to develop the guidelines.
Section 6 - Adds a new section to AS 14.30.360(b),
Transition: The State Board of Education and Early
Development shall develop the mental health guidelines
required by AS 14.30.360(b), as amended by Section 4
of this Act, within two years after the effective date
of this Act.
Co-Chair Foster relayed that the committee would hear
invited testimony.
2:31:43 PM
JAMES BIELA, AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION,
ALASKA CHAPTER, BETHEL (via teleconference), spoke in
support of HB 105. He relayed that his organization
championed policies that supported the wellbeing of Alaskan
children and families, which included giving tools to
schools to incorporate mental wellness into health
curriculum. He discussed his experience as an itinerant
school social worker for remote villages, and the emotional
struggles that deeply impacted more than just emotional
wellbeing of students. He mentioned the effect on student
academic performance, relationships, and the ability to
engage and thrive in school.
Mr. Biela stressed the need for mental health education for
young people to be able to identify their experiences. He
mentioned mental health stigma. He discussed the bill,
which he thought provided students with the tools to
recognize distress. He referenced research that such
programs could improve academic outcomes. He cited that in
2023, 21 percent of Alaskan high school students had
planned a suicide attempt in the previous year. He stressed
the importance of supporting students for the well-being of
future generations.
2:35:34 PM
RUTH BILLY, SELF, PANUAK (via teleconference), spoke in
support of the bill. She emphasized the importance of the
bill. She thought mental health impacted everyone. She
discussed watching her fellow students struggle and not
having the words to explain what was going on. She
emphasized that mental health was as important as physical
health, and that mental health education could save lives.
2:37:09 PM
ANN RINGSTAD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON
MENTAL ILLNESS ALASKA, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference),
spoke in favor of the bill. She explained that National
Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Alaska was one of 48
statewide organizations under the umbrella of NAMI, and its
mission was to end the stigma of mental illness. She
considered that the legislation had been vetted over the
previous 5 years by past legislatures. She cited that one
in six youth had a mental health condition like anxiety or
depression, yet only half received services. Many mental
health conditions occurred in youth and young adults, with
50 percent of all conditions beginning by age 14 and 75
percent by age 24.
Ms. Ringstad cited that in Alaska 62.9 percent of people
aged 12 to 17 with depression had not received care the
previous year, and suicide was the leading cause of death
between the ages of 10 and 34. She argued that untreated
mental illness could lead to high rates of school dropout,
unemployment, arrest, incarceration, and early death. She
discussed the advantages of early treatment, including
lower cost and better outcomes. She thought educators and
staff were often the first to recognize issues and
emphasized the important role of schools. She emphasized
that the majority of conditions had onset during youth and
young adulthood. She stressed the importance of identifying
mental challenges at a young age.
2:40:52 PM
KELLY MANNING, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF INNOVATION AND
EDUCATION EXCELLENCE, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY
DEVELOPMENT, JUNEAU (via teleconference), reviewed the
fiscal note from DEED with OMB component 2796 with control
code xDsKJ.
Co-Chair Foster asked Ms. Manning if she was addressing the
fiscal note with the publish date of March 26.
Ms. Manning answered "yes." She relayed that the fiscal
note related to components for convening a working group to
identify health education guidelines. There were three key
sections to the fiscal note, which included $120,000 for 30
committee members to travel two times. There was a cost of
$2,000 per participant. The funding would allow for a group
to convene and start the work. The group would meet
remotely then convene in person to finalize the work. In
addition, there was funding for one-time services for a
facilitator to oversee the implementation, and professional
development for educators. There was $6,000 for legal fees
to implement the regulation changes.
Ms. Manning continued that there would be a $2,000 stipend
provided to committee members with a $60,000 component. The
group would include individuals from DOH, DFCS, and
national and state health organizations. The facilitator
would support the work of the committee as well as work
with the department on development of the required report.
2:43:39 PM
DR. KRISTY BECKER, CHIEF OF CLINICAL SERVICES, ALASKA
PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference),
reviewed a zero fiscal note with OMB component 3311 from
the Department of Family and Community Services with
control code tVZUC. She understood that there was no
financial burden attached to the fiscal notes and any
assistance the Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) could
give in creating the curricula under HB 105 could be done
in the course of its regular duties with its subject matter
experts being made available to assist with the
development.
2:45:11 PM
ANDREA MUECA, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, reviewed a fiscal note from
Department of Health with OMB component 3098 and with
control code gpzUR. She referenced the bill. The fiscal
note reflected the Division of Behavioral Health's
anticipation that the bill would be "low impact." While
there would be a slight increase in workload due to
consultation and assistance in development of the mental
health curriculum guidelines, the work was anticipated to
be limited to specific requests from the board, and the
result was a zero fiscal note.
Representative Hannan asked about Section 4, page 3 of the
bill, which added new language. Existing statute that
started on line 10 iterated that that "a school health
education specialist position will be established and
funded at the department to coordinate the program
statewide." She asked if the sentence referenced the
existing personal safety guidelines related to Erin's Law
[a bill signed into law in 2015 that required school
districts to provide age-appropriate child sexual assault,
teen dating, and youth suicide prevention curricula to all
students.] She asked if the school health education
position was within DEED or in DFCS. She assumed that
everywhere the world "health" was used, words had been
inserted to add "and mental," because previously the
language related to physical health. She asked if line 10
would be changed to make the school health education
specialist for both physical and mental health, and whether
it was an already existing position.
Representative Galvin deferred the question to the
department.
Ms. Manning responded that the bill would expand the
responsibility of the existing position that was housed in
the department to include mental health.
Representative Hannan asked if Ms. Manning's interpretation
was that the position would be the responsible party for
overseeing the guidelines proposed in the bill and
overseeing the districts' implementation, even if the words
"mental and physical" were not inserted.
Ms. Manning responded in the affirmative.
2:49:19 PM
Representative Bynum asked if educational materials on
mental health were already being done by DEED and the bill
would just codify it into law. He asked if mental health
education was happening at the individual school or
district level by choice, or if it was not happening at
all.
Representative Galvin responded that it varied. She pointed
out that some school districts had more capacity and more
expertise, and some had none. She knew that the Anchorage
School District was doing many different things, while
other school districts had no tools to start with. She
relayed that the intent of the bill was to provide a
flexible tool that school boards could work with and choose
to implement in some or all schools. She emphasized that
the bill strove to provide a tool that was not top-heavy
and was helpful for those to use with the ability to make
it appropriate for each district.
Representative Bynum asked about the impact on smaller
school districts. He noted that the bill language provided
that the curriculum "shall be encouraged to initiate"
rather than being mandatory. He understood that the bill
would encourage (through DEED) that mental health education
was an important aspect of what schools were trying to do.
Representative Galvin conveyed that the idea was to elevate
the conversation, with the appreciation that the state
understood that there's an issue to be addressed. Further,
to bring together subject matter experts to come up with
age appropriate and culturally appropriate curriculum to be
implemented as the districts chose.
Representative Bynum asked about AS 14.33.62 relating to
suicide awareness and prevention training. He asked about
the relationship between the [existing and proposed]
statutes.
2:52:56 PM
Representative Galvin relayed that the bill proposed a more
comprehensive educational piece that was intended for K-12
education. The curriculum would include information on
items including depression and anxiety. She acknowledged
the challenge of suicide in the state. She thought it was
important to think of mental health more holistically. She
referenced that subject matter experts had indicated that
the curriculum needed to be considered in terms of "whole
child wellness," which included both physical and mental
health, and which the bill intended to do. She did not
think the proposed changes conflicted with the other
statutes.
Representative Bynum did not think there was a conflict
between the statutes he referenced. The suicide education
requirement was to educate teachers, while the mental
health curriculum was suggested. He had just wanted to know
whether there was a link between the two, or how the two
things would work together.
2:55:09 PM
Representative Galvin relayed that she had not done the
research herself, but based on what Representative Bynum
had stated, it sounded like the bill would complement
existing statute nicely. She stressed the importance for
young children to understand what it felt to be anxious and
to be comfortable talking about mental health topics long
before the point of suicidal ideation. It made sense to her
that the same individuals that worked on the suicide
education information would likely be in the group of 30
individuals that would work on the mental health education
curriculum.
Representative Bynum referenced the two-week notification
portion of the bill, and considered that other educational
statutes that did not have such a provision. He asked for
information on the thought process behind requiring the
notification to parents.
Representative Galvin responded that the topic had been
previously raised by other members that were concerned that
there was not enough time for parents to be notified. She
thought there had been an amendment that Senator Gray-
Jackson was comfortable with. She furthered that Senator
Gray-Jackson had found that sometimes there was content in
the classroom that could be triggering. She reminded that
the point was to grow more resilience in children and more
parental discussion. She noted that the bill erred on the
side of caution and greater communicativeness with
families.
2:58:47 PM
Representative Bynum referenced a section of code in
Section 3 that mentioned "sexual matters" and the two-week
notification. He knew that in his school districts in
Ketchikan, Wrangell, north Prince of Wales, and Metlakatla;
tribal consultation was important and should be happening.
He wondered if the bill language that included regional
tribal health organizations was intended to fill the
consultation component. He wondered if the committee had
looked at other factors under the section to consider
consultation for other items in the education statutes.
Representative Galvin replied that the point of the bill
looked at making sure the experts and tribal health
entities were at the table. She noted that the state had
232 tribes. She pondered that school boards should be
consulting with tribes in contemplating the content. She
noted that the bill was not trying to solve every issue
with the tribal and educational system, but personally she
thought that schools would be far more successful if
communities were engaged to prop up students. She thought
attendance would rise and activities would be more engaged
with for parents. She mentioned the business communities
and faith-based communities. She reiterated the importance
of removing the stigma and talking about mental health as
something that was key in a child's development.
3:02:13 PM
Co-Chair Schrage asked about the mandate that two weeks'
notice be given by school districts before providing mental
health training. He asked if schools or individual teachers
were already providing mental health education, and if the
bill would require the districts or teachers to have a new
notification requirement any time they would teach the
content.
Representative Galvin knew there was work being done in
some districts already but did not know the answer to Co-
Chair Schrage's question. She thought there was required
notification for sex education. She reiterated that the
mental health content could be triggering. She assumed that
any content related to mental health education meant that
school districts were serving the two-week notice already
but thought it might be a question for Legislative Legal
Services.
Co-Chair Schrage thought he could follow up on the topic
offline. He understood why some parents might be comforted
by the two-week notification requirement but cautioned
about unintended consequences.
Representative Galvin agreed to follow up on the topic
offline, and to work with legal services and school
districts.
3:04:42 PM
Representative Hannan relayed that she had taught
psychology at the high school level for 18 years. She noted
that she was not required to give parental notification of
curriculum content, but she had always required two
parental signatures acknowledging the syllabus and
providing explicit parental consent for certain content
related to disorders and including suicidal ideation and
addiction. She thought that because of the existing
notification requirements related to human reproduction and
sexual matters, most districts were used to having explicit
content permission notifications.
Representative Hannan noted that staff had suicide
awareness education and in Lower Kuskokwim School District
(LKSD) and many other districts there was training for
students. She mentioned peer helpers or student councils or
student courts receiving training. Her only concern over
the bill was that it would not be enough, and the
legislature was not giving all the resources to the school
districts to implement a full mental health curriculum
along with the support services that should go with it. She
supported building a model curriculum, as some districts
did not have the resources to do so. She mentioned that
kids in the state had a significant number of mental health
issues and a lack of access to services. She noted that by
default schools became the place where some services were
available, and the state should use its fullest ability to
help young Alaskans.
3:08:36 PM
Representative Tomaszewski considered the implementation
and cost of the bill. He referenced the fiscal note that
indicated there would be 30 committee members with travel,
$30,000 to hire a facilitator, $6,000 for legal fees and
$60,000 for member stipends. He thought the sponsor
statement had mentioned DEED, DOH, DFCS, regional tribal
health organizations, and national and state mental health
experts. He asked if the folks in the groups were
volunteers.
Representative Galvin responded that the committee was the
work and mission of the members, and the departments did
the work as part of its mission. She continued that youth
mental health was part of a shared mission and was seen as
a primary focal point that would be part of the
department's work. The departments would take in the costs
that would be associated with the work. If consultants were
brought in, the individuals would be paid. Many of those
coming in would participate as part of their ongoing scope
of work.
Mr. Jiang added that there were 30 members because a
standard DEED committee had 20 members, but the extra 10
members encompassed regional and tribal health
organizations.
Representative Tomaszewski observed the travel and stipends
for committee members on the fiscal note. He asked if
anxiety on its own was considered a mental illness.
Representative Galvin was not an expert in mental health
and hesitated to share her belief. She thought what
mattered was that experts indicated it was important to
understand the language of what people were feeling. She
was not comfortable discussing diagnoses and reiterated
that she was not a mental health expert.
3:14:05 PM
Representative Bynum relayed that he was "a math and
science kind of guy," and could understand that teachers
needed to get certified to teach different coursework. He
asked about the expectations for teachers to be able to
teach mental health items. He knew there were typically
individuals with training in schools such as counselors. He
asked if teachers would be teaching the curriculum in the
bill.
Representative Galvin understood that the idea of the bill
was to put together the curriculum, and the districts would
decide who would be appropriate to teach what. She thought
in general in most elementary schools, topics like good
touch/bad touch were taught by the teacher and sometimes
there were counselors involved. She thought it was
important to recognize the differences between districts,
including in resources.
3:16:38 PM
AT EASE
3:16:46 PM
RECONVENED
Co-Chair Foster set an amendment deadline for April 24, at
5pm for HB 101.
Co-Chair Foster reviewed the agenda for the following
morning's meeting.
HB 105 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
ADJOURNMENT
3:18:55 PM
The meeting was adjourned at 3:18 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 105 MHTA Letter of Support.pdf |
HFIN 4/23/2025 1:30:00 PM |
HB 105 |
| FY26 JUD Court System Capital Overview 4 23 2025.pdf |
HFIN 4/23/2025 1:30:00 PM |