Legislature(2003 - 2004)
04/22/2004 04:57 PM House HES
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
STANDING COMMITTEE
April 22, 2004
4:57 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Peggy Wilson, Chair
Representative John Coghill
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Mary Kapsner
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Carl Gatto, Vice Chair
Representative Kelly Wolf
Representative Sharon Cissna
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 502
"An Act relating to dispensing opticians and dispensing optician
apprentices."
- HEARD AND HELD
SENATE BILL NO. 274
"An Act relating to the housing assistance loan fund in the
Alaska Housing Finance Corporation; creating the housing
assistance loan program; repealing loans for teacher housing and
providing for loans for multi-family housing; making conforming
amendments; and providing for an effective date."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 186
"An Act establishing the Radiologic Technology Board of
Examiners; requiring licensure of occupations relating to
radiologic technology, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine
technology; and providing for an effective date."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 239
"An Act directing the Department of Public Safety to establish
an Internet-based identification and tracking system relating to
controlled substances that are prescribed for human use; and
relating to the manner in which prescriptions for controlled
substances may be filled by a pharmacist."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 72
"An Act relating to the qualifications and appointment of
members of the Board of Regents of the University of Alaska; and
providing for an effective date."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 535
"An Act relating to liability for expenses of placement in
certain mental health facilities; relating to the mental health
treatment assistance program; and providing for an effective
date."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 502
SHORT TITLE: DISPENSING OPTICIANS: BOARD & REGULATION
SPONSOR(S): REPRESENTATIVE(S) HOLM
02/16/04 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/16/04 (H) L&C, HES
03/31/04 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM CAPITOL 17
03/31/04 (H) Heard & Held
03/31/04 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
04/02/04 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM CAPITOL 17
04/02/04 (H) Moved Out of Committee
04/02/04 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
04/05/04 (H) L&C RPT 2DP 4NR
04/05/04 (H) DP: GATTO, GUTTENBERG; NR: CRAWFORD,
04/05/04 (H) LYNN, DAHLSTROM, ANDERSON
04/06/04 (H) HES AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106
04/06/04 (H) Scheduled But Not Heard
04/22/04 (H) HES AT 2:00 PM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE JIM HOLM
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As sponsor of HB 502, introduced Ms.
Christi BRAND.
CHRISTI BRAND, President
Opticians Association of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 502.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 04-36, SIDE A
Number 0001
CHAIR PEGGY WILSON called the House Health, Education and Social
Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 4:57 p.m.
Representatives Wilson, Coghill, Seaton, and Kapsner were
present at the call to order.
HB 502-DISPENSING OPTICIANS: BOARD & REGULATION
Number 0026
CHAIR WILSON announced that the first order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 502, "An Act relating to dispensing opticians and
dispensing optician apprentices."
Number 0065
REPRESENTATIVE JIM HOLM, Alaska State Legislature, sponsor of HB
502, introduced Ms. Christi Brand. He thanked the members for
meeting to take Ms. Brand's testimony since she will only be in
town a few more hours. Ms. Brand is the President of the
Opticians Association of Alaska.
Number 0113
CHRISTI BRAND, President, Opticians Association of Alaska,
testified on HB 502. She read the following testimony into the
record [original punctuation provided]:
Madam Chairman, committee members my name is Christi
Brand I am a licensed optician with 18 years of
experience in the optical field. I am certified by
the American Board of Opticianry and the National
Contact Lens Examiners. I am the owner of Golden
North Optics in Fairbanks and I am president of the
Opticians Association of Alaska, thank you for taking
the time to hear my testimony today.
As Licensed Opticians we are part of the healthcare
industry, we are like a pharmacist to the eye Doctor.
We are licensed to interpret the Eye Doctors
prescription, we make recommendations on lenses,
materials and frames based on each patient's needs, we
take precise measurements that are critical to proper
sight and we make the glasses or fit the contacts that
help the patient see. We are trained in anatomy,
physiology, and ocular complications. We receive
continuing education every year and we are licensed
providers who can contract with insurance companies to
file a patients insurance.
From 1973 until 2001 the required hours for
apprenticeship training to become a licensed optician
was 6000 hours. In 2001 SB270 was passed late in
session under the 24-hour rule and the amount of hours
was reduced to 1800. 1800 hours is not enough
training to learn the complexity of our field, at 1800
hours we would be one of if not the lowest state in
the union in terms of training. HB502 rectifies this
problem by increasing the number of required hours,
not back to the 6000 hours, which had worked well for
nearly 30 years but to 4000 hours for spectacle
training with an additional 2000 hours for those who
wish to become licensed in contact lenses as well.
HB 502 would also adopt the United States Department
of Labor's apprenticeship program, which provides a
formal educational component to the training where the
apprentice and the mentor will have the Career
Progression Program from the National Academy of
Opticianry to follow step by step through the training
process.
The U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship program
has a school to work linkage program for high school
seniors, to help them bridge the gap from high school
to work, and upon completion of the apprenticeship
program a certificate of completion will be issued
which can be taken to the State of Alaska for
licensing. The University of Alaska will also give
credit for each portion of the license towards an
Associates Degree in Applied Optics. The
apprenticeship program also has federal grants
available to businesses for hiring the unemployed and
training them, and these grants will help offset the
cost of the apprentice's wages while offering the
disadvantaged a chance to learn a noble profession.
The changes that HB 502 accomplishes for the opticians
of Alaska are important in that it sets out a higher
standard of training and it adopts the U.S. Dept. of
Labor as the official apprenticeship program. We
believe that Alaska's consumers deserve the best when
it comes to their eye care and we think you will
agree. Please pass HB 502. Thank You!
Number 0350
CHAIR WILSON asked Ms. Brand if she would be available to be on-
line when HB 502 is heard again.
MS. BRAND responded that she would be available.
[While no announcement was made, HB 502 was held in committee.]
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee meeting
was adjourned at 5:02 p.m.
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