Legislature(2015 - 2016)GRUENBERG 120
03/22/2016 03:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS
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| HJR30 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
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| += | HJR 30 | TELECONFERENCED | |
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
March 22, 2016
3:04 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Bob Herron, Chair
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, Vice Chair
Representative Jim Colver
Representative Shelley Hughes
Representative Bob Lynn
Representative Ivy Spohnholz
Representative Chris Tuck
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 30
Urging the American Psychiatric Association to change the term
"post-traumatic stress disorder" or "PTSD" to "post-traumatic
stress injury" or "PTSI"; and urging the governor to support
usage of the term "post-traumatic stress injury."
- MOVED CSHJR 30(MLV) OUT OF COMMITTEE
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HJR 30
SHORT TITLE: POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS INJURY
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) HERRON
02/19/16 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/19/16 (H) MLV, STA
03/15/16 (H) MLV AT 1:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
03/15/16 (H) Heard & Held
03/15/16 (H) MINUTE(MLV)
03/22/16 (H) MLV AT 3:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
WITNESS REGISTER
ROB EARL, Staff
Representative Bob Herron
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented committee substitute (CS) for HJR
30, on behalf of Representative Herron, prime sponsor.
KENT HALL, Vice President
Honor for ALL
Williamston, Michigan
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HJR 30.
THOMAS MAHANEY, President/Executive Director
Honor for ALL
Williamston, Michigan
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HJR 30.
ROBERT DOEHL, Deputy Commissioner
Office of the Commissioner/Adjutant General
Department of Military & Veterans' Affairs (DMVA)
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER)
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions on HJR 30.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:04:37 PM
CHAIR BOB HERRON called the House Special Committee on Military
and Veterans' Affairs meeting to order at 3:04 p.m.
Representatives Hughes, Lynn, Colver, LeDoux, Spohnholz, Tuck,
and Herron were present at the call to order.
HJR 30-POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS INJURY
3:05:05 PM
CHAIR HERRON announced that the only order of business would be
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 30, Urging the American Psychiatric
Association to change the term "post-traumatic stress disorder"
or "PTSD" to "post-traumatic stress injury" or "PTSI"; and
urging the governor to support usage of the term "post-traumatic
stress injury."
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX moved to adopt the proposed committee
substitute (CS) for HJR 30, Version 29-LS1483\E, Shutts,
3/15/16, as a work draft.
REPRESENTATIVE COLVER objected for the purpose of discussion.
3:06:13 PM
ROB EARL, Staff, Representative Bob Herron, Alaska State
Legislature, explained the changes to HJR 30 in the proposed
committee substitute (CS) by referring to the document labeled,
"Explanation of Changes from HJR 30 ver 'W' to HJR 30 ver 'E',"
included in the committee packet, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
P.1, lines 3-6
INSERTED: "respectfully requesting that the Alaska
delegation in Congress champion this change of
designation in the United States Congress; and
designating June 27, 2016, as Post-Traumatic Stress
Injury Awareness Day."
P. 2 lines 2-8
INSERTED:
"WHEREAS combat-related post-traumatic stress is
significantly pronounced, given that many men and
women in the armed forces are highly exposed, often
daily, to traumatic events, including life-and-death
situations, for weeks, months, and even years; and
WHEREAS service members and veterans often struggle
with combat-related posttraumatic stress for years
after leaving service; and
WHEREAS the extreme survival skills and defensive
behaviors acquired as a result of service are often
difficult to manage; and"
P.3, line 26 to P.4 line 6
INSERTED:
"FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature
respectfully requests that the Alaska delegation in
Congress champion this change of designation in the
United States Congress, and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature
designates June 27, 2016, as Post-Traumatic Stress
Injury Awareness Day to bring awareness to the people
suffering from post-traumatic stress injury and
encourages people to reach out to their fellow
citizens to provide support and eliminate the stigma
associated with this injury; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature
encourages the Department of Military and Veterans'
Affairs and the Department of Health and Social
Services to continue educating service members and
veterans, victims of abuse, crime, and natural
disaster, their respective families, and the public
about the causes, symptoms, and possible treatment of
post-traumatic stress injury."
3:07:55 PM
MR. EARL presented Conceptual Amendment 1, on behalf of
Representative Herron, stating that on page 2, line 3, of HJR
30, it would insert the word "many" before "men and women".
[Conceptual Amendment 1 was treated as moved.]
CHAIR HERRON asked if there was any objection. He announced
that there being no objection, Conceptual Amendment 1 was
adopted.
3:08:51 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES [moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 2],
which would add the president of the Alaska Psychiatric
Association to the list of people, on page 4, to which copies of
the resolution would be sent. There being no objection,
Conceptual Amendment 2 was adopted.
MR. EARL offered that the American Psychiatric Association (APA)
was listed because only that organization could change the
designation [of PTSD]. He said the president of APA could be
added as well.
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES offered that the name of the current
president of APA is Joshua Sonkiss, M.D.
3:11:03 PM
KENT HALL, Vice President, Honor for ALL, said that he gave
testimony on HJR 30 at the previous hearing and is available for
questions. He alluded to the previous House State Affairs
Standing Committee meeting in which Chair Herron related hearing
negative comments from a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars
(VFW) [regarding PTSD terminology change]. He conceded that he
has experienced that viewpoint but maintained that it is rare.
He reiterated the need for further education and awareness.
3:12:51 PM
THOMAS MAHANEY, President/Executive Director, Honor for ALL,
stated that he was the founder of Honor for ALL. He opined that
the results of the hearing in Alaska's House Special Committee
on Military and Veterans' Affairs "can have far-reaching effects
on the lives and families of past and present members of our
Armed Services, and in the end the fight against stigma is a war
against words, and the more voices we can muster the larger our
arsenal." He went on to say that "the establishment of PTSI
awareness day is the first step in creating a springboard from
which to launch community events in recognition and
understanding of invisible wounds."
3:15:00 PM
CHAIR HERRON closed public testimony on HJR 30.
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN referred to Mr. Mahaney's suggestion that
the negative testimony suggests a need for more education.
Representative Lynn opined that a different opinion on an issue
doesn't necessarily mean more education is needed or that
someone with an opposing opinion is uneducated.
3:16:13 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ recommended revisions [in two WHEREAS
sections, beginning on page 2, lines 6 and 11, respectively].
She [moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 3], as follows:
Page 3, line 7, following "affected":
Insert "who"
Page 3, line 7, following "voluntarily":
Delete "to"
Page 3, line 12, following "serving":
Delete "to defend the right to freedom"
Insert "our country"
MR. EARL suggested that the word "nation" be substituted for the
word "country" in the proposed amendment.
3:19:47 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES expressed her desire to keep "the right to
freedom" in the language being addressed in Conceptual Amendment
3. She suggested that the language beginning on page 3, line
12, read: "and those who have received those wounds while
serving our nation, defending the right to freedom, deserve
respect and special honor".
3:21:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX suggested the following language instead:
"while serving our nation and defending the right to freedom
deserve respect and special honor".
3:21:53 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:22 p.m.
3:22:00 PM
CHAIR HERRON [moved Amendment 1 to Conceptual Amendment 3] so
that the WHEREAS section on page 3, line 11, would read as
follows:
WHEREAS all citizens who suffer from post-traumatic
stress injury deserve recognition, and those who have
received those wounds while serving our nation and
defending our freedom deserve respect and special
honor; and
[Amendment 1 to Conceptual Amendment 3 was treated as adopted.]
CHAIR HERRON announced there being no objection, Conceptual
Amendment 3, [as amended], was adopted.
3:25:14 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HUGHES referred to two articles in the committee
packet written by two prominent psychiatrists representing two
different views on the matter of using the terminology "PTSI" in
lieu of "PTSD." She further noted that the idea for using
"PTSI" came from a general who served in Iraq.
3:26:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN asserted that PTSI or PTSD definitely
exists, but he offered his view that the condition can be used
by veterans as an excuse for bad behavior as well.
3:27:29 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX referenced the article in the committee
packet titled, "PTSD is 'PTSD'," by Matthew Friedman, M.D.,
Ph.D., and noted Dr. Friedman's suggestion that the terminology
for the condition could be left as is, "PTSD," or changed in
favor of the Canadian term, "operational stress injury (OSI)."
She opined that another issue mentioned in Dr. Friedman's
article was of greater concern than terminology - the fact that
those with OSI in Canada are eligible for Canada's sacrifice
metal, equivalent to America's Purple Heart, whereas Americans
with war-related PTSD are not eligible for the honorable
recognition of a Purple Heart.
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK stated that the term "PTSD" was created in
1980, and before 1980 there was no term for the condition. He
pointed out that establishing the term "PTSD" lead to research,
insurance coverage, and treatment. He conceded that the term
discourages many people from seeking help and getting the
services they deserve. Representative Tuck said that when an
injury is earned in battle, the injured individual is eligible
for a Purple Heart; however, because PTSD is not looked upon as
an injury, it does not qualify for a Purple Heart.
3:30:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK pointed out that there are other conditions
defined by the APA that don't have the word "disorder" in the
name, and without that stigma, sufferers are more apt to seek
services. Representative Tuck stated that former Vice Chief of
Staff of the U.S. Army, General Peter Chiarelli, strongly
advocated for getting rid of the word "disorder" in PTSD because
he believed the term "disorder" perpetuates a bias and connotes
a preexisting problem that the individual had before he/she came
into the army, which makes a person seem weak. He reminded the
committee members that PTSD doesn't just affect the military but
anyone who has been traumatized, and he mentioned "adverse
childhood experience" as an example. He emphasized that those
in military service have greater exposure to trauma, and he went
on to make the point that with the many physical and mental
exams required for entering military service, it is apparent
that military service personnel have a clean bill of health
going into the service.
3:32:11 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX reiterated Dr. Friedman's contention that
PTSD should be called OSI. She asked if designating PTSD as an
injury would make the condition eligible for Purple Heart
recognition or, if not, what needed to be done to qualify PTSD
for Purple Heart recognition.
3:33:27 PM
ROBERT DOEHL, Deputy Commissioner, Office of the
Commissioner/Adjutant General, Department of Military &
Veterans' Affairs (DMVA), Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
(JBER), testified that regardless of the change in definition
[of post-traumatic stress], changing the criteria for Purple
Heart recognition requires regulatory or statutory changes
within the different service branches.
CHAIR HERRON brought up various issues related to the awarding
of a Purple Heart - friendly fire vs. enemy fire, concussion and
traumatic brain injury (TBI), invisible wounds - and reiterated
the importance of raising awareness. He related an incidence
during World War I in which Great Britain executed about 300
soldiers for cowardice but changed the designation of the
soldiers from cowards to heroes about 90 years later and
apologized to the families.
3:36:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX said that she understands Colonel Doehl's
testimony to say that unless the injury is visible, a Purple
Heart is not awarded to military service personnel, and even
changing "PTSD" to "PTSI" would not change that eligibility.
COLONEL DOEHL stated that she was correct, and that the change
requires a regulatory change made independently of the action
before the House State Affairs Standing Committee. He opined,
however, that increased awareness could contribute to
encouraging that change to be made in the future.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX reiterated that America's criteria for
awarding a sacrifice medal, the Purple Heart, is in contrast to
Canada's criteria for awarding a sacrifice medal.
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN reminded the committee that the criteria for
awarding a Purple Heart is under federal jurisdiction, and he
stated he was uncomfortable pursuing this at the state level.
3:39:13 PM
CHAIR HERRON claimed that a Purple Heart may be awarded to a
service member for PTSD received during combat if caused by
enemy fire but not if caused by friendly fire. He relayed that
men and women who served in the Vietnam War often experienced
constant noise and vibration causing concussive injury. He
further offered that invisible injuries have presented a
challenge for individuals and society, but the relabeling of
PTSD to a treatable injury has made a difference to those with
that diagnosis.
REPRESENTATIVE LYNN stated that he was not opposed to renaming
PTSD an injury but didn't want to pursue the issue of the
awarding of a Purple Heart.
CHAIR HERRON confirmed that the issue of a Purple Heart was not
in the proposed joint resolution.
3:42:13 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX asked for clarification regarding the
awarding of a Purple Heart for PTSD.
COLONEL DOEHL stated his understanding that a TBI from repeated
concussions or repeated exposures to improvised explosive
devices (IED) creates a physiological change and constitutes
eligibility for a Purple Heart. He said that he is not aware of
a Purple Heart being awarded solely for PTSD or not being
awarded because of the absence of enemy fire.
CHAIR HERRON said that he would provide the committee members
the official criteria for receiving a Purple Heart.
3:44:19 PM
[The previous objection made by Representative Colver to adopt
the proposed CS for HJR 30, Version 29-LS1483\E, Shutts,
3/15/16, was treated as withdrawn.]
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX moved to report CSHJR 30, Version 29-
LS1483\E, Shutts, 3/15/16, as amended, out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.
There being no objection, CSHJR 30(MLV) was reported from the
House Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs.
3:44:52 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting was
adjourned at 3:45 p.m.
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