SENATE BILL NO. 259 "An Act repealing certain provisions relating to applications for medical assistance coverage; making certain provisions of ch. 96, SLA 2006, retroactive; providing for an effective date by repealing an effective date section in ch. 96, SLA 2006; providing for an effective date for certain sections of ch. 96, SLA 2006; and providing for an effective date." PAM FINLEY, REVISOR OF STATUTES, LEGISLATIVE LEGAL COUNSEL, LEGISLATIVE LEGAL AND RESEARCH SERVICES introduced her assistant, Karen Kurtz, who would speak to the bill. KAREN KURTZ, ASSISTANT REVISOR, LEGAL SERVICES explained that at issue is a special effective date clause in the Medical Assistance bill, Chapter 96, 2006, that anticipated there would be one revised state plan submitted to the federal government for approval to cover the changes in the bill but that is not what happened. She explained it was discovered that some of the changes did not require federal approval; others were submitted and not approved by the federal government. Ms. Kurtz specified that the way the effective date clause was worded there was a great deal of uncertainty about the effective date of the effective clauses. She explained that this bill repeals the sections that did not receive federal approval, the effective date that did not work, and assigns fixed effective dates for the remaining provisions. Co-Chair Stedman remarked that the bill involves clean-up language brought before the legislature every year. He requested an explanation of the bills for the record. Ms. Finley remarked that both of the bills, SB 259 and SB 260 are provided by statute. She indicated the purpose of the bills was to make the statutes clean without changing or setting, in any way, the policy. The Alaska Constitution provides for reviser bills as exceptions to the single subject rule. This has been split into two bills because the Medicaid effective date is strange. These bills are introduced through legislative council each year. 10:30:05 AM Senator Dyson MOVED to REPORT SB 259 out of Committee with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes. There being NO OBJECTION it was so ordered. SB 259 was REPORTED out of Committee with a "do pass" recommendation and the accompanying previously published fiscal notes from the Department of Health and Social Services and the Legislative Affairs Agency. 10:30:43 AM AT EASE: 10:30:54 AM RECONVENED: 10:42:59 AM 10:43:04 AM