HB 456: "An Act relating to foster parents; relating to the right of foster parents to have notice of, and testify at, child-in-need-of-aid hearings and delinquency hearings and to the disclosure of minors' records to foster parents; relating to children in need of aid; amending Rules 3, 7, 10, 15, and 17 - 19, Alaska Child in Need of Aid Rules; and amending Rules 3, 7, 10, 12, 21, 23, and 25, Alaska Delinquency Rules."
00HOUSE BILL NO. 456 01 "An Act relating to foster parents; relating to the right of foster parents to have 02 notice of, and testify at, child-in-need-of-aid hearings and delinquency hearings and 03 to the disclosure of minors' records to foster parents; relating to children in need 04 of aid; amending Rules 3, 7, 10, 15, and 17 - 19, Alaska Child in Need of Aid 05 Rules; and amending Rules 3, 7, 10, 12, 21, 23, and 25, Alaska Delinquency 06 Rules." 07 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 08 * Section 1. AS 47.10.030(b) is amended to read: 09 (b) In all cases under this chapter the minor, each parent of the minor , [AND] 10 the guardian of the minor , and the foster parent of the minor shall be given notice 11 adequate to give actual notice of the proceedings and the possibility of termination of 12 parental rights and responsibilities, taking into account education and language 13 differences that are known or reasonably ascertainable by the petitioner or the 14 department. The notice of the hearing must contain all names by which the minor has
01 been identified. Notice shall be given in the manner appropriate under rules of civil 02 procedure for the service of process in a civil action under Alaska law or in any 03 manner the court by order directs. Proof of the giving of the notice shall be filed with 04 the court before the petition is heard. The court may also subpoena the parent of the 05 minor, or any other person whose testimony may be necessary at the hearing. A 06 subpoena or other process may be served by a person authorized by law to make the 07 service, and where personal service cannot be made, the court may direct that service 08 of process be in a manner appropriate under rules of civil procedure for the service of 09 process in a civil action under Alaska law or in any manner the court directs. 10 * Sec. 2. AS 47.10.070(a) is amended to read: 11 (a) The court may conduct the hearing on the petition in an informal manner 12 in the courtroom or in chambers. The court shall give notice of the hearing to the 13 department , and it may send a representative to the hearing. The court shall also 14 transmit a copy of the petition to the department. The representative of the department 15 may also be heard at the hearing. The court shall give notice of the hearing and a 16 copy of the petition to the minor's foster parent and shall give the foster parent 17 an opportunity to be heard at the hearing. The public shall be excluded from the 18 hearing, but the court, in its discretion, may permit individuals to attend a hearing if 19 their attendance is compatible with the best interests of the minor. 20 * Sec. 3. AS 47.10.080(c) is amended to read: 21 (c) If the court finds that the minor is a child in need of aid, it shall 22 (1) order the minor committed to the department for placement in an 23 appropriate setting for a period of time not to exceed two years or in any event past 24 the date the minor becomes 19 years of age, except that the department or the minor's 25 guardian ad litem may petition for and the court , upon a showing of exceptional 26 circumstances, may grant in a hearing (A) one-year [TWO-YEAR] extensions of 27 commitment that do not extend beyond the minor's 19th birthday if the extensions are 28 [EXTENSION IS] in the best interests of the minor; and (B) an additional one-year 29 period of supervision past age 19 if the continued supervision is in the best interests 30 of the person and the person consents to it; the department may transfer the minor, in 31 the minor's best interests, from one placement setting to another, and the minor, the
01 minor's foster parent, the minor's parents or guardian, and the minor's attorney and 02 guardian ad litem are entitled to reasonable notice of the transfer; 03 (2) order the minor released to the minor's parents, guardian, or some 04 other suitable person, and, in appropriate cases, order the parents, guardian, or other 05 person to provide medical or other care and treatment; if the court releases the minor, 06 it shall direct the department to supervise the care and treatment given to the minor, 07 but the court may dispense with the department's supervision if the court finds that the 08 adult to whom the minor is released will adequately care for the minor without 09 supervision; the department's supervision may not exceed two years or in any event 10 extend past the date the minor reaches age 19, except that the department or the 11 minor's guardian ad litem may petition for and the court , upon a showing of 12 exceptional circumstances, may grant in a hearing 13 (A) one-year [TWO-YEAR] extensions of supervision that do 14 not extend beyond the minor's 19th birthday if the extensions are 15 [EXTENSION IS] in the best interests of the minor; and 16 (B) an additional one-year period of supervision past age 19 if 17 the continued supervision is in the best interests of the person and the person 18 consents to it; or 19 (3) by order, upon a showing in the adjudication by clear and 20 convincing evidence that there is a child in need of aid under AS 47.10.010(a) as a 21 result of parental conduct and upon a showing in the disposition by clear and 22 convincing evidence that the parental conduct is likely to continue to exist if there is 23 no termination of parental rights, terminate parental rights and responsibilities of one 24 or both parents and commit the child to the department or to a legally appointed 25 guardian of the person of the child, and the department or guardian shall report 26 monthly [ANNUALLY] to the court on efforts being made to find a permanent 27 placement for the child. 28 * Sec. 4. AS 47.10.080(f) is amended to read: 29 (f) A minor found to be a child in need of aid is a ward of the state while 30 committed to the department or the department has the power to supervise the minor's 31 actions. The court shall review an order made under (c)(1) or (2) of this section semi-
01 annually [ANNUALLY,] and may review the order more frequently to determine if continued 02 placement or supervision, as it is being provided, is in the best interest of the minor. If annual 03 review under this subsection would arise within 90 days of the hearing required under (l) of 04 this section, the court may postpone review under this subsection until the time set for the 05 hearing. The department, the minor, and the minor's parents, guardian, or custodian are 06 entitled, when good cause is shown, to a review on application. If the application is granted, 07 the court shall afford these parties and their counsel and the minor's foster parent reasonable 08 notice in advance of the review and hold a hearing where these parties and their counsel and 09 the minor's foster parent shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard. The minor shall be 10 afforded the opportunity to be present at the review. 11 * Sec. 5. AS 47.10.080(l) is amended to read: 12 (l) Within 18 months after the date a child is initially removed from the child's 13 home by the department under AS 47.10.142(c) or committed to the custody of the 14 department under (c)(1) or (3) of this section or AS 47.14.100(c), the court shall hold 15 a hearing to review the placement and services provided and to determine the future 16 status of the minor. The minor's foster parent is entitled to notice of the hearing, 17 and, if the foster parent attends, the foster parent is entitled to be heard at the 18 hearing. The court shall make appropriate written findings, including findings related 19 to the following: 20 (1) whether the child should be returned to the parent; 21 (2) whether the child should remain in out-of-home care for a specified 22 period; 23 (3) whether the child should remain in out-of-home care on a 24 permanent or long-term basis because of special needs or circumstances; 25 (4) whether the child should be placed for adoption or legal 26 guardianship. 27 * Sec. 6. AS 47.10.090(e) is amended to read: 28 (e) The court's official records under this chapter may be inspected only with 29 the court's permission and only by persons having a legitimate interest in them. A 30 foster parent is considered to have a legitimate interest in the records of a child 31 who is already placed with the foster parent or who is recommended for
01 placement with the foster parent. 02 * Sec. 7. AS 47.10.093(b) is amended to read: 03 (b) A state or municipal agency or employee may disclose information 04 regarding a case to 05 (1) a guardian ad litem appointed by the court or to a citizen review 06 board or local review panel for permanency planning authorized by AS 47.14.200 or 07 47.14.220; 08 (2) a person or an agency requested to provide consultation or services 09 for a minor who is subject to the jurisdiction of the court under AS 47.10.010; 10 (3) school officials as may be necessary to enable the school to provide 11 appropriate counseling and support services to the minor who is the subject of the 12 case, to protect the safety of the minor who is the subject of the case, and to protect 13 the safety of school students and staff; 14 (4) a governmental agency as may be necessary to obtain that agency's 15 assistance for the department in its investigation or to obtain physical custody of a 16 child; [AND] 17 (5) a state or municipal law enforcement agency as may be necessary 18 for a specific investigation being conducted by that agency or for disclosures by that 19 agency to protect the public safety ; and 20 (6) a foster parent who requests information about a child who is 21 already placed with the foster parent or who is recommended for placement with 22 the foster parent . 23 * Sec. 8. AS 47.12.010 is amended to read: 24 Sec. 47.12.010. Purpose of chapter. The purposes of this chapter are to 25 (1) [TO] protect the public and to reform juvenile offenders; 26 (2) [TO] provide that, for the most common offenses committed by 27 minors, those punishable as misdemeanors, resolution should require some form of 28 sanction, that the form of the sanction should be certain, that the imposition of the 29 sanction should be swift, and that the sanction may take the form of a reasonable claim 30 on the time and talents of the minor who has committed the offense; and 31 (3) [TO] provide that counseling provided to the minor should, if
01 appropriate, include the minor's family or guardian, that the minor's family , foster 02 parent, or guardian has the right to offer suggestions and make recommendations for 03 the correction of the minor's behavior, and that the minor's family or guardian may be 04 asked to participate in supervision of the minor's treatment. 05 * Sec. 9. AS 47.12.050(a) is amended to read: 06 (a) Except as may be otherwise specifically provided, in all cases under this 07 chapter, the minor, each parent of the minor, the foster parent of the minor, and the 08 guardian of the minor are entitled to notice adequate to give actual notice of the 09 proceedings, taking into account education and language differences that are known 10 or reasonably ascertainable by the party giving the notice. The notice must contain all 11 names by which the minor has been identified. 12 * Sec. 10. AS 47.12.060(b) is amended to read: 13 (b) When the agency decides that an informal adjustment of a matter should 14 be made, that informal adjustment may not be made without the agreement or consent 15 of the minor and the minor's parents or guardians to the terms and conditions of the 16 adjustment. In addition, the agency shall give the minor's foster parent an 17 opportunity to be heard before the informal adjustment is made. An informal 18 action to adjust a matter is not successfully completed unless, among other factors that 19 the agency considers, as to the victim of the act of the minor that is the basis of the 20 delinquency allegation, the minor pays restitution in the amount set by the agency or 21 agrees as a term or condition set by the agency to pay the restitution. 22 * Sec. 11. AS 47.12.110(a) is amended to read: 23 (a) The court shall conduct a hearing on the petition. The court shall give 24 notice of the hearing to the department, and the department shall send a representative 25 to the hearing. The representative of the department may also be heard at the hearing. 26 The court shall give notice of the hearing and a copy of the petition to the minor's 27 foster parent and shall give the foster parent an opportunity to be heard at the 28 hearing. The public shall be excluded from the hearing, but the court, in its 29 discretion, may permit individuals to attend a hearing [,] if their attendance is 30 compatible with the best interests of the minor. Nothing in this section may be applied 31 in such a way as to deny a minor's rights to a public trial and to a trial by jury.
01 * Sec. 12. AS 47.12.120(b) is amended to read: 02 (b) If the court finds that the minor is delinquent, it shall 03 (1) order the minor committed to the department for a period of time 04 not to exceed two years or in any event extend past the day the minor becomes 19, 05 except that the department may petition for and the court may grant in a hearing (A) 06 two-year extensions of commitment that do not extend beyond the child's 19th birthday 07 if the extension is in the best interests of the minor and the public; and (B) an 08 additional one-year period of supervision past age 19 if continued supervision is in the 09 best interests of the person and the person consents to it; the department shall place 10 the minor in the juvenile facility that the department considers appropriate and that 11 may include a juvenile correctional school, juvenile work camp, treatment facility, 12 detention home, or detention facility; the minor may be released from placement or 13 detention and placed on probation on order of the court and may also be released by 14 the department, in its discretion, under AS 47.12.260; 15 (2) order the minor placed on probation, to be supervised by the 16 department, and released to the minor's parents, guardian, or a suitable person; if the 17 court orders the minor placed on probation, it may specify the terms and conditions 18 of probation; the probation may be for a period of time, not to exceed two years and 19 in no event extend past the day the minor becomes 19, except that the department may 20 petition for and the court may grant in a hearing 21 (A) two-year extensions of supervision that do not extend 22 beyond the child's 19th birthday if the extension is in the best interests of the 23 minor and the public; and 24 (B) an additional one-year period of supervision past age 19 if 25 the continued supervision is in the best interests of the person and the person 26 consents to it; 27 (3) order the minor committed to the department and placed on 28 probation, to be supervised by the department, and released to the minor's parents, 29 guardian, other suitable person, or suitable nondetention setting such as a family home, 30 group care facility, or child care facility, whichever the department considers 31 appropriate to implement the treatment plan of the predisposition report; if the court
01 orders the minor placed on probation, it may specify the terms and conditions of 02 probation; the department may transfer the minor, in the minor's best interests, from 03 one of the probationary placement settings listed in this paragraph to another, and the 04 minor, the minor's foster parent, the minor's parents or guardian, and the minor's 05 attorney are entitled to reasonable notice of the transfer; the probation may be for a 06 period of time, not to exceed two years and in no event extend past the day the minor 07 becomes 19, except that the department may petition for and the court may grant in 08 a hearing 09 (A) two-year extensions of commitment that do not extend 10 beyond the child's 19th birthday if the extension is in the best interests of the 11 minor and the public; and 12 (B) an additional one-year period of supervision past age 19 if 13 the continued supervision is in the best interests of the person and the person 14 consents to it; 15 (4) order the minor and the minor's parent to make suitable restitution 16 in lieu of or in addition to the court's order under (1), (2), or (3) of this subsection; 17 under this paragraph, 18 (A) except as provided in (B) of this paragraph, the court may 19 not refuse to make an order of restitution to benefit the victim of the act of the 20 minor that is the basis of the delinquency adjudication; and 21 (B) the court may not order payment of restitution by the parent 22 of a minor who is a runaway or missing minor for an act of the minor that was 23 committed by the minor after the parent has made a report to a law 24 enforcement agency, as authorized by AS 47.10.141(a), that the minor has run 25 away or is missing; for purposes of this subparagraph, "runaway or missing 26 minor" means a minor who a parent reasonably believes is absent from the 27 minor's residence for the purpose of evading the parent or who is otherwise 28 missing from the minor's usual place of abode without the consent of the 29 parent; 30 (5) order the minor committed to the department for placement in an 31 adventure-based [ADVENTURE BASED] education program established under
01 AS 47.21.020 with conditions the court considers appropriate concerning release upon 02 satisfactory completion of the program or commitment under (1) of this subsection if 03 the program is not satisfactorily completed; 04 (6) in addition to an order under (1) - (5) of this subsection, if the 05 delinquency finding is based on the minor's violation of AS 11.71.030(a)(3) or 06 11.71.040(a)(4), order the minor to perform 50 hours of community service; for 07 purposes of this paragraph, "community service" includes work 08 (A) defined as community service under AS 33.30.901; or 09 (B) that, on the recommendation of the city council or 10 traditional village council, would benefit persons within the city or village who 11 are elderly or disabled; or 12 (7) in addition to an order under (1) - (6) of this subsection, order the 13 minor's parent or guardian to comply with orders made under AS 47.12.155, including 14 participation in treatment under AS 47.12.155(b)(1). 15 * Sec. 13. AS 47.12.120(d) is amended to read: 16 (d) A minor found to be delinquent is a ward of the state while committed to 17 the department or while the department has the power to supervise the minor's actions. 18 The court shall review an order made under (b) of this section annually [,] and may 19 review the order more frequently to determine if continued placement, probation, or 20 supervision, as it is being provided, is in the best interest of the minor and the public. 21 If annual review under this subsection would arise within 90 days of the hearing 22 required under (g) of this section, the court may postpone review under this subsection 23 until the time set for the hearing. The department, the minor, and the minor's parents, 24 guardian, or custodian are entitled, when good cause is shown, to a review on 25 application. If the application is granted, the court shall afford these parties and their 26 counsel and the minor's foster parent reasonable notice in advance of the review and 27 hold a hearing where these parties and their counsel and the minor's foster parent 28 shall be afforded an opportunity to be heard. The minor shall be afforded the 29 opportunity to be present at the review. 30 * Sec. 14. AS 47.12.120(g) is amended to read: 31 (g) Within 18 months after the date a minor is committed to the custody of the
01 department under (b)(3) of this section, the court shall hold a hearing to review the 02 placement and services provided and to determine the future status of the minor. The 03 minor's foster parent is entitled to notice of the hearing, and, if the foster parent 04 attends, the foster parent is entitled to be heard at the hearing. The court shall 05 make appropriate written findings, including findings related to the following: 06 (1) whether the minor should be returned to the parent; 07 (2) whether the minor should remain in out-of-home care for a 08 specified period; 09 (3) whether the minor should remain in out-of-home care on a 10 permanent or long-term basis because of special needs or circumstances; 11 (4) whether the minor should be placed for adoption or legal 12 guardianship. 13 * Sec. 15. AS 47.12.250(b) is amended to read: 14 (b) A peace officer who has a minor detained under (a) of this section shall 15 immediately, and in no event more than 12 hours later, notify the court and make 16 reasonable efforts to notify the minor's parents or guardian , the minor's foster parent, 17 and the department of the officer's action. The department may file with the court a 18 petition alleging delinquency before the detention hearing. 19 * Sec. 16. AS 47.12.250(c) is amended to read: 20 (c) The court shall immediately, and in no event more than 48 hours later, hold 21 a hearing at which the minor and the minor's parents or guardian if they can be found 22 shall be present. The court shall determine whether probable cause exists for believing 23 the minor to be delinquent. The court shall inform the minor of the reasons alleged 24 to constitute probable cause and the reasons alleged to authorize the minor's detention. 25 The minor is entitled to counsel and to confrontation of adverse witnesses. The court 26 shall give the minor's foster parent the opportunity to be heard at the hearing. 27 * Sec. 17. AS 47.12.300(e) is amended to read: 28 (e) The court's official records under this chapter may be inspected only with 29 the court's permission and only by persons having a legitimate interest in them. A 30 person with a legitimate interest in the inspection of an official record maintained by 31 the court includes a foster parent who requests information about a child who is
01 already placed with the foster parent or who is recommended for placement with 02 the foster parent and a victim who suffered physical injury or whose real or personal 03 property was damaged as a result of an offense that was the basis of an adjudication 04 or modification of disposition. If the victim knows the identity of the minor, identifies 05 the minor or the offense to the court, and certifies that the information is being sought 06 to consider or support a civil action against the minor or against the minor's parents 07 or guardians under AS 34.50.020, the court shall, subject to AS 12.61.110 and 08 12.61.140, allow the victim to inspect and use the following records and information 09 in connection with the civil action: 10 (1) a petition filed under AS 47.12.040(a) seeking to have the court 11 declare the minor a delinquent; 12 (2) a petition filed under AS 47.12.120 seeking to have the court 13 modify or revoke the minor's probation; 14 (3) a petition filed under AS 47.12.100 requesting the court to find that 15 a minor is not amenable to treatment under this chapter and that results in closure of 16 a case under AS 47.12.100(a); and 17 (4) a court judgment or order entered under this chapter that disposes 18 of a petition identified in (1) - (3) of this subsection. 19 * Sec. 18. AS 47.12.310(b) is amended to read: 20 (b) A state or municipal agency or employee may disclose information 21 regarding a case to 22 (1) a guardian ad litem appointed by the court or to a citizen review 23 board or local review panel for permanency planning authorized by AS 47.14.200 - 24 47.14.220; 25 (2) a person or an agency requested to provide consultation or services 26 for a minor who is subject to the jurisdiction of the court under this chapter; 27 (3) school officials as may be necessary to protect the safety of the 28 minor who is the subject of the case and the safety of school students and staff or to 29 enable the school to provide appropriate counseling and supportive services to meet 30 the needs of a minor about whom information is disclosed; 31 (4) a governmental agency as may be necessary to obtain that agency's
01 assistance for the department in its investigation or to obtain physical custody of a 02 minor; 03 (5) a state or municipal law enforcement agency as may be necessary 04 for a specific investigation being conducted by that agency or for disclosures by that 05 agency to protect the public safety; [AND] 06 (6) a victim as may be necessary to inform the victim about the 07 disposition or resolution of a case involving a minor ; and 08 (7) a foster parent who requests information about a child who is 09 already placed with the foster parent or who is recommended for placement with 10 the foster parent . 11 * Sec. 19. AS 47.14.100(a) is amended to read: 12 (a) Subject to (e) and (f) of this section, the department shall arrange for the 13 care of every child committed to its custody by placing the child in a foster home or 14 in the care of an agency or institution providing care for children inside or outside the 15 state. The department may place a child in a suitable family home, with or without 16 compensation, and may place a child released to it, in writing verified by the parent, 17 or guardian or other person having legal custody, for adoptive purposes, in a home for 18 adoption in accordance with existing law. After a child has been placed in a foster 19 home, the department shall, on request of the foster parent, consider the views of 20 the foster parent concerning appropriate treatment plans for the child and shall 21 give the foster parent an opportunity to be heard before subsequent placement 22 decisions are made by the department about the child. 23 * Sec. 20. AS 47.14 is amended by adding a new section to read: 24 Sec. 47.14.115. Training of foster parents. On a quarterly basis and at no 25 cost to the foster parent, the department shall offer a training seminar or consultation 26 opportunity to a foster parent that is designed to help the foster parent understand and 27 care for the particular child who has been placed with the foster parent. 28 * Sec. 21. AS 47.14.240(h) is amended to read: 29 (h) The report required under (g) of this section must make advisory 30 recommendations based on the best interests of the child in accordance with 31 AS 47.10.082 and must include notification of the right to request court review under
01 AS 47.10.080(f). If the court has scheduled the case for review, the local review panel 02 shall submit its report at least 20 days before the hearing , and the department shall 03 ensure that the court has a copy of the recommendations that are made in the 04 report . 05 * Sec. 22. COURT RULE CHANGE; FOSTER PARENTS IN CINA PROCEEDINGS. 06 (a) AS 47.10.030, 47.10.070, and 47.10.080, as amended by secs. 1 - 5 of this Act, have the 07 effect of amending Rules 3, 7, 10, 15, 17, and 19, Alaska Child in Need of Aid Rules, by 08 requiring certain information about children's hearings to be sent to foster parents and by 09 providing that foster parents are entitled to testify at the hearings. 10 (b) To the extent that the amendments in secs. 1 - 5 of this Act relate to foster 11 parents, the amendments take effect only if this section receives the two-thirds majority vote 12 of each house required by art. IV, sec. 15, Constitution of the State of Alaska. 13 * Sec. 23. COURT RULE CHANGE; DELINQUENCY RULES. (a) AS 47.12.050, 14 47.12.060, 47.12.110, 47.12.120, and 47.12.250, amended by secs. 9 - 16 of this Act, have the 15 effect of amending Rules 3, 7, 10, 12, 21, 23, and 25, Alaska Delinquency Rules, by requiring 16 certain information about delinquency hearings to be sent to foster parents and by providing 17 that foster parents are entitled to testify at the hearings. 18 (b) Sections 9 - 16 of this Act take effect only if this section receives the two-thirds 19 majority vote of each house required by art. IV, sec. 15, Constitution of the State of Alaska. 20 * Sec. 24. COURT RULE CHANGE; REVIEWS. (a) To the extent that AS 47.10.080(f) 21 is amended by sec. 4 of this Act to require semi-annual court review of orders regarding a 22 child-in-need-of-aid, that provision amends Rule 19(a), Alaska Child in Need of Aid Rules, 23 which currently provides for annual review. 24 (b) The amendment described in (a) of this section takes effect only if this section 25 receives the two-thirds majority vote of each house required by art. IV, sec. 15, Constitution 26 of the State of Alaska. 27 * Sec. 25. COURT RULE CHANGE; REPORTS. (a) AS 47.10.080(c)(3), as amended 28 by sec. 3 of this Act, has the effect of amending Rule 18(e), Alaska Child in Need of Aid 29 Rules, by requiring the Department of Health and Social Services to report monthly, instead 30 of annually, on its efforts to find a permanent placement for a child. 31 (b) The amendment made to AS 47.10.080(c)(3) by sec. 3 of this Act takes effect only
01 this section receives the two-thirds majority vote of each house required by art. IV, sec. 15, 02 Constitution of the State of Alaska. 03 * Sec. 26. COURT RULE CHANGE; EXTENSIONS OF COMMITMENT OR 04 SUPERVISION. (a) To the extent that AS 47.10.080(c)(1) and (2) are amended by sec. 3 05 of this Act to allow a minor's guardian ad litem to petition for an extension of the minor's 06 commitment or supervision and to require a showing of exceptional circumstances, those 07 provisions amend Rule 19(e), Alaska Child in Need of Aid Rules, relating to petitions for 08 extensions of commitment or supervision of a minor. 09 (b) The amendments described in (a) of this section take effect only this section 10 receives the two-thirds majority vote of each house required by art. IV, sec. 15, Constitution 11 of the State of Alaska. 12 * Sec. 27. APPLICABILITY. The changes made by secs. 1 - 5 and 9 - 16 of this Act 13 apply to hearings described in this Act for which notice has not been sent by the court or the 14 Department of Health and Social Services before the effective date of this Act.