04/24/2025 03:15 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

             HB  52-MINORS & PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
5:02:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MINA  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  52, "An  Act relating  to the  rights of  minors                                                               
undergoing  evaluation  or  inpatient  treatment  at  psychiatric                                                               
hospitals;  relating to  the  use of  seclusion  or restraint  of                                                               
minors at  psychiatric hospitals; relating to  a report published                                                               
by  the Department  of  Health; relating  to  inspections by  the                                                               
Department  of  Health  of  certain  psychiatric  hospitals;  and                                                               
providing  for  an  effective  date."    [Before  the  committee,                                                               
adopted  as  a working  document  on  4/22/25, was  the  proposed                                                               
committee  substitute  (CS),  Version  34-LS0399\I,  A.  Radford,                                                               
4/12/25 ("Version I").]                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
5:02:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FIELDS  moved to  adopt  Amendment  1 to  HB  52,                                                               
Version  I, labeled  34-LS0399\I.1,  A.  Radford, 4/22/25,  which                                                               
read as follows:                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Page 1, lines 12 - 13:                                                                                                     
          Delete "one cumulative hour"                                                                                          
          Insert "two cumulative hours"                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MINA objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FIELDS explained  that setting  a higher  minimum                                                               
requirement  of  communication  would  permit  a  meaningful  yet                                                               
reasonable  amount of  conversation  between  patients and  their                                                               
families.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MINA  stated that  she  has  some concerns  regarding  the                                                               
increase in required communication.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
5:03:44 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX expressed  concern regarding  increasing the                                                               
floor,  stating that  he does  not believe  Amendment 1  would be                                                               
necessary.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
5:04:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GRAY asked  if it would be  problematic to require                                                               
kids in a psychiatric facility to  have a minimum of two hours of                                                               
talk time with their families each week.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
5:05:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MATTHEW  THOMAS  Nurse  Consultant  II,  Division  of  Healthcare                                                               
Services, Department of  Health, responded that a  minimum of two                                                               
hours per  week would not  be problematic, given that  a majority                                                               
of facilities  have the  capacity to allow  that amount  of phone                                                               
communication.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
5:06:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MATTIE HULL, Staff, Representative  Maxine Dibert, in response to                                                               
a  question from  Representative Gray,  stated that  HB 52  would                                                               
require  an  assumption  of   good  faith  regarding  psychiatric                                                               
facilities.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
5:07:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  HULL,   in  response  to  a   question  from  Representative                                                               
Ruffridge, referred  to previous invited testimony  by Mateo, who                                                               
was  denied  communication  with  his  family  for  months  while                                                               
residing  in   a  psychiatric  facility.     He  emphasized  that                                                               
establishing  a floor  requirement of  communication would  allow                                                               
these patients  to have  an outlet to  their families,  who often                                                               
serve as their best advocates                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
5:09:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MINA clarified  that HB  52 would  establish the  right to                                                               
communication, not the obligation of communication.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE asked  if  it was  already illegal  for                                                               
Mateo  to  have been  denied  access  to communication  with  his                                                               
family.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
5:10:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  HULL  responded  that facilities  are  already  required  to                                                               
provide  reasonable  access to  communication,  but  HB 52  would                                                               
ensure consistent communication.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
5:11:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MINA referred  to AS 47.30.840, which  guarantees the right                                                               
of children in psychiatric facilities  to some communication with                                                               
their families.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
5:11:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MINA removed her objection to Amendment 1.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
5:11:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE objected to Amendment 1.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
5:11:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS  clarified that the intention  of Amendment                                                               
1 would  not be to  force children to stay  on the phone  for two                                                               
hours, but to provide that opportunity to those who need it.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
5:12:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  RUFFRIDGE read  from  AS 47.30.840  and asked  if                                                               
Amendment 1 would be more restrictive than existing statute.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FIELDS  clarified  that Amendment  1  would  give                                                               
children  the right  both  to  access a  parent  anytime via  the                                                               
telephone and to at least two hours via video calling.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
5:13:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE removed his objection to Amendment 1.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
5:13:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE  objected.  She  asked if the right  to a                                                               
confidential call,  under AS 47.30.840,  would conflict  with the                                                               
communication that would be required under HB 52.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
5:14:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FIELDS  responded  that the  statutes  would  not                                                               
conflict.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   SCHWANKE   expressed   concern   regarding   the                                                               
cumulative time of  communication that would be  allowed under HB
 and that is currently allowed under AS 47.30.840.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
5:15:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  FIELDS  responded that  he  will  follow up  with                                                               
Legislative Legal Services and Research Services.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
5:15:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 5:15 p.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
5:15:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MINA announced that HB 52, [Version I, with the motion to                                                                 
adopt Amendment 1 left pending with objection] was held over.