Legislature(2025 - 2026)DAVIS 106
03/13/2025 03:15 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB27 | |
| HB70 | |
| HB64 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 27 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 70 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 64 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 70-EMERGENCY MED SVCS; OPERATIONAL CANINES
HB 70-EMERGENCY MED SVCS; OPERATIONAL CANINES
3:39:11 PM
CHAIR MINA announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 70 "An Act relating to emergency medical services
for operational canines; relating to the powers, duties, and
liability of emergency medical technicians and mobile intensive
care paramedics; relating to the practice of veterinary
medicine; and providing for an effective date."
3:41:14 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CALVIN SCHRAGE, Alaska State Legislature, as
prime sponsor, provided a brief recap of HB 70.
3:42:02 PM
CHAIR MINA announced invited testimony.
3:42:11 PM
BRIAN WEBB, Paramedic and EMS Educator, testified in support of
HB 70. He described his medical experience and his experience
with canine care. He shared the story of a state trooper canine
who was fatally shot in 2017, explaining that although emergency
medical service (EMS) personnel were available, they had no
authority to assist. He emphasized the scarce veterinary
resources available in Alaska. He also said that HB 70 would
allow for training that would fit within continuing education
requirements for EMS. He compared emergency medications for
canines to pediatric patients. He said that HB 70 would address
low frequency, high acuity canine trauma events.
3:46:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked if canine services that would be
provided by EMS would need to be approved by the EMS medical
director.
MR. WEBB confirmed that the EMS medical director would need to
designate authority to provide canine services.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked if approval by the EMS medical
director to provide services is implied as an EMT.
MR. WEBB responded that standing orders and protocol give EMS
providers their authority to practice, which is mentioned in HB
70.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked about the need for a veterinarian
to approve EMS canine services under HB 70.
MR. WEBB responded that the EMS medical director approves
standing orders and protocols.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked if it is true that the "dosing
and care for operational canines is virtually identical to
pediatric patients." He said he believes that statement is
mostly untrue.
MR. WEBB responded with an example of medication whose dosage
and concentration is the same for pediatric and canine patients
as an emergency medication.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked about the training required to
provide emergency medical services to operational canines and
what that training cost would be.
MR. WEBB responded that training is all based on the Canine
Tactical Emergency Care Course, developed by the US Military.
He described the program and said that the cost would depend on
the scope of practice of the services being provided in that
training.
3:55:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MEARS asked if there is a continuing education
requirement for EMS providers and if this course would help
fulfill those requirements.
MR. WEBB responded that this course would be rolled into an
annual training cycle within the services that opted in for
canine services. He said there is not a recertification
standard nationally.
3:56:52 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked how many service canines have been
injured in recent years.
MR. WEBB responded that two operational canines have been
injured in recent years in Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked about what the reporting
requirements for administering Schedule II drugs would be under
HB 70.
MR. WEBB responded that he reached out to the regional Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) of Seattle to ask them a
similar question regarding controlled substances. He said that
the DEA responded that there would be no changes necessary to
the existing processes for reporting controlled substances.
4:00:45 PM
CHAIR MINA opened public testimony on HB 70.
4:01:12 PM
RACHEL BERNGARTT, DVM, JD, Board of Veterinary Examiners, said
the board does not have an official position statement on HB 70.
She offered clarification on parts of Mr. Webb's testimony that
she believed were misleading. She said that the committee
should consider the potential liability for veterinarians
regarding HB 70. She emphasized several issues she believes
must be addressed regarding HB 70.
4:05:58 PM
MCKAYLA DICK, DVM, Member at Large, Alaska Veterinary Medical
Association, testified in opposition to HB 70. She recommended
the formation of an emergency veterinary advisory committee or a
task force where veterinarians, emergency medical technicians
(EMTs), and paramedics can collaborate on emergency canine
protocol.
4:08:36 PM
KATRINA BACKUS, DVM, Medical Director, North Pole Veterinary
Hospital, testified in opposition to HB 70. She said that she
is concerned that HB 70 would allow untrained individuals to
perform medical interventions without proper education or
oversight. She emphasized the need to strengthen collaboration
between veterinarians and first responders.
4:11:02 PM
CHAIR MINA announced invited testimony again.
4:11:09 PM
SEAN MCPECK, DVM, CEO, Tier 1 Veterinary Medical Center,
testified in support of HB 70. He emphasized the low frequency
of situations that HB 70 would apply to. He said that HB 70
would allow paramedics to try to save the life of an operational
canine if it is injured in a very remote environment. He
emphasized that the care provided by paramedics would be en
route to a veterinarian, not in place of veterinary care. He
also emphasized how few veterinarians practice in Alaska.
4:15:50 PM
CHAIR MINA continued with public testimony on HB 70.
4:16:00 PM
MARY ANN HOLLICK, DVM, said the idea that a non-veterinarian can
be trained in a short term to perform advanced procedures is
crazy. She said that any care beyond basic first aid must occur
under the direct instructions of a veterinarian. She said HB 70
would need to include a waiver of liability for the licensed
veterinarian taking over the referred cases of operational
canines.
4:18:59 PM
MARK STIGAR, Former President, Alaska Search and Rescue
Association, said there are between 20 and 25 canines with the
Alaska Search and Rescue Association. He offered personal
anecdotes of the help he would seek out from a paramedic if his
dog were injured and there were no veterinarians nearby.
4:21:48 PM
MICHAEL LEVY, MD, Medical Director, State of Alaska Emergency
Medical Services, said he believes giving his EMS clinicians the
ability to transport injured operational canines to a higher
level of care is important.
4:23:17 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked Dr. Levy to describe what the
process for a medical director approving canine training under
HB 70 would look like.
DR. LEVY responded that under HB 70, a medical director would
need to establish when particular services would be provided to
canines and what resources would be available to ensure adequate
training for those services.
4:26:10 PM
BRITTANY TURNER, noting that she is a veterinarian assistant and
member of the US Air Force, testified in opposition to HB 70.
She said that HB 70 needs to define roles, regarding first aid
and transportation, more clearly.
4:26:55 PM
SCOTT LUNA, Paramedic Firefighter, testified in support of HB
70. He said that operational canines are often the first line
of defense in high-risk situations. He said that with proper
training, EMS providers would have the ability to make
significant impacts on these dogs and provide the opportunity to
deliver a salvageable dog to the veterinarian clinic.
4:29:27 PM
PAMELA SAMASH, representing self, testified in support of HB 70.
She said that she lives in a rural area 70 miles from a
veterinarian. She explained that a veterinarian trained members
of her community in emergency care for their pets because there
are no veterinarians in town. She emphasized that many rural
areas do not have access to veterinary care.
4:31:41 PM
CHAIR MINA, after ascertaining that there was no one else who
wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 70.