04/30/2019 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

             HB 89-OPIOID PRESCRIPTION INFORMATION                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:05:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY announced the first  order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  89,  "An  Act relating  to  the prescription  of                                                               
opioids; relating to  the practice of dentistry;  relating to the                                                               
practice  of  medicine; relating  to  the  practice of  podiatry;                                                               
relating to the practice of  osteopathy; relating to the practice                                                               
of nursing; relating  to the practice of  optometry; and relating                                                               
to the practice of pharmacy."                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:05:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ  moved to adopt the  committee substitute (CS)                                                               
for HB 89,  labeled 31-LS0421\S, Fisher, 4/18/19,  as the working                                                               
document [Version S].                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY objected for discussion purposes.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:06:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MIRANDA  DORDAN,  Intern,  Representative Ivy  Spohnholz,  Alaska                                                               
State  Legislature, introduced  the committee  substitute for  HB
,  Version S.   She  advised of  a typographical  error on  the                                                               
document   [included   in   the   committee   packet]   entitled,                                                               
"Explanation   of   Changes"  as   follows:      Section  7.   AS                                                               
47.47.040(24)  should  read Section  7.  AS  47.37.040(24).   Ms.                                                               
Dordan then  paraphrased from the document,  which read [original                                                               
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Section 7. AS 47.47.040 (24)                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     On page 8, line 30: The phrase "?and maintain current                                                                      
     information?" was added.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
       From page 8, line 30 to page 9, line 1: The phrase                                                                       
        "?for purposes of patient education, a onepage,                                                                         
     printable handout in 12-point font?" was added.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     On page 9, line 3-4: The phrase "?the information must                                                                     
        be written in plain language that can be easily                                                                         
     translated into other languages  commonly spoken in the                                                                    
     state?" was added.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     These changes  make stipulations for the  Department of                                                                    
     Health and  Social Services to keep  the opioid handout                                                                    
     regularly updated.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     The requirement of the minimum  12-point font was added                                                                    
     to ensure that the opioid handout can be easily read.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     The  provision of  plain language  that  can be  easily                                                                    
     translated  into  other  languages commonly  spoken  in                                                                    
     Alaska  was   added  in  order   to  ensure   that  the                                                                    
     information  will be  accessible to  all patients,  not                                                                    
     just those who speak and read English.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  DORDAN,  in  response to  Co-Chair  Zulkosky,  restated  the                                                               
correct section is:  Section 7. AS 47.37.040 (24).                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  DRUMMOND  pointed  out   on  the  Explanation  of                                                               
Changes document, "From page 8, line  30 to page 9," should read:                                                               
"From page 8, line 31 to  page 9."  She suggested the ["printable                                                               
handout" on page  8, line 31 of the CS]  could depict symbols and                                                               
graphics the Department of Health  and Social Services (DHSS) may                                                               
find in the "international language of medicine."                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:10:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SPOHNHOLZ  directed  attention   to  an  "info  graphic                                                               
document"  [slide 11,  entitled, "Section  7: Visual  Aid," of  a                                                               
PowerPoint   presentation  entitled,   "House  Bill   89:  Opioid                                                               
Addiction Risk  Disclosure" provided to the  committee on 4/4/19]                                                               
that was included  in the committee packet and  that was prepared                                                               
by DHSS in  request to a bill introduced in  the Thirtieth Alaska                                                               
State Legislature.   She  said the  document uses  [graphics] and                                                               
language to  ensure it  is easy to  understand and  translate; in                                                               
fact, she has been informed  by practitioners who serve immigrant                                                               
populations,  and parts  of  rural Alaska  where  English is  not                                                               
always a patient's  first language, the document must  be easy to                                                               
translate and accessible to all.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR questioned  whether there  is a  fiscal note                                                               
attached to HB 89.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SPOHNHOLZ acknowledged  there is  a forthcoming  fiscal                                                               
note that will  be attached to the bill in  the amount of $14,200                                                               
to pay for the cost of regulations.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:11:41 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY removed her objection.   There being no further                                                               
objection, Version S was before the committee.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR ZULKOSKY announced HB 89 was held over.