03/12/2021 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

        HB  99-PHYSICAL/OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY BD/PRACTICE                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:23:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SPOHNHOLZ announced  that  the next  order of  business                                                               
would  be HOUSE  BILL  NO.  99, "An  Act  relating  to the  State                                                               
Physical Therapy and Occupational  Therapy Board; relating to the                                                               
practice of  physical therapy;  and relating  to the  practice of                                                               
occupational therapy."                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:24:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ opened public testimony on HB 99.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:24:32 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SCOTTY  ORR,  Legislative   Chair,  Alaska  Occupational  Therapy                                                               
Association, testified  in support of HB  99.  He shared  that he                                                               
is the  former president of  the association.  He  reflected that                                                               
in addition  to balancing  out the  licensure board  by including                                                               
three physical  therapists and  three occupational  therapists on                                                               
the  board. HB  99 would  also  help streamline  the process  for                                                               
people  who are  educated  in  a country  outside  of the  United                                                               
States,  whether they  speak English  or not.   Currently,  if an                                                               
English-speaking, foreign-educated  applicant tries to  apply for                                                               
licensure in Alaska,  the applicant would be required  to take an                                                               
English  proficiency exam,  even considering  that the  applicant                                                               
may have  been educated in another  English-speaking country such                                                               
as Canada or England.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ  added that the  committee supports  making it                                                               
easier for individuals to get licensed if they are qualified.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:25:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LEEANNE CARROTHERS,  Government Affairs Liaison,  Alaska Physical                                                               
Therapy  Association,  noted  that the  Alaska  Physical  Therapy                                                               
("PT")  Association   which  represents  450   licensed  physical                                                               
therapists  and assistants  in  Alaska.   She  declared that  the                                                               
Alaska PT  Association supports  HB 99 and  thinks that  the bill                                                               
would  provide many  needed language  and terminology  changes to                                                               
the  existing statutes.   This  would bring  Alaska in  line with                                                               
current national  standards and  terminology. She added  that the                                                               
bill would appropriately remove the  physician from the board and                                                               
add   an   occupational   therapist,   which   would   make   the                                                               
representation  of physical  and occupational  therapists on  the                                                               
board  equal.   She noted  that the  association is  particularly                                                               
happy  to  see the  proposed  changes  to language  referring  to                                                               
physical therapist  assistants.  She explained  that currently in                                                               
Alaska,  physical   therapist  assistants  are  referred   to  as                                                               
physical therapy  assistants, which  is a  term that  hasn't been                                                               
used nationwide since 1969.  She  said that the bill would update                                                               
terminology referring to educational  accrediting bodies and also                                                               
give the  board the freedom to  maintain approval in case  one of                                                               
the names of the accrediting  bodies changes without a subsequent                                                               
change in statute.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:28:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KEITH POORBAUGH,  State Licensing Board for  Physical Therapy and                                                               
Occupational Therapy, testified in support  of HB 99, which would                                                               
modernize  Alaska  standards and  bring  them  in line  with  the                                                               
national standards.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:29:23 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
NANCY LOVERING, Alaska Speech  and Hearing Association, testified                                                               
in  support  of HB  99.    She  echoed  the remarks  of  previous                                                               
testifiers and said that the  proposed changes would align Alaska                                                               
with  national standards  and terminology  for both  occupations.                                                               
She  added that  it would  also allow  physical and  occupational                                                               
therapists to work independently  without needing the supervision                                                               
of a physician.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
4:30:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JULIE  AMENT, Physical  Therapist, North  Pole Physical  Therapy,                                                               
said  that she  has been  in practice  in her  own clinic  for 22                                                               
years, and  she supports the passage  of HB 99.   She shared that                                                               
she has  worked to achieve additional  education while practicing                                                               
and said  that Alaska's laws  should stay  current as well.   She                                                               
stated  that she  agrees  with the  addition  of an  occupational                                                               
therapist  on  the Board  of  Physical  Therapy and  Occupational                                                               
Therapy.   She shared that she  also agrees with the  proposal to                                                               
update language  in existing statutes and  remove the requirement                                                               
for an  English language proficiency test  for individuals coming                                                               
to the United States from  other English-speaking countries.  She                                                               
gave an example  of a physical therapist she worked  with who was                                                               
trained  in Scotland  but still  had  to do  an English  language                                                               
proficiency assessment.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:32:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MEGHAN  PUDELER,  State  Affairs Manager,  American  Occupational                                                               
Therapy  Association,   noted  that  the   American  Occupational                                                               
Therapy   Association  (AOTA)   is   the  national   professional                                                               
organization  representing the  interests  of  more than  213,000                                                               
occupational  therapists, students  of occupational  therapy, and                                                               
occupational  therapy  assistants.     She  continued  that  AOTA                                                               
strongly supports the role of  state government in regulating the                                                               
practice of  occupational therapy.   She expressed that  AOTA has                                                               
diligently  advocated for  state occupational  therapy laws  with                                                               
the  same   three  core   licensure  requirements:     successful                                                               
completion  of academic  requirements of  an educational  program                                                               
for occupational therapists and  assistants that is accredited by                                                               
the  Accreditation  Council  for Occupational  Therapy  Education                                                               
(ACOTE?);  successful   competition  of  supervised   field  work                                                               
experience; and the passing of  the entry-level examination.  She                                                               
shared  her   understanding  that   HB  99  proposes   to  revise                                                               
qualifications  for  licensing  for occupational  therapists  and                                                               
assistants   by   removing   from   state   statutes   names   of                                                               
organizations   that   exercise  certification   (indisc.)   over                                                               
occupational  therapy, and  clarifying  requirements of  foreign-                                                               
educated  applicants.   By making  these changes,  she continued,                                                               
the  bill will  be removing  obsolete language.   She  echoed the                                                               
sentiments  of  previous  testifiers  by  saying  that  she  also                                                               
supports the  replacement of a  physician on the  licensure board                                                               
with   an   occupational   therapist  or   occupational   therapy                                                               
assistant.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:34:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DANIEL MARKELS, State Affairs  Manager, American Physical Therapy                                                               
Association,  stated   that  he   was  called   from  Alexandria,                                                               
Virginia, to testify  on behalf of the  American Physical Therapy                                                               
Association (APTA) in  support of HB 99.  He  echoed the comments                                                               
from previous testifiers  that the proposed bill  is an important                                                               
modernization,  and  said  that  replacing a  physician  with  an                                                               
occupational therapist  or assistant on the  licensure board, and                                                               
adding language  regarding the  board's disciplinary  actions are                                                               
examples of the improvements proposed by  HB 99.  He concluded by                                                               
urging the committee to pass HB 99.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:36:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SPOHNHOLZ, after  ascertaining  that there  was no  one                                                               
else who wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 99                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
[HB 99 was set aside and taken  up again later for the purpose of                                                               
a motion.]                                                                                                                      
        HB 99-PHYSICAL/OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY BD/PRACTICE                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:42:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR  SPOHNHOLZ announced  that  the next  order of  business                                                               
would be a return  to HOUSE BILL NO. 99, "An  Act relating to the                                                               
State Physical  Therapy and Occupational Therapy  Board; relating                                                               
to  the  practice  of  physical  therapy;  and  relating  to  the                                                               
practice of occupational therapy."                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:42:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SCHRAGE  moved to  report HB  99 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  There  being no objection, HB 99 was  reported out of the                                                               
House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.