Legislature(2025 - 2026)BARNES 124
04/25/2025 09:00 AM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Board of Veterinary Examiners | |
| HB178 | |
| Board of Veterinary Examiners | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 193 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 192 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 178 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
[Contains discussion of HB 121 and SB 54.]
9:10:57 AM
CO-CHAIR HALL announced that the first order of business would
be confirmation hearings on the governor's appointees to various
boards.
9:11:20 AM
DONOVAN NEAL, Appointee, Board of Public Accountancy, testified
as appointee to the Board of Public Accountancy. He began his
testimony by stating he has been a licensed Certified Public
Accountant (CPA) for 25 years, noting that he has spent 10 years
in public accounting and another 15 years "in industry." He
further stated that he has participated on a few non-profit
boards, which were notated on his resume that had been provided
to the committee members. He welcomed questions from the
committee.
9:12:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what APICDA stood for, referring to
Mr. Neal's resume.
MR. NEAL explained that it stood for Aleutian Pribilof Island
Community Development Association, which was a non-profit
community development quota (CDQ) group that is focused on the
Bering Sea region.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER, referring to HB 121, asked Mr. Neal's
opinion on the proposed legislation.
MR. NEAL explained that, at one point in the public accounting
area, there were a lot of candidates and a lot of competition
for jobs. He stated that, in recent years, its been more
difficult to attract qualified candidates to the CPA profession.
He noted that HB 121 was a part of a nationwide movement in
efforts to reduce the additional requirement to attract more
applicants to the CPA profession.
9:14:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE COULOMBE asked what issues Mr. Neal foresees that
would need to be addressed by the Board of Public Accountancy.
MR. NEAL noted that the board meets four times annually, and
oversees a number of things, including applications for new
accountancy, regulation changes, and alternative pathways to CPA
licensure. He stated that the board also looks at application
renewals.
9:16:27 AM
JAMES DOUGHTY, Appointee, Board of Public Accountancy, He stated
that he started in public accounting in 2006 after receiving his
bachelor's in accounting from the University of Alaska Anchorage
(UAA). He stated that he became a CPA in 2009. He noted that
he has worked for corporations, government clients, non-profits
organizations, et cetera. He stated that he looked forward to
tackling various issues as a member of the board, noting that
the proposed changing credit requirements for CPA was the
primary reason that he applied for the board. He stated that he
would like to see the proposed changing credit requirements pass
the legislature, noting that there was a nationwide shortage of
CPAs.
9:17:37 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether Mr. Doughty found the
disclosure requirements for his application to the board
onerous.
MR. DOUGHTY replied that he found the application process easy.
9:18:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK asked for clarification whether his
application was for appointment or re-appointment.
MR. DOUGHTY clarified that this was his initial application.
9:18:45 AM
MARY ELKINS, Appointee, Board of Professional Counselors,
testified as an appointee to the Board of Professional
Counselors. She stated that she had applied to the board to
ensure that Alaska's counseling regulations reflect the work "on
the ground."
9:19:22 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether this was a re-appointment.
MS. ELKINS explained that she was appointed in June [2025].
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what issues she saw facing the
mental health industry in Alaska.
MS. ELKINS replied that the industry was changing significantly,
particularly with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI).
She asserted that there was a great need for increased access to
mental healthcare, reporting that there are underserved clients
through Medicaid. She further asserted that private health
insurance plans are challenging, noting that, while mental
health care should be a weekly or twice weekly appointment, many
private health insurance plans offer coverage capping at a few
times a year.
9:21:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK asked for the term length on the Board of
Professional Counselors.
MS. ELKINS stated that she thought it was a two- or three-year
term.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK noted that Ms. Elkins' resume was very
robust, seeming to serve in a lot of positions simultaneously in
the last decade. She asked how the Board of Professional
Counselors would fit into Ms. Elkins' life.
MS. ELKINS acknowledged that she was very busy but stated that
she did not find it difficult to juggle many roles. She noted
that her roles were concurrent, stating that she was the CEO of
her business, and that she additionally started a community
behavioral health clinic.
MS. ELKINS, in response to a follow-up question from
Representative Carrick, identified "providing guidance and
supervision" to help individuals become "fantastic counselors"
as her number one role.
9:24:37 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked Ms. Elkins opinion on the
integration of behavioral health providers in public school and
further asked her to identify any regulations in need of change
with regards to behavioral health services in Alaska.
MS. ELKINS opined that the present of behavioral health
professionals in schools was very important. She identified the
COVID-19 pandemic as very impactful on children, noting that
access to mental health professionals would be very helpful.
She stated that behavioral health services needed to be
expanded. She noted that she would like to see private
insurances cover what is typically covered under Medicaid.
9:27:16 AM
CRYSTAL HERRING, Appointee, Board of Professional Counselors,
testified as an appointee to the Board of Professional
Counselors. She stated that she was originally from
Mississippi, and she has lived in Alaska for the past 24 years.
She stated that she had been in the counseling profession for
about 28 years, and that she had been a licensed professional
counselor (LPC) in Alaska since 2013. She identified keeping up
with current practices and making regulatory changes as needed
as goals in the name of serving her community.
9:28:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what challenges Ms. Herring saw in
the mental health industry.
MS. HERRING replied that she agreed with Ms. Elkins on the
regulation of AI technology, noting that AI had a large impact
on the mental health field as it was heavily unregulated and
there was a lot of concern about confidentiality.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether Ms. Herring's appointment
was a re-appointment.
MS. HERRING replied that her appointment was new and that she
had never served on a board.
9:31:26 AM
ASHLEY MARTIN, Appointee, Board of Professional Counselors, She
stated that she has been in the behavioral health field for the
past 17 years, noting that she received her LPC in 2019. She
reported that past experience included work in both inpatient
and outpatient substance use treatment programs, and a mental
health crisis recovery center. She stated that, through her
current position as a behavioral health officer at Catholic
Social Services, she helps homeless individuals and individuals
who reside at shelters. She emphasized the importance of
qualify supervision for individuals working towards their LPCs
and stated that she hoped to be a part of "retaining quality
counselors for my community."
9:32:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what Ms. Martin saw as the biggest
issues facing the behavioral health industry.
MS. MARTIN replied that lack of counselors was a problem in
Alaska. She offered her agreement with previous appointees on
changing technologies and the potential impacts on the mental
health profession. She additionally spoke to barriers to
access, such as lack of transportation in rural areas, as an
issue.
MS. MARTIN, in response to a follow-up question from
Representative Saddler, stressed the importance of allowing
licenses to transfer upon relocation to Alaska.
9:35:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK asked what the board was doing to
communicate with and address regional issues in Alaska, noting
that every appointee to the Board of Professional Counselors was
located in Anchorage, Alaska.
MS. MARTIN emphasized access to supervision in their region
while earning their license. She noted that new graduates in
rural areas may not have a licensed supervisor in their area.
9:37:51 AM
CARRIE-ELAINE BORDER, Appointee, Board of Professional
Counselors, testified as an appointee to the Board of
Professional Counselors. She stated that she has 14 years of
experience in the mental health field, with 7 years of
experience as a supervisory LPC. She further stated that she
had 16 years of experience with medical billing, noting that she
was a Medicare and Medicaid billing specialist prior to becoming
a counselor. She said that she had a bachelor's in teaching.
She stated that she had helped with the legislative efforts to
create an Associate Counselor license type, a new license that
allows counselors to practice under supervision as a step
towards LPC.
9:40:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER appreciated Ms. Borders technical
experience and history with medical billing. He asked what
policy changes the legislature should consider to prevent mental
health crises.
MS. BORDER answered that LPCs needed more accountability and
noted that the renewal process was simplistic and did not
provide for actual accountability.
MS. BORDER further stating that blending Medicaid services with
healthcare services to classify what kind of services are being
provided, the cost of actual services, and to whom. She
specified that it was important to identify who had the greatest
need for mental healthcare and quantify the effectiveness of
care.
9:44:29 AM
CO-CHAIR HALL asked what accountability looks like for LPCs.
MS. BORDER replied that accountability means "showing that you
have done what you said you would do."
CO-CHAIR HALL queried the mechanisms by which accountability
could be taken.
MS. BORDER responded that technology could be used to show
progress, and additional paperwork that could be sent to the
Board of Professional Counselors to prove supervision.
9:46:26 AM
ROBERT GERLACH, DVM, Appointee, Board of Veterinary Examiners,
testified as an appointee to the Board of Veterinary Examiners.
He stated that, after receiving his veterinary degree from the
University of Pennsylvania, he practiced in Delaware,
Pennsylvania, and Maryland, primarily on dairy cattle. He
stated that he moved to Anchorage, where he worked in private
practices for 13 years. He stated that he had a background in
physiology and toxicology and began working for the State of
Alaska to study contaminants in fisheries in Alaska. He stated
that he had previously served as the Alaska State Veterinarian
and had worked with the Board of Veterinary Examiners in the
past and was encouraged by the former chair to apply for a
position on the board.
9:50:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether his appointment was a re-
appointment.
DR. GERLACH stated that this would be his initial appointment.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked Dr. Gerlach to comment on Alaska's
readiness to deal with pathogenic diseases of mammalian or avian
origin.
DR. GERLACH stated that, due to the challenges of remote
operations around Alaska, his approach to addressing pathogenic
diseases and outbreaks was highly collaborative with both state
and federal entities the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Department of
Fish & Game (ADF&G). He stated that, as the State Veterinarian,
he and others performed an extensive evaluation of bird flu in
both wild and domestic avian populations in Alaska. He further
explained that his office trained wildlife biologists and
technicians in the appropriate collection of samples, which
avoided travel delays.
DR. GERLACH, in response to a follow-up question from
Representative Saddler, offered his belief that the state was in
good shape to respond to disease outbreaks, and highlighted the
importance of collaboration between state and federal entities.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked for Dr. Gerlach's opinion on the
proposed Department of Agriculture.
DR. GERLACH stated that the Office of the State Veterinarian was
very small, with three staff members, and relies on the
laboratory in the Department of Environment Conservation (DEC)
to provide a number of services for sample processing and
analysis. He stated that the State Veterinary Office also
relies on individuals in DEC and the Food Safety & Sanitation
[Program] to response to outbreaks in agricultural and dairy
products. He stated that these collaborations allow the State
Veterinary Office to provide "a wide variety of services with
efficient use of resources." He said that the State
Veterinarian position was very integrated within DEC. He noted
that moving the position to a new location [with the creation of
the Department of Agriculture] could mean a possible expansion
of staff and it could also provide challenges with regard to
laboratory support and sample handling.
9:55:28 AM
CO-CHAIR HALL thanked Dr. Gerlach for his testimony.
9:56:06 AM
SAMSON SHEPERD, Appointee, State Board of Registration for
Architects, Engineers & Land Surveyors, testified as appointee
to the State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers &
Land Surveyors. He offered his education and work background.
He said he is a small business owner and expressed excitement
about the opportunity to serve the board.
9:56:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER spoke to an effort in legislature [SB 54]
to add interior designers to the board.
MR. SHEPERD stated that he did not have any comment on that
piece of legislation.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what issues Mr. Sheperd saw with
the board.
MR. SHEPERD noted that there appeared to be a lack of appointees
to the board.