Legislature(2017 - 2018)BARNES 124
04/04/2017 08:00 AM House COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB138 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 138 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 138-MARCH: SOBRIETY AWARENESS MONTH
8:08:04 AM
CO-CHAIR FANSLER announced that the only order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 138, "An Act establishing the month of March
as Sobriety Awareness Month."
8:08:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WESTLAKE, as prime sponsor, introduced HB 138.
He paraphrased the sponsor statement, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
House Bill 138 seeks to have the State of Alaska
recognize March as Sobriety Awareness Month. The
purpose of Sobriety Awareness Month is to call
attention to Alaska's aggregate population of
citizens, who practice a positive and healthy non-
consumer lifestyle of any mood/mind altering
substances. Sobriety Awareness Month is an opportunity
for schools, community groups, and other public and
private agencies and individuals to recognize,
appreciate, and celebrate the existence of all
Alaska's citizenry, who by virtue of their freely
chosen lifestyle, serve as Living-Examples-To-The-
Truth (LETTT) that life can be lived and enjoyed
without having to consume mood/mind altering
substances.
Individuals that lead a sober life are an asset to
Alaska in that they can help reduce the incidence of
alcohol or drug related social ills such as crime,
domestic violence, and child abuse & neglect.
Please join me in support of recognizing this valuable
group of Alaskans and their lifestyle.
REPRESENTATIVE WESTLAKE added that the proposed legislation
would designate March of each year as "Sobriety Awareness
Month".
8:09:56 AM
FORREST WOLFE, Staff, Representative Dean Westlake, presented HB
138 on behalf of Representative Westlake, prime sponsor. He
directed attention to a handout in the committee bill packet
providing the language of AS 47.37.010, also known as the
Uniform Alcoholism and Intoxication Act. He cited the first
sentence following the declaration of policy, which read as
follows:
It is the policy of the state to recognize,
appreciate, and reinforce the example set by its
citizens who lead, believe in, and support a life of
sobriety.
MR. WOLFE stated the sponsor's belief is that by permanently
designating March as "Sobriety Awareness Month", HB 138 will
help the State of Alaska "meet this declaration and policy." He
noted that the individual who brought the idea for this
legislation to the attention of Representative Westlake and his
staff was available today to testify. He further observed that
someone from the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS)
was available, as well.
8:11:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked for the definition of "sobriety".
REPRESENTATIVE WESTLAKE answered that it means a life "free of
any substances out there." He said he spoke with people in the
Native village of Eyak, in Cordova, Alaska, in November [2016]
when the community spoke about sobriety and shared how long each
individual had been sober. He indicated that the proposed
legislation recognizes the accomplishments of those who have
maintained sobriety and are role models who know that "you can
pick yourself up." He said the substances include alcohol and
drugs, and sobriety means "getting back integrated without being
dependent ... on anything else other than yourself."
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what the effect would be of state
sobriety awareness month.
REPRESENTATIVE WESTLAKE said he wants to see a statewide
celebration and focus on sobriety, because currently the issue
is in a patchwork of awareness. He proposed that HB 138 is more
than a feel-good bill; it is a do-good bill. It would give
people "a conduit to get out there and celebrate." It would be
recognition of those who have worked toward sobriety, even those
who have fallen and had to find sobriety again.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what changes would be effected
under HB 138.
REPRESENTATIVE WESTLAKE answered that he has no idea, because it
would be "up to the people on how they make that difference."
He added, "I'm hoping ... it's something I never even dreamed
of."
8:14:18 AM
CO-CHAIR FANSLER opened public testimony on HB 138.
8:14:37 AM
GREGORY NOTHSTINE, President, Sobermiut Reviving our Spirit,
testified that he has a history with sobriety awareness, as the
legislation was introduced in the House in 1995. He said there
are citizens in the state who have never consumed any "mind-
altering" beverages and children who have not yet been affected
by [alcohol], cigarettes, or mind-altering substances. He said
the problem has been redefined each year. He mentioned the
"People of Peril" series in the Anchorage Daily News and the
Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Blue Ribbon Council, and he
said the council was asked what the next step should be since
"all these big federally funded programs" were focusing on the
problem of drug and alcohol abuse and helping the public
understand the devastating effects of substance abuse. Mr.
Gregory said the late General Schaeffer (ph), at that time asked
what could be done differently, since the focus on the issue was
not making it go away. One idea was to focus on all the people
who [are sober] and how their influence helps the communities in
which they live. He said these living examples are missed when
the focus is only placed on the problem. He said he thinks HB
138 will help put the focus on those who are choosing sobriety
as a way of life they enjoy and doing so of free will. Mr.
Nothstine stated that there is not social permission for someone
to say, "This is the way of life I choose to live." He
emphasized the need to show the merits of living a healthy
lifestyle.
8:19:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER noted that Mr. Nothstine is part of an
organization that promotes sobriety as a way of life, and he
asked him to describe how HB 138 would help him in his efforts.
MR. NOTHSTINE stated his belief that the proposed legislation
would support any such organization to help the state. He
explained that the state already has a declaration of policy,
but he questioned how many organizations are currently helping
the state to reinforce it. The proposed legislation would put
those organizations in a position to do so.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked the reason why March should be the
month chosen.
MR. NOTHSTINE surmised that it is a kind of follow-up of
numerous past legislation that has been introduced between 1996
and 2005. He mentioned that the AFN gave names [to dogs who
run] the Iditarod, as a way to honor people, and he indicated
that was in March. He said there is already an alcohol
awareness month and "we already know enough about alcohol," yet
there is no focus on people who are sober by choice, and it's an
appropriate time to utilize March as "Sobriety Awareness Month".
8:22:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WESTLAKE said he did not have the statistics to
answer the question. Notwithstanding that, he noted that from
January to April, the Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) is
booked and has to turn people away. He said the suicides are
terrible. He said spring signifies a new beginning, so March
seemed like an appropriate time.
8:24:22 AM
STACY B. TONER, Deputy Director, Division of Behavioral Health,
Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), responded to
Representative Saddler's question about the advantages of
choosing March as the month. She said she could envision the
division formulating sobriety celebrations with the division's
grantees and providers in the community. She said, "We do this
for recovery month in September where we're helping to support
community awareness campaigns and celebrations." She said the
focus would be both on the treatment side as well as on those
communities with coalitions focused on prevention. In response
to a follow-up question, she said recovery month is a federal
initiative, and recovery is the option for those who have had an
issue with drugs or alcohol and have worked to heal from it.
Conversely, sobriety, although it can mean a life in recovery,
is also the choice to be drug, alcohol, or substance-free, and
it can be a choice made by a person before he/she has an issue.
She concluded, "It might be splitting hairs, but they're a
little different."
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what percentage of the division's
work addresses those who do abuse alcohol or drugs.
MS. TONER estimated more than 65 percent. She said API
constitutes a large portion of the division's work. She said
that might be a low number, because there are so many people
with "co-occurring issues."
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked for a rough estimate of how the
state's budget would be affected if half the people currently
addicted to drugs and/or alcohol were no longer so.
MS. TONER answered that the division has a large amount of money
going out of Medicaid to treat people with substance abuse and
mental health issues. She presumed that the savings to the
state in having a state full of sober people would be $80-$100
million. She qualified that her answer is to a question that is
"out there on the edge." She said the opioid epidemic is taking
many lives, and "we haven't even begun to ... touch on how much
impact that's having."
8:29:35 AM
CO-CHAIR FANSLER, after ascertaining that there was no one who
wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 138.
CO-CHAIR FANSLER said HB 138 had been heard twice by the House
Health and Social Services Standing Committee, and he stated his
intention to pass it out of committee today following committee
discussion.
8:30:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER stated that while he sometimes has a
cynical view of what the government can do in people's lives, he
does see that the cost on and damage of people's lives as a
result of drug and alcohol abuse is significant enough that it
would be worthwhile for the state to do everything it can to
"create the social encouragement of a sober lifestyle." He said
peer pressure is often the reason people try alcohol or drugs
for the first time, and he opined that if the state can have an
influence in peer pressure that encourages people to be straight
and sober, then that would be beneficial and the state should do
everything in its power to make that happen.
8:31:37 AM
CO-CHAIR FANSLER stated that he thinks HB 138 is worthwhile and
could save the state money by encouraging people to live a sober
lifestyle and recognizing those who are.
8:32:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND moved to report HB 138 out of committee
with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal
notes. There being no objection, HB 138 was reported out of the
House Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB138 Support Document-Alcoholism and Intoxication Treatment Act.pdf |
HCRA 4/4/2017 8:00:00 AM HHSS 3/7/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 138 |
| HB138 ver D.PDF |
HCRA 4/4/2017 8:00:00 AM HHSS 3/7/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 138 |
| HB138 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HCRA 4/4/2017 8:00:00 AM HHSS 3/7/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 138 |
| HB138 Fiscal Note DHSS-BHA-3.3.17.pdf |
HCRA 4/4/2017 8:00:00 AM HHSS 3/7/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 138 |