05/01/2025 03:15 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

           HB 138-BEH. HEALTH CRISIS SURCHARGE & FUND                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:24:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MINA  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  138, "An  Act establishing  a behavioral  health                                                               
crisis  services surcharge;  establishing  the behavioral  health                                                               
crisis services fund; and providing for an effective date."                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:24:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SUSANNA MARCHUK,  Executive Director, Careline  Alaska, testified                                                               
in support  of HB  138.   She described  Careline Alaska  and the                                                               
resources  they  provide  to individuals  contemplating  suicide.                                                               
She  said that  Careline  Alaska employs  only Alaska  residents,                                                               
emphasizing their ability to understand  the unique mental health                                                               
challenges of living in Alaska.   She also described the training                                                               
that Careline Alaska responders receive.   She said that Careline                                                               
Alaska   collaborates   with   other  agencies,   including   911                                                               
responders and  local tribal authorities.   She said that  HB 138                                                               
is a  lifeline that  would ensure that  no Alaskan  experiences a                                                               
crisis alone.   She  emphasized that HB  138 would  keep Careline                                                               
Alaska alive and expanding.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:28:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MARCHUK,  in  response   to  questions  from  Representative                                                               
Fields, said  that in  urban areas,  mental health  resources are                                                               
more readily available, but Careline Alaska will provide follow-                                                                
up services  to any  caller for  as long  as their  crisis lasts.                                                               
She said that  her team is very creative and  has supported high-                                                               
risk  callers until  the proper  level of  care is  available for                                                               
them.    She  emphasized  that   her  team  will  incorporate  an                                                               
individual's  support   network  in  their  own   community  when                                                               
necessary.  She  said that Careline Alaska  has been grant-funded                                                               
in  the past  and  is  now funded  through  a  contract with  the                                                               
Department of Health (DOH) and  the Division of Behavioral Health                                                               
(DBH).                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:31:50 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MARCHUK,  in   response  to  a  series   of  questions  from                                                               
Representative Prax,  said that Careline Alaska  does not require                                                               
formalized  education  to   work  for  the  call   center.    She                                                               
emphasized the  value of peer-support in  her line of work.   She                                                               
said that Careline  Alaska partners with Alaska 211  so that they                                                               
can  connect  callers  to  all  information  in  the  Alaska  211                                                               
database.  She emphasized that  all the information in the Alaska                                                               
211  database is  available to  Careline Alaska  employees, which                                                               
can be forwarded to callers.   She said that 911 call centers can                                                               
directly transfer  calls to  Careline Alaska  call centers.   She                                                               
said  that  most calls  Careline  Alaska  receives are  connected                                                               
through 988, rather than 911.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:36:37 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MARCHUK,  in  response to  a  question  from  Representative                                                               
Schwanke, said  that she has  some statistics on the  location of                                                               
where calls  to Careline Alaska  come from, but the  majority are                                                               
from private or  blocked phone numbers.  She said  she can follow                                                               
up with the data she does have.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:37:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MINA   opened  public   testimony  on   HB  138.     After                                                               
ascertaining there was  no one who wished to  testify, she closed                                                               
public testimony.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:38:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  PRAX asked  what the  next committee  of referral                                                               
would be for HB 138.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
KATY GIORGIO, Staff, Representative  Genevieve Mina, Alaska State                                                               
Legislature,  on behalf  of Representative  Mina, prime  sponsor,                                                               
responded that  the House Labor  and Commerce  Standing Committee                                                               
would be the next committee of referral for HB 138.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX  responded that the committee  should clarify                                                               
some  details regarding  the funds  associated with  HB 138  with                                                               
legislative legal services first.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:39:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  GIORGIO responded  that she  did request  a legal  memo from                                                               
legislative  legal services,  but  she does  not  believe HB  138                                                               
would create  a dedicated  fund.  She  directed the  committee to                                                               
subsections (h) also (g) to clarify this point.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:40:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE  said that he has  a lingering question,                                                               
which would be better addressed by  the next committee.  He asked                                                               
if HB  138 would best be  administered under the Tax  Division or                                                               
the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA).                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:40:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MINA deferred to Mr. Spanos.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:41:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BRANDON  SPANOS, Deputy  Director,  Tax  Division, Department  of                                                               
Revenue,  responded   that  RCA  does  not   administer  the  911                                                               
surcharge,  which he  was previously  unaware of.   He  said that                                                               
they  would  not  be  more efficient  at  administering  the  988                                                               
surcharge  than  the Tax  Division,  so  the Tax  Division  would                                                               
administer it.   He said  that the 911 surcharge  is administered                                                               
by individual municipalities across the state.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:43:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  SPANOS,   in  response  to  questions   from  Representative                                                               
Schwanke,  said that  he does  not know  who administers  the 911                                                               
surcharge in areas of Alaska without a municipality.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:43:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS.  GIORGIO  responded   that  she  also  does   not  have  that                                                               
information available.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:44:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:44 p.m. to 3:45p.m.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:45:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MINA expressed  interest in changing the  effective date of                                                               
HB 138  currently stated on  page 4, line 14  to 2026.   She said                                                               
that she would  work on having that date changed  under the House                                                               
Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:46:15 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MEARS 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 Health and Social Services Standing Committee.