Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
04/12/2023 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Construction Tax Fraud | |
| HB149 | |
| HB21 | |
| HB86 | |
| HB88 | |
| HB112 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 149 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 21 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 88 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 112 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 86 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 149-NURSING: LICENSURE; MULTISTATE COMPACT
3:42:50 PM
CHAIR SUMNER announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 149, "An Act relating to the licensure of nursing
professionals; relating to a multistate nurse licensure compact;
and providing for an effective date."
3:43:32 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX, as prime sponsor, introduced HB 149. He
stated that the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) would reduce the
amount of time it takes for a nurse to become licensed in the
state of Alaska. He suggested that this would reduce the number
of vacancies in nursing positions.
3:47:56 PM
RILEY NYE, Staff, Representative Mike Prax, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Prax, prime sponsor,
co-presented a PowerPoint, titled "House Bill 149: Nurse
Licensure Compact" [hard copy included in the committee packet.]
He reiterated that the proposed legislation would reduce the
amount of time for a nurse to become licensed in the state of
Alaska; thus, reducing the number of vacancies in nursing
positions. He continued that it currently takes a minimum of
two or three months for a nurse to become licensed in Alaska.
He voiced that the Alaska Board of Nursing has made all the
changes legally possible to streamline the process without
harming public safety. The Alaska Hospital and Healthcare
Association (AHHA) reported there were approximately 1,500
nursing vacancies in Alaska by the end of 2022.
3:52:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS questioned the effect of increasing the
number of employees in the Department of Commerce, Community,
and Economic Development (DCCED) and whether this would speed up
the process.
3:53:02 PM
SYLVAN ROBB, Director, Division of Corporations, Business and
Professional Licensing, Department of Commerce, Community, and
Economic Development, answered that the division, per the
governor's budget, will be adding 12 more employees, and several
of these positions would be added to the nursing team; however,
this would affect the cost of licensure. She explained that one
of the biggest challenges facing the nursing team is the volume
of nursing licensure applications. In response to a follow-up
question concerning increasing the number of the nursing team,
she answered that there are currently 10 employees on this team,
which is the most of any licensure team.
3:54:52 PM
MR. NYE remained on slide 2 and stated that projections show
that the number of nursing vacancies in Alaska will grow to
approximately 5,000 by the year 2030. Of the seven states
studied, Alaska is projected to have the worst nursing shortage
by this time.
3:55:51 PM
MR. NYE, in response to Representative Saddler, expressed
uncertainty about the number of nurses leaving the state.
MS. ROBB added that the division does not track the places of
employment for nurses.
3:57:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS commented on a study which showed a lack
of evidence concerning NLC reducing nursing shortages, and he
asked whether there are methodological issues with the study.
MS. ROBB answered that the division has received letters of
support from several states indicating that implementing NLC has
been successful. She added that she is unaware of the study
cited by Representative Fields.
3:59:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK, referencing a survey from the Alaska
Board of Nursing, pointed out that 56 percent of the respondents
were Alaska resident nurses. She questioned who these other
nonresident nurses were in the survey.
MS. ROBB answered that the survey was sent to any nurse with an
Alaska license. She discussed the statistics in the survey
[which are addressed in slide 8 and slide 9 of the
presentation]. She stated that 89 percent of those who reside
in Alaska are supportive of the compact. She explained that
nonresident nurses are included in the study because nurses are
required to hold a license in each state they practice in,
including telehealth and teaching. In response to a follow-up
question, she said that residency is not a requirement to
practice in Alaska.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK asked how a compact would increase
opportunities to come practice in Alaska.
MS. ROBB answered that the proposed legislation would eliminate
the need for a separate license when nurses come from out of
state to practice in Alaska; therefore, it would reduce the
amount of time before the nurse could start working.
4:05:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether two or three months is an
excessive amount of time to receive an occupational license.
MS. ROBB answered that the amount of time required to gain a
license varies by profession. She added that two or three
months feels like a long time for individuals waiting to work
and earn wages and for medical facilities that need more nurses.
4:08:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked whether a nurse can hold an NLC
license and an Alaskan license simultaneously.
MS. ROBB answered yes. She added that many nurses who live in
compact states have a compact license and an Alaskan license.
MR. NYE added that nurses who move to Alaska would lose their
ability to hold an NLC license because Alaska is not an NLC
member.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE expressed the understanding that when a
nurse moves to Alaska and acquires a license, if this nurse had
an NLC license, it would be lost.
MS. ROBB answered that holding an NLC license requires a nurse
to be a resident of a member state; however, a nurse living in a
member state who has an NLC license can acquire an Alaskan
license to practice in Alaska.
4:13:05 PM
MR. NYE continued to slide 3, explaining that nurses with an NLC
license can practice in all participating states without the
need to acquire the state's specific licenses. He maintained
that adopting the proposed legislation would allow Alaskan
healthcare facilities to fill more nursing vacancies; thus, the
burden on nurses who already practice in Alaska would be
reduced. He added that being an NLC member state would still
allow the state to retain authority and enforcement abilities
for issues regarding nursing.
4:17:08 PM
MR. NYE moved to slide 4 and gave examples of the benefits of
NLC for Alaska. He explained that the Alaska Board of Nursing
would still retain authority and jurisdiction for the practice
of nursing in the state. He said that Alaska would become a
more friendly environment for nurses and eliminate the costly
and time-consuming process of acquiring additional licenses.
4:19:56 PM
MS. ROBB, co-presenting the PowerPoint presentation, continued
to slide 5 and gave additional facts about NLC. She reiterated
that Alaska would not lose sovereignty. She expressed the
opinion that NLC's requirements are stringent and passing NLC
would not have a negative impact on public health and safety.
She remarked that Alaska currently does not track licensed
nurses; therefore, there should be no concerns regarding the
inability to track nurses practicing under NLC. She expressed
the opinion that NLC in Alaska would result in quicker
processing for licensure applications, which could result in
lower licensing fees in the future.
4:27:17 PM
MS. ROBB displayed a chart on slide 6 which compared the current
state qualifications, per statute, for nurse licensure with the
NLC qualifications. She expressed the opinion that the
requirements set forth by the compact would not create safety
concerns because there is the same level of required
qualifications.
4:29:34 PM
MS. ROBB moved to slide 7 and slide 8, pointing out that other
NLC member states describe membership as an essential tool for
retention and recruitment. She said that 39 states have enacted
NLC, with an additional 9 states having pending legislation.
4:32:28 PM
MS. ROBB continued to slide 8 and slide 9 which displayed the
supporters of NLC in the state, including the Alaska Board of
Nursing. She pointed out the results from the survey sent by
the Alaska Board of Nursing to approximately 16,000 licensed
nurses in Alaska. Of these, 3,573 responses were received, with
3,259 nurses, or 92 percent, in favor of joining NLC. For
nurses with a primary residence in Alaska, 89 percent were in
favor. She displayed a list of over 75 organizations which have
also expressed support for Alaska becoming a member of NLC.
CHAIR SUMNER noted that the presentation would be continued
during a future hearing.
[HB 149 was held over.]