02/14/2022 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

         HB 295-DENTIST SPEC. LICENSE/RADIOLOGIC EQUIP                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:17:57 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS announced that the  first order of business would                                                               
be  HOUSE BILL  NO.  295, "An  Act relating  to  the practice  of                                                               
dentistry;  relating   to  dental  radiological   equipment;  and                                                               
providing for an effective date."                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:18:09 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS  opened public testimony  on HB 295,  then closed                                                               
it after ascertaining that no one wished to testify.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:18:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY, in relation  to the fiscal note, inquired                                                               
about the  number of  dentists currently  under the  direction of                                                               
the Board of Dental Examiners.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:19:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVID  LOGAN, DDS,  Executive  Director,  Alaska Dental  Society,                                                               
replied that there are about 550 dentists.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCCARTY  asked how  many  of  those dentists  are                                                               
specialists that could fit under this new proposal.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
DR. LOGAN responded that it is about 120-150.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY  observed that  [the analysis  sections in                                                               
fiscal  notes  HB295-DCCED-CBPL-02-04-22 and  HB295-DOH-LABS-2-4-                                                               
2022]  state  that  the   responsibility  for  inspecting  dental                                                               
radiological equipment would  be moved [from the  Board of Dental                                                               
Examiners in the Department of  Commerce, Community, and Economic                                                               
Development (DCCED)]  to the [Division  of Public Health]  in the                                                               
Department of Health and Social Services  (DHSS).  He asked why a                                                               
large chunk of funds is still requested for DCCED personnel.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:21:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SARA CHAMBERS, Director, Division  of Corporations, Business, and                                                               
Professional  Licensing, Department  of Commerce,  Community, and                                                               
Economic  Development  (DCCED), spoke  to  the  fiscal note  from                                                               
DCCED.    She  answered  that the  legislature  would  be  moving                                                               
responsibility to DHSS  for a program [within  DCCED] that exists                                                               
in  statute but  does not  exist in  practicality.   There is  no                                                               
effort,  staff  time,  nor  expenditure   on  this  program,  she                                                               
continued, so no  staff time is being freed up  for this program.                                                               
The specialty  license portion  of the  bill would  add licensure                                                               
for  about 150  people at  any number  of specialties  that could                                                               
exist.    The additional  new  licenses,  complexity, and  volume                                                               
could not be  managed by the one person in  DCCED who manages the                                                               
Board of Dental Examiners.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCCARTY  recalled previous statements  [during the                                                               
bill's 2/9/22 hearing]  that the dentists would be  paying for an                                                               
examiner to come inspect their  equipment.  He therefore inquired                                                               
about the projection of zero revenue on the DHSS fiscal note.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:23:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JAYME PARKER,  MD, Chief, Alaska  State Public  Health Laboratory                                                               
Fairbanks, Division  of Public Health,  Department of  Health and                                                               
Social Services (DHSS), replied that  during the initial year the                                                               
lab would need implementation time to  get its house in order and                                                               
to  hire  another Radiological  Health  [Physicist]  1 plus  some                                                               
administrative  help.   Recruiting  and  hiring  someone in  that                                                               
position  will take  about  four months,  she  explained, so  the                                                               
general funds request is reduced [for  fiscal year 2023].  In the                                                               
following fiscal  years, the "I/A  Receipts" line is  coming from                                                               
DCCED  and represents  the fees  that  would be  charged for  the                                                               
number of devices to be registered.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCCARTY asked  why  no revenue  is projected  for                                                               
fiscal years  2026, 2027, and  2028 if  equipment is going  to be                                                               
examined during those years.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DR. PARKER replied  that the I/A Receipts line of  224.2 would be                                                               
the total fees  collected that would support  those two positions                                                               
and the resources they would need to complete that job.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:24:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:24 p.m. to 3:25 pm.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:25:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR FIELDS  noted that  the question  had been  resolved and                                                               
that no amendments were received for the bill.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:26:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ moved  to report HB 295 out  of committee with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
There  being no  objection, HB  295 was  reported from  the House                                                               
Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.