Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
05/03/2022 03:30 PM Senate STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Pacific Dataport | |
| HB297 | |
| HB234 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 234 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 297 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
HB 297-MILITARY MEMBER CHILD PROTECTION
4:23:39 PM
CHAIR SHOWER announced the consideration of CS FOR HOUSE BILL
NO. 297(HSS)(title am) "An Act relating to the duties of the
Department of Family and Community Services; relating to child
protection; and relating to children of active duty military
members."
4:23:55 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GRIER HOPKINS, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau,
Alaska, sponsor of HB 297, stated that the US Department of
Defense (DoD) recommends this legislation to all states that
have military personnel and bases within their boundaries. It
provides proof that the state is supporting the military
families already residing in the state and that it will continue
to do so for those families that arrive in the future. He noted
that the bill was drafted in close consultation with the
Fairbanks Tiger Team, which is a military advocacy organization.
He explained that if the Office of Children's Services (OCS)
needs to take any action involving a military family, HB 297
requires that action to be reported to the local designated
authority within the Department of Defense (DoD). In Alaska
those individuals reside at Fort Wainwright and JBER. Both are
licensed social workers that work in the Family Advocacy
Program. He noted that the seven day timeline for DoD to be
notified was carefully negotiated with OCS.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS stated that HB 297 ensures that military
families are able to access the support services provided on a
base. Further, any paperwork OCS has given to DoD will be
forwarded when the military family moves to another state. This
information is confidential and kept separate from the military
member's service record.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS concluded saying that HB 297 will help
ensure that Alaska continues to be a good place for those in
service to work and raise a family.
4:28:47 PM
TANYA CLUCAS, Staff, Representative Grier Hopkins, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, advised that the DoD State Liaison
Office identified 10 key issues for all states to work on in
2022. The DoD looks at the responses to these issues when it
makes decisions about placing bases and whether or not the state
is promoting the mission of DoD. She reported Alaska's status as
of last week:
• Military spouse licensure is in the process of being
advanced.
• Purple Star Schools Program, the policy has passed.
• Child abuse identification and reporting is being addressed
in HB 297. The sponsor is working with DoD and the state to
ensure that Alaska is demonstrating its commitment to its
military partners so it continues to be a good place to
live, work, and serve.
4:30:38 PM
MS. CLUCAS reviewed the information bulleted on slide 3:
Child Abuse Identification and Reporting Policy Status
• Child Abuse Reporting is one of the ten key
issues the Department of Defense advocates for
across the nation
• This initiative is part of the Department of
Defense's efforts to identify and address the
most pressing needs of service members and
military families
• DoD is required to address child abuse in
military families, but with 70% of active-duty
families living in civilian communities, service
officials are often unaware of problems
MS. CLUCAS reviewed the data on slides 4 and 5:
Military Children in Alaska
• Alaska has ~180,000 children, of which over 10% are
military dependents, with caregivers who are active
duty or in the National Guard or Reserves
• Alaska ranks 16th in the USA for rates of
reported child abuse
• Since 2003 the reported child abuse in military
families has outpaced reported abuse for the
civilian population, coinciding with increased
deployments and overseas operations
Collaboration and Coordination of Services
• States have the statutory authority and legal
responsibility to address child welfare issues
for children in their states
• The Department of Defense's Family Advocacy
Program has the responsibility to prevent and
identify abuse and provide services for affected
youth and children
• The State of Alaska and DOD already coordinate.
However, mandating a reporting requirement and
the authority to report will ensure that there's
not unintended impediments to coordination
• Creation of a reporting requirement and the
authority to report will allow for a better
quality of care and consistent rehabilitative
services for families
• This improved continuum of care will help our
military families receive the services they need
to stay healthy and together
• Having these laws in place helps improve Alaska's
national ranking when the Department of Defense
is deciding where to place future deployments and
infrastructure
4:32:42 PM
SENATOR COSTELLO asked what happens to the information from OCS
that is placed in a confidential file.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS explained that the reports that OCS
provides go to the Family Advocacy Program (FAP) on a regionally
designated base. A specifically designated individual in FAP
receives the report and works through a process that involves
meeting with the member's superior officer and military
physicians. He deferred further explanation to Tammie Perreault.
4:33:53 PM
TAMMIE PERREAULT, Northwest Regional Liaison, Defense-State
Liaison Office, U.S. Department of Defense, Washington, D.C.,
confirmed that the information is given to a designated
individual in the Family Advocacy Program office at each
designated installation. The information can also be provided to
other partners on the installation that provide support to
military families. She deferred to the DoD representative on the
phone if the committee wanted more detail on the process.
SENATOR COSTELLO asked, once the information is passed to the
base, whether the family would then be going through two
processes, one with OCS and the other with the military.
MS. PERREAULT relayed that DoD has a requirement to provide
wraparound services for military families for such things as new
parent support, medical care, and counseling. OCS coordinates
but DoD actually provides this additional support.
SENATOR COSTELLO asked if other states have this agreement and
how it has worked out.
MS. PERREAULT answered that 31 states have this in statute.
Several years ago it became a requirement to coordinate with
states to ensure that DoD was getting the necessary information
about potential child abuse and neglect cases to ensure the
families get the services and support they need. Sometimes it's
not a wraparound service that's needed; it may be that the
family needs a cooling off period. The airman or soldier can be
taken to the installation to provide that needed separation.
This legislation supports the memorandum of understanding that
states may have in place and if there isn't an MOU, the
legislation provides the basis to ensure the coordination.
4:38:19 PM
CHAIR SHOWER relayed his experience that it didn't matter who
controlled this type of information, the member's commanding
officer will know about it and it will affect the service
member's career. He then asked what the threshold is for OCS to
file a report with DoD.
MS. PERREAULT deferred the question to the DoD representative.
4:40:09 PM
JENNIFER FRYSZ, LCSW, Social Worker, Family Advocacy Program
(FAP), Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska,
explained that DoD defines family maltreatment as behavior that
includes bullying, berating, exposure to domestic violence,
threats of suicide, threats of self-harm, threats of harming
each other, and threats that alter somebody's ability to
function on a regular basis or rising to a level where somebody
experiences fear. The four categories covered by those
definitions are physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect. Any
interaction that falls within this definition will be reported.
If children are in the home and the Department of Public Safety
(DPS) responds, the FAP office will have a conversation with DPS
to determine whether or not it reached that federal definition.
She said a police officer who responds to a home but does not
make an arrest may or may not notify the commanding officer. If
the commander is notified the family advocacy office will
receive the report, but it may not be screened in and assigned
to a case manager. To the question of false reporting, she said
they rely on the information and assessment from the people or
persons who responded to the home, what was alleged to have
happened, and the documentation involved.
4:43:04 PM
CHAIR SHOWER asked her to forward that to the committee for the
record.
SENATOR REINBOLD expressed her lack of trust and concern with
OCS and her preference for programs that support families rather
than splitting them up.
She asked why the bill didn't pass previously and whether the
sponsor had contacted former Representative Tammie Wilson.
4:45:09 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS said he shares her concerns about OCS and
SB 297 is important to ensure that it is not the only avenue for
these families to receive services. Rather, the bill will ensure
they are able to work through the military system to receive the
wrap around services that were described earlier. The bill
didn't pass when it was initially introduced in 2020 because of
the early adjournment due to COVID-19. He acknowledged that his
office had not spoken to former Representative Tammie Wilson who
introduced the bill in 2020.
CHAIR SHOWER expressed his desire to hear from former
Representative Tammie Wilson.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS agreed to reach out.
4:47:16 PM
SENATOR KAWASAKI noted that OCS collaborates with DoD and the
Family Advocacy Program. He asked whether FAP coordinates with
OCS as a mandatory reporter.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS deferred the question.
4:48:00 PM
MS. FRYSZ answered that every Family Advocacy Program follows
the mandatory reporting requirements in the state in which the
office resides. FAP is a mandatory reporter in Alaska and they
follow that law. She acknowledged the concerns about OCS and
said it may help to know that when FAP screens and assigns a
case manager, they not only talk to OCS, but also to the
troopers, the police department, attorneys, and the command.
After that they sit down formally with a board that uses a DoD
logarithm to make a determination without bias. She posited that
knowing the entire process should relieve some of the concern
about relying on OCS.
SENATOR KAWASAKI cited data that showed that just a small
percentage of cases rise to the investigation level and fewer
yet need to go through the entire process. He asked whether DoD
had a similar experience.
MS. FRYSZ responded that the FAP office at JBER receives 600
referrals a year and just 300 may be screened in. Of those 300
cases, there may be one-fourth that go to the board and meet the
criteria to keep the case open and clinical treatment is
recommended for the family. It's important to receive the
reports from OCS to ensure the appropriate action is taken and
that the required wraparound services are provided.
4:52:21 PM
CHAIR SHOWER opened public testimony on HB 297; finding none, he
closed public testimony.
4:52:47 PM
CHAIR SHOWER held HB 297 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB297 Slides.pptx |
SSTA 5/3/2022 3:30:00 PM |
HB 297 |
| PACIFIC DATAPORT BACKGROUND.pdf |
SSTA 5/3/2022 3:30:00 PM |
|
| Tribal Letters to Sec. Raimondo - Combo File.pdf |
SSTA 5/3/2022 3:30:00 PM |
|
| PDI - Connecting Rural Alaska - AK Senate Rural Affairs 5.3.22.pdf |
SSTA 5/3/2022 3:30:00 PM |