04/26/2024 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

         HB 298-ALCOHOL WARNING SIGNS ON LIC. PREMISES                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:34:27 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SUMNER announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL  NO. 298, "An Act  relating to the posting  of warning                                                               
signs for  alcoholic beverages."  [Before the committee  was CSHB
(HSS).]                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:34:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SUMNER opened public testimony on HB 298.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:34:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
NOELLE  LOCONTE, PhD,  Faculty  Member,  Division of  Hematology,                                                               
Medical Oncology,  and Palliative  Care, Department  of Medicine,                                                               
University of  Wisconsin, testified  in support of  HB 298.   She                                                               
stated the awareness among Americans  and physicians that alcohol                                                               
is a  carcinogen is low.   She said the bill  would help increase                                                               
awareness of the connection between alcohol and cancer.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:36:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ROXANNE  JONES,  Family  Physician,   Alaska  Academy  of  Family                                                               
Physicians,  testified in  support of  HB 298.   She  stated that                                                               
reminders  of  healthy  behaviors  cannot only  be  done  in  the                                                               
doctor's  office, adding  that individuals  spend  far more  time                                                               
outside of  that setting.   She opined that the  signage proposed                                                               
in HB 298 would help.   She shared several relevant statistics on                                                               
alcohol  use  and  the  efficacy of  signage  for  public  health                                                               
efforts.  She  added that as a doctor herself,  she was not aware                                                               
of the  extent of the  carcinogenic effect of alcohol  until this                                                               
bill was introduced.  She reiterated her support for HB 298.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:38:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SUMNER closed  public testimony  on HB  298 and  announced                                                               
that the bill would be held over.