03/28/2018 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

        HB 353-MARITAL & FAMILY THERAPY LIC. & SERVICES                                                                     
                                                                                                                              
4:21:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KITO  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO. 353, "An Act  relating to the licensure of marital                                                               
and  family  therapists;  relating   to  medical  assistance  for                                                               
marital  and family  therapists' services;  and providing  for an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:21:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL moved to adopt the  CS to HB 253 as a working                                                               
document.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KITO objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:21:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CAITLYN  ELLIS,  Staff,  Representative Sam  Kito,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, presented the  changes from Version A  to Version O.                                                               
She  indicated the  changes  simplify  the bill.    She said  the                                                               
language regarding total hours has  been clarified to 1,700 total                                                               
hours.  She said in Section 2  a provision has been deleted.  She                                                               
said the  previous Sections 4 and  5 had been removed.   She said                                                               
SB 169 would address the details therein.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:23:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON  asked Representative  Spohnholz whether                                                               
she is comfortable with the proposed CS.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:23:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE IVY SPOHNHOLZ,  Alaska State Legislature, answered                                                               
that the changes  had been made in collaboration  with her office                                                               
and she was comfortable with them.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL asked about total number of hours required.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SPOHNHOLZ  stated  it   was  always  1,700  hours                                                               
required and  the CS  cleaned up  in the  language to  state that                                                               
additional 200 hours were a subset of the 1,700 hours.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOSEPHSON  asked  about the  companion  piece  of                                                               
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ answered that SB  169 has to do with the                                                               
supervision of professional counselors aspect of the bill.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:25:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KITO removed his objection to  adopting the CS as a working                                                               
document.  There being no other objection, it was so ordered.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:25:58 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KITO said public testimony on  HB 353 was still open from a                                                               
previous hearing.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
4:26:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
KEVIN  WALKER,   Alaska  Association   of  Marriage   and  Family                                                               
Therapists, testified  in support of  HB 353.   He stated  he has                                                               
had  "a  hard time"  finding  a  supervisor  who could  help  him                                                               
acquire the  required number of  supervised hours.  He  stated he                                                               
had to  go to Anchorage, Alaska,  to find a supervisor.   He said                                                               
broadening  the amount  of  people who  could  act as  supervisor                                                               
would be helpful.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE BIRCH  asked Mr.  Walker to define  supervision in                                                               
the context of the proposed bill.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MR.  WALKER explained  he was  able to  go to  the office  of the                                                               
supervisor. He said he knows of  people that did a mixed style of                                                               
supervision where  they met in  person and  via video as  long as                                                               
the meeting is not recorded.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:30:31 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KITO closed public testimony on HB 353.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:30:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE WOOL moved to report HB 353 out of committee with                                                                
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.                                                                   
There being no objection, it was so ordered.