04/08/2024 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB55 | |
| HB313 | |
| SB147 | |
| HB309 | |
| Adjourn |
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 309 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 394 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 187 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 378 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 313 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 55 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 147 | TELECONFERENCED | |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE
April 8, 2024
3:18 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Jesse Sumner, Chair
Representative Justin Ruffridge, Vice Chair
Representative Mike Prax
Representative Dan Saddler
Representative Stanley Wright
Representative Ashley Carrick
Representative Zack Fields
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 55
"An Act relating to allocations of funding for the Alaska
Workforce Investment Board; and providing for an effective
date."
- MOVED HB 55 OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 313
"An Act relating to the calculation of the regulatory cost
charge for public utilities and pipeline carriers; and providing
for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 147(L&C)
"An Act relating to reemployment rights and benefits; and
providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 309
"An Act relating to the practice of optometry; and relating to
the delegation of routine services of optometry."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 394
"An Act relating to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska and
regulation of the service of natural gas storage and liquefied
natural gas import facilities; relating to records of the
Regulatory Commission of Alaska; relating to rates established
by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska; and providing for an
effective date."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 187
"An Act relating to utilization review entities; exempting
certain health care providers from making preauthorization
requests for certain services; and providing for an effective
date."
- PENDING REFERRAL
HOUSE BILL NO. 378
"An Act relating to theft; relating to organized retail theft;
establishing a statewide marketplace facilitator sales tax;
establishing the organized retail theft fund in the general
fund; and providing for an effective date."
- BILL HEARING CANCELED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 55
SHORT TITLE: EXTEND WORKFORCE INVEST BOARD ALLOCATIONS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) CARRICK
02/01/23 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/01/23 (H) EDC, L&C, FIN
01/31/24 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
01/31/24 (H) Heard & Held
01/31/24 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
02/12/24 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
02/12/24 (H) Heard & Held
02/12/24 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
02/14/24 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
02/14/24 (H) Scheduled but Not Heard
03/13/24 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
03/13/24 (H) Heard & Held
03/13/24 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/15/24 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
03/15/24 (H) Moved CSHB 55(EDC) Out of Committee
03/15/24 (H) MINUTE(EDC)
03/20/24 (H) EDC RPT CS(EDC) NEW TITLE 2DP 2NR 3AM
03/20/24 (H) DP: MCCORMICK, ALLARD
03/20/24 (H) NR: MCKAY, PRAX
03/20/24 (H) AM: HIMSCHOOT, STORY, RUFFRIDGE
03/20/24 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
03/20/24 (H) Scheduled but Not Heard
03/21/24 (H) L&C AT 10:30 AM BARNES 124
03/21/24 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
03/22/24 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
03/22/24 (H) Heard & Held
03/22/24 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
03/25/24 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
03/25/24 (H) Heard & Held
03/25/24 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
04/03/24 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
04/03/24 (H) Heard & Held
04/03/24 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
04/08/24 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
BILL: SB 147
SHORT TITLE: REEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) KAUFMAN
05/11/23 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
05/11/23 (S) L&C, FIN
02/14/24 (S) L&C AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
02/14/24 (S) Heard & Held
02/14/24 (S) MINUTE(L&C)
02/19/24 (S) FIN REFERRAL REMOVED
02/21/24 (S) L&C AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
02/21/24 (S) Moved CSSB 147(L&C) Out of Committee
02/21/24 (S) MINUTE(L&C)
02/23/24 (S) L&C RPT CS 2DP 2NR TECHNICAL TITLE
CHANGE
02/23/24 (S) DP: BJORKMAN, GRAY-JACKSON
02/23/24 (S) NR: DUNBAR, MERRICK
03/06/24 (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H)
03/06/24 (S) VERSION: CSSB 147(L&C)
03/11/24 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/11/24 (H) L&C
03/20/24 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
03/20/24 (H) <Bill Hearing Rescheduled to 03/22/24>
03/22/24 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
03/22/24 (H) Heard & Held
03/22/24 (H) MINUTE(L&C)
03/29/24 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
03/29/24 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
04/05/24 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
04/05/24 (H) -- MEETING CANCELED --
BILL: HB 309
SHORT TITLE: DELEGATION OF ROUTINE OPTOMETRY SERVICES
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) RUFFRIDGE
02/07/24 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/07/24 (H) HSS, L&C
03/21/24 (H) HSS AT 3:00 PM DAVIS 106
03/21/24 (H) Heard & Held
03/21/24 (H) MINUTE(HSS)
03/28/24 (H) HSS AT 3:00 PM DAVIS 106
03/28/24 (H) Moved HB 309 Out of Committee
03/28/24 (H) MINUTE(HSS)
04/01/24 (H) HSS RPT 3DP 2NR
04/01/24 (H) DP: RUFFRIDGE, MCCORMICK, PRAX
04/01/24 (H) NR: FIELDS, MINA
04/08/24 (H) L&C AT 3:15 PM BARNES 124
WITNESS REGISTER
ROBERT DOYLE, Chair
Regulatory Commission of Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered a question during the hearing on
HB 313.
JAMES SEXTON, Staff
Representative Justin Ruffridge
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a PowerPoint presentation, entitled
"HB 309 Optometry Practices," on behalf of Representative
Ruffridge, prime sponsor.
BRADLEY CROSS, Chair
Board of Examiners in Optometry
Soldotna, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony during the hearing
on HB 309.
ELIZABETH STEVENS, Executive Director
Alaska Optometric Association
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB
309.
DAMIEN DELZER, President-Elect
Alaska Optometric Association
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony in support of HB
309.
ACTION NARRATIVE
3:18:31 PM
CHAIR JESSE SUMNER called the House Labor and Commerce Standing
Committee meeting to order at 3:18 p.m. Representatives Fields,
Wright, Saddler, Prax, Ruffridge, and Sumner were present at the
call to order. Representative Carrick arrived as the meeting
was in progress.
HB 55-EXTEND WORKFORCE INVEST BOARD ALLOCATIONS
3:19:03 PM
CHAIR SUMNER announced that the first order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 55, "An Act relating to allocations of funding
for the Alaska Workforce Investment Board; and providing for an
effective date." [Before the committee, adopted as the working
document on 4/3/24, was the proposed committee substitute (CS)
for HB 55, Version 33-LS0360\D, A. Radford, 4/1/24 ("Version
D").]
3:19:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE moved Conceptual Amendment 1 to Version
D, which would change the program extension from two years to
one.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS objected. He said there is benefit and
stability in two years, and it would give the legislature enough
time to change the allocations.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK echoed the comments made by
Representative Fields. She explained that in the years of
experience she's had with this legislation, a one-year sunset
date would not accomplish the legislature's goals or give
stability to the providers.
3:21:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SUMNER recommended that members vote "yes," as
Conceptual Amendment 1 is a happy medium between the current
version and the suggestion to rescind Version D.
3:22:12 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:22 p.m.
3:22:21 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SUMNER reminded the committee that Conceptual
Amendment 1 would change the extension date from 2026 to 2025.
3:22:44 PM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Prax, Ruffridge,
Wright, Saddler, and Sumner voted in favor of Conceptual
Amendment 1. Representatives Carrick and Fields voted against
it. Therefore, Conceptual Amendment 1 was adopted by a vote of
5-2.
3:23:22 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:23 p.m.
3:23:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS moved Conceptual Amendment 2 to Version D.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX objected.
3:24:06 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS said Conceptual Amendment 2 would restore
Section 1 of Version R, the committee substitute (CS) adopted in
the House Education Standing Committee. He said recognizing the
health of the fund would increase the percentage collection for
training without changing the percentage allocation across
programs.
3:24:41 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE said he liked the idea of increasing
the dollars heading towards technical and vocational education.
The audit made it clear that changes need to be made to this
program; however, the time to do that this year is running out,
he said. He suggested reconsidering this proposal in the
future.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK stated her support for Conceptual
Amendment 2, adding that an increase in dollars is something
that the fund could sustain with plenty of additional room. She
encouraged members to support the proposed amendment.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER said he had concerns about increasing
funding given the concerns raised in the audit. He opined that
now is not the time to raise the funding, but maybe sometime in
the future.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS shared an anecdote of a training provider
in his district.
3:28:23 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK gave clarity as to the audit's findings
and said the question as to whether to increase funds from a
healthy UI trust to support that programing is a separate
question. She clarified that the audit found the allocation of
funds to be problematic and said she would be interested in
changing that structure in the future with a reasonable sunset
period of more than one year.
3:30:19 PM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Fields and Carrick
voted in favor of Conceptual Amendment 2. Representatives Prax,
Saddler, Wright, Ruffridge, and Sumner voted against it.
Therefore, Conceptual Amendment 2 failed by a vote of 2-5.
3:30:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE moved to report CSHB 55, Version 33-
LS0360\D, A. Radford, 4/1/24, as amended, out of committee with
individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.
There being no objection, CSHB 55(L&C) was reported from the
House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE authorized Legislative Legal Services
to make any technical and conforming changes as necessary.
3:31:22 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 3:31 to 3:36 p.m.
3:36:02 PM
HB 313-PUBLIC UTILITY REGULATORY COST CHARGE
3:36:05 PM
CHAIR SUMNER announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 313, "An Act relating to the calculation of the
regulatory cost charge for public utilities and pipeline
carriers; and providing for an effective date."
3:36:27 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS moved to adopt Amendment 1 to HB 313,
labeled 33-GH2516\A.1, Walsh, 3/30/24, which read:
Page 1, line 2, following "carriers;":
Insert "relating to preapproval for construction
of energy facilities;"
Page 2, following line 4:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 2. AS 42.05 is amended by adding a new
section to read:
Sec. 42.05.705. Preapproval for construction of
energy facility. The commission may not require
preapproval under this chapter for construction of an
energy facility that is
(1) an electric power generating plant or
combination of plants at a single site with a combined
capacity of less than 15,000 kilowatts; or
(2) an energy storage device or combination
of devices at a single site with a combined capacity
of less than 15,000 kilowatts."
Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER objected.
3:36:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS explained that Amendment 1 would exempt
smaller projects from regulation to expedite project
construction by stating that the Regulatory Commission of Alaska
(RCA) may not require preapproval under this chapter for
construction of an energy facility that generates 15 megawatts
(MW) or less.
3:37:48 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX said a 15 MW project is a "fairly good size"
project. He asked whether Representative Fields was privy to
the concerns raised by the House Special Committee on Energy
hearings several years ago about utilities becoming over
capitalized.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS contended that's 15 MW is considered a
small, community scale project. He added that it would be up to
the Alaska Railbelt Reliability Council (RRC) and the RCA to
consider whether it makes sense to invest a significant amount
of capital and distribute it across rate payers.
3:39:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER opined that exempting generating
facilities of any size from the RCA is a question that would be
better considered on its own merit. For that reason, he said he
would oppose Amendment 1.
REPRESENTATIVE SUMNER shared his belief that the proposed
amendment is pertinent because the RCA had said, "We have too
much work, we need more money."
3:40:20 PM
A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Carrick, Fields,
Prax, Ruffridge, and Sumner voted in favor of Amendment 1.
Representatives Saddler and Wright voted against it. Therefore,
Amendment 1 was adopted by a vote of 5-2.
3:40:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SUMNER moved to adopt Amendment 2 to HB 313,
labeled 33-GH2516\A.2, Walsh, 4/4/24, which read:
Page 1, line 1, following "Act":
Insert "relating to the qualifications for
commissioners of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska;"
Page 1, following line 3:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Section 1. AS 42.04.020(a) is amended to read:
(a) The commission consists of five
commissioners appointed by the governor and confirmed
by the legislature in joint session. To qualify for
appointment as a commissioner, a person must be a
member in good standing of the Alaska Bar Association
or have a degree from an accredited college or
university with a major in engineering, finance,
economics, accounting, business administration, or
public administration and must have at least five
years of actual experience in utility regulation or
utility management. [ACTUAL EXPERIENCE FOR A PERIOD OF
FIVE YEARS IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW OR IN THE FIELD OF
ENGINEERING, FINANCE, ECONOMICS, ACCOUNTING, BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATION, OR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IS EQUIVALENT
TO A DEGREE.]"
Page 1, line 4:
Delete "Section 1"
Insert "Sec. 2"
Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.
Page 2, following line 13:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 4. Section 1 of this Act takes effect
July 1, 2024."
Renumber the following bill section accordingly.
Page 2, line 14:
Delete "This"
Insert "Except as provided in sec. 4 of this Act,
this"
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX objected for purposes of discussion.
3:41:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SUMNER said Amendment 2 addresses the experience
required by commissioners, which was requested by another member
of the legislature.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked which legislator made this request.
REPRESENTATIVE SUMNER answered Representative Cronk.
3:41:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX said he understand the logic behind
Amendment 2, but he expressed concern about imposing a difficult
condition on the RCA.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS said he shares Representative Prax's
perspective. He added that he supports the goal, but the
language may be too exclusive.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE asked whether anyone from the RCA could
say how many of the current commissioners would have met this at
the time of their appointment.
3:42:47 PM
ROBERT DOYLE, Chair, Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA),
opined that the proposed amendment would narrow the field;
nonetheless, he said this would be a policy decision.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE restated his question, asking how many
current members of the RCA would have met this requirement. In
addition, he asked whether members serving on boards of
utilities could be another source to recruit from.
MR. DOYLE said he served on a board for 12 years at MEA;
however, that doesn't equate to 5 years of actual experience in
utility regulation or management. He shared his belief that
none of the current commissioners would have had 5 years of
experience in utility management and/or regulation.
3:45:13 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER moved Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment
2, which would insert a period after the word "administration"
on page 1, line 13, and strike the remaining language until line
18.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK objected.
3:45:52 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER said he thinks there is some concern that
the equivalence standard could be interpreted generously.
CHAIR SUMNER interjected to note that the proposed conceptual
amendment may not accomplish Representative Saddler's intent, as
it strikes the bracketed language, thereby reinserting into the
bill.
3:46:51 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER restated the motion. He moved Conceptual
Amendment 1 to Amendment 2, which would insert a period after
the word "administration" on page 1, line 13, and delete the
words "and must have at least five years of actual experience in
utility regulation or utility management."
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK questioned the definition of "actual
experience" and how it would differ from "experience."
MR. DOYLE said that there is no specific definition, but to him,
it would mean a full-time position for 5 years in utility
regulation at the RCA or utility management at Matanuska
Electric Association (MEA), Chugach Electric Association, or
ENSTAR Natural Gas Company, for example.
3:50:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE sought to confirm that if Conceptual
Amendment 1 were to pass, a commissioner on the RCA would need a
degree and no experience would ever amount to that equivalent.
He asked whether that is accurate.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER said that is the effect of Conceptual
Amendment 1. He said it would be his preference that a
candidate would have a couple years of experience in the work
world, but his concern is not to raise the bar too high to
require five years of actual experience in utility regulation or
management.
CHAIR SUMNER guessed that Representative Cronk's intention was
for people on the RCA board to have more experience with
regulation of utilities. He added that should Conceptual
Amendment 1 to Amendment 2 pass, he would likely withdraw
Amendment 2.
3:52:13 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER withdrew Conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment 2.
3:52:29 PM
CHAIR SUMNER withdrew Amendment 2. He announced that HB 313, as
amended would be held over.
SB 147-REEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
3:52:48 PM
CHAIR SUMNER announced that the next order of business would be
CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 147(L&C, "An Act relating to reemployment
rights and benefits; and providing for an effective date."
3:52:58 PM
CHAIR SUMNER opened public testimony on SB 147. After
ascertaining that no one wished to testify, he closed public
testimony and announced that the bill would be held over.
HB 309-DELEGATION OF ROUTINE OPTOMETRY SERVICES
3:53:34 PM
CHAIR SUMNER announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 309, "An Act relating to the practice of
optometry; and relating to the delegation of routine services of
optometry."
3:54:14 PM
The committee took an at-ease at 3:55 p.m.
[Chair Sumner passed the gavel to Representative Wright.]
3:55:09 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE, prime sponsor, presented HB 309. He
said the bill is a simple update to the optometry practice to
allow the delegation of certain duties to an assistant within
the practice. He described the update as a necessary one to
match current optometry business practices.
3:55:57 PM
JAMES SEXTON, Staff, Representative Justin Ruffridge, Alaska
State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Ruffridge, prime
sponsor, gave a PowerPoint presentation, entitled "HB 309
Optometry Practices" [hard copy included in the committee
packet]. He began on slide 2, "Issue," which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
• Optometric practices do not have current statute
language to allow the Board of Examiners of Optometry
to regulate delegation of routine tasks to Optometric
Technicians and Assistants
• Delegation of basic routine tasks are standard
practice in other health professions licensed in
Alaska, as well as optometric practices nationwide
• Without this authority, Optometrists would be
required to perform all preliminary and ancillary
testing on each patient, which would greatly restrict
access to care.
MR. SEXTON continued to slide 3, "Other Healthcare professions
in Alaska," which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
• Professions in Alaska that have solved this problem
with incorporating delegation authority include:
• Medical Doctors, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine,
Podiatry, Physician Assistants (08.64.106)
• Dental (08.32.346)
• Veterinary (08.98.050 (9,B))
• Pharmacy (08.80.030,(9))
• Chiropractic (08.20.168)
MR. SEXTON advanced to slide 4, "Examples of routine tasks,"
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
• Initial patient medical history and reason for visit
• Initial assessment of vision and current
prescription verification
• Blood pressure screenings and automated measurements
of the eye
• Ocular photography and digital imaging for review by
the doctor
• Assisting in medication refills
• Performing peripheral vision testing for
interpretation by the doctor
MR. SEXTON turned to slide 5, "Current challenges," which read
as follows [original punctuation provided]:
• In the absence of the ability to delegate tasks,
Optometry will be less efficient and effective at
meeting the demand of patient care that exists in the
state currently.
• Optometry is projected to grow in the future.
• Adding a logistical and financial burden to current
and future Optometrists may contribute to the shortage
of healthcare professionals.
MR. SEXTON proceeded to slide 6, "HB 309 Impacts," which read as
follows [original punctuation provided]:
• This bill will have no impact on billing practices
and will not increase costs to the patient population.
• The impact of passing this bill will be to ensure
that patients continue to receive appropriate and
effective care supervised by licensed Optometric
Physicians in Alaska.
MR. SEXTON concluded on slide 7, "Support," which read as
follows [original punctuation provided]:
The Alaska Optometric Association supports this
legislative approach and action.
• HB 309 brings Optometrists in line with other health
related professions in Alaska.
3:59:46 PM
BRADLEY CROSS, Chair, Board of Examiners in Optometry, gave
invited testimony during the hearing on HB 309. He said that
optometry is responsible for maintaining the eye health of all
Alaskans, adding that the profession is economically beneficial,
sustainable, and good for Alaska. He said that it is
commonplace elsewhere in the world for technicians to perform
duties to free up the time of optometrists, and that this
legislation would ensure that optometrists have the backing of
our state statutes when they relegate tasks to technicians and
assistants in the practice. He said that the State Board of
Optometry is prepared to spell out guidelines for the regulatory
implementation of HB 309.
4:04:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked how to define an agent of an
optometrist.
MR. CROSS said the role of "optometric technician" would be
defined in regulation.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER sought to confirm that an agent would be
an optometric technician, which would be defined by regulation.
MR. CROSS said "what they would be allowed to do" would be
defined in regulation.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked how the board might draft
regulations to specify an agent of optometry's role.
MR. CROSS said the agent would be defined as the optometric
technician and the assistant to the optometrist. Required
training and oversight would also be defined.
4:05:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK asked whether optometrists are currently
required to work within the practice of an ophthalmologist.
MR. CROSS answered no. In addition to a follow up question from
Representative Carrick, he explained that eye care provided
outside the scope of optometry would not be addressed by HB 309.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE, in response to Representative Carrick,
he explained that an optometrist could delegate a machine-
driven, routine service in a rural community to an on-site
technician and analyze the results remotely with a telehealth
visit.
REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK inquired about the restrictions on an
optometrist providing remote telehealth services.
REPRESENTATIVE RUFFRIDGE said that is some of the impetus behind
this bill, as the board has been unable to draft regulations to
address that question.
MR. CROSS agreed that telehealth would necessitate that an
optometry licensee be supervising an optometric assistant. He
noted that the board has precluded complete eye exams with
determination of a refraction from being performed via
telehealth. Consequently, the telehealth component for
optometry would be consultation and follow up more so than
ancillary testing.
4:10:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether there is national
certification for optometric technicians.
MR. CROSS answered yes, the American Optometric Association has
created a program and guidelines for that certification.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether national certification
should be a regulatorily defined requirement for someone to
function as an optometric technician.
MR. CROSS said while it would be valuable, most technicians are
trained on the job so the requirement would be unnecessary. In
response to a follow up question, he said passage of the bill
would prevent increased costs for patients.
4:12:26 PM
ELIZABETH STEVENS, Executive Director, Alaska Optometric
Association (AKOA), gave invited testimony in support of HB 309,
which would grant the board the authority to draft regulation
regarding the delegation of routine optometric services. She
said the AKOA strongly supports the bill.
4:13:44 PM
DAMIEN DELZER, President-Elect, Alaska Optometric Association
(AKOA), gave invited testimony in support of HB 309. He
explained that HB 309 is legislation requested by the Board of
Examiners in Optometry due to the statute being outdated. He
said that it is industry standard for optometry practices to
relegate tasks to technicians and associates, and HB 309 would
bring Alaska up to speed with the rest of the country. He said
the bill would would reduce demand on optometrists and free them
up for consultation and treatment. It would also allow
technicians to provide assistance to optometrists via statute.
He emphasized the AKOA's strong support for HB 309.
4:17:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER questioned the value of using national
certification as a qualifier for providing optometric services.
MR. DELZER reiterated that most optometric assistance receive
training on the job and would have the opportunity to sit for
various levels of examinations given by the American Optometric
Association to obtain additional qualifications as they
progress. Ultimately, he opined that using the national
certification as a prerequisite would be a barrier.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked whether the examinations for the
national certifications occur every year or level by level.
MR. DELZER said the American Optometric Association has four
levels of examination for paraoptometric certification. In
response to a follow up question, he confirmed that a technician
who received increasing levels of certification would receive
higher levels of compensation.
4:20:57 PM
CHAIR WRIGHT opened public testimony on HB 309. After
ascertaining that no one wished to testify, he closed public
testimony and announced that the bill would be held over.
4:21:33 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Labor and Commerce Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at
4:21 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 309 presentation.pdf |
HL&C 4/8/2024 3:15:00 PM |
HB 309 |
| HB 309- support as of 4.724.pdf |
HL&C 4/8/2024 3:15:00 PM |
HB 309 |
| HB 309 AAO Letter_AK_House Labor & Commerce.pdf |
HL&C 4/8/2024 3:15:00 PM |
HB 309 |
| HB 309 Sectional Analysis.pdf |
HL&C 4/8/2024 3:15:00 PM |
HB 309 |
| HB 309 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HL&C 4/8/2024 3:15:00 PM |
HB 309 |
| HB 309 fiscal note DCCED_Coprs,Businesses, Prof licensing as of 3.15.24.pdf |
HL&C 4/8/2024 3:15:00 PM |
HB 309 |
| HB 309- Memo regarding Delegation Authority.pdf |
HL&C 4/8/2024 3:15:00 PM |
HB 309 |
| HB226 Version U (CS for HLC).pdf |
HL&C 4/8/2024 3:15:00 PM |
HB 226 |
| HB226 Explanation of Changes Ver. S to Ver. U.pdf |
HL&C 4/8/2024 3:15:00 PM |
HB 226 |