04/16/2024 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

         SB 24-PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:09:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR PRAX  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
CS  FOR SENATE  BILL  NO.  24(FIN), "An  Act  relating to  mental                                                               
health education; and providing for an effective date."                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:09:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  ELVI GRAY-JACKSON,  Alaska State  Legislature, as  prime                                                               
sponsor, recapped  SB 24.   She summarized the bill  stating that                                                               
it  would add  mental health  education to  the already  existing                                                               
health education for students grades K-12.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:10:46 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
BESSE  ODOM,  Staff,  Senator  Elvi  Gray-Jackson,  Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on behalf of Senator  Gray-Jackson, prime sponsor of                                                               
SB  24, clarified  that the  definition of  "mental health"  came                                                               
from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:11:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCCORMICK moved  to  report CSSB  24(FIN) out  of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal notes.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:12:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SUMNER  objected.   He noted  he was  contacted by                                                               
his  local school  board and  that the  bill would  result in  an                                                               
unfunded mandate.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
4:13:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
A roll  call vote  was taken.   Representatives  Mina, McCormick,                                                               
Fields, and Prax voted in favor  of reporting CSSB 24(FIN) out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations and  the accompanying                                                               
fiscal  notes.    Representatives   Ruffridge  and  Sumner  voted                                                               
against  it.   Therefore, CSSB  24(FIN) was  reported out  of the                                                               
House Health and Social Services  Standing Committee by a vote of                                                               
4-2.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
4:14:21 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON provided closing comments and stated that                                                                  
she would be more than happy to work with school districts and                                                                  
asked for information to be provided to her staff.