02/05/2013 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE

            SB  37-EXTEND SUICIDE PREVENTION COUNCIL                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:30:55 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DUNLEAVY announced the consideration of SB 37.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ANNA  FAIRCLOUGH, sponsor  of SB  37, said  the Statewide                                                               
Suicide  Prevention  Council  was  created in  2001  and  changed                                                               
numerous  times  since  then.  Over  the  last  four  years,  the                                                               
legislature  has  added  different  voices  to  the  council  and                                                               
created a  strategic plan to  look at  the issue of  suicide. For                                                               
many years  Alaska has had  the unfortunate distinction  of being                                                               
number  one in  the nation  for suicide;  it's a  plague in  both                                                               
urban and  rural areas.  SB 37 proposes  to extend  the Statewide                                                               
Suicide Prevention Council until 2019.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:38:21 PM                                                                                                                    
KATE BURKHART,  Executive Director, Statewide  Suicide Prevention                                                               
Council, said  her testimony was  to inform the committee  of the                                                               
Council's  progress on  the recommendations  made by  Legislative                                                               
Audit and  to answer questions about  the fiscal note for  SB 37.                                                               
She expressed  appreciation for the  work that  Legislative Audit                                                               
did  last year  to  inform the  legislature  about the  council's                                                               
work, which led to improvements on the council.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Legislative Audit's first recommendation  was to rectify the fact                                                               
that the  council had not  previously appointed or  evaluated her                                                               
as executive director/coordinator.  The council participated with                                                               
the  executive  committees  of the  Alaska  Mental  Health  Board                                                               
(AMHB)  and  the Advisory  Board  on  Alcoholism and  Drug  Abuse                                                               
(ABADA) late last year to  conduct her evaluation and establish a                                                               
process by which to do it every year in December.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Legislative Audit  also recommended that the  council memorialize                                                               
its current leadership and resource  sharing arrangement with the                                                               
Alaska Mental Health  Board and the Advisory  Board on Alcoholism                                                               
and  Drug Abuse  to  ensure that  when  leadership changes  those                                                               
practices  continue in  order to  support the  council. Early  in                                                               
2013 the  three entities  executed a  memorandum of  agreement to                                                               
memorialize how business  is done and to  reiterate the council's                                                               
commitment to  assume responsibility  for its financial  needs to                                                               
the  greatest  extent possible.  She  noted  that the  other  two                                                               
boards currently support much of the council's operations.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
The  third   recommendation  was  for  the   council  to  develop                                                               
performance measures that support  the council's statutory duties                                                               
and  submit annual  progress  reports. She  said  the council  is                                                               
working toward  complying with  that recommendation.  The council                                                               
has performance  measures clearly  articulated in the  state plan                                                               
and will  report on  those in the  implementation report  that is                                                               
due in several weeks. The  council is working with the Department                                                               
of  Health and  Social Services  (DHSS) to  translate those  into                                                               
similar language for  use by the Office of  Management and Budget                                                               
(OMB).                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MS. BURKHART  pointed out in  the fiscal note that  $415,000 goes                                                               
directly  to the  Department of  Education and  Early Development                                                               
(DEED) each year to support school-based suicide prevention.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:37:22 PM                                                                                                                    
At ease                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:38:22 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DUNLEAVY noted that Senator  Olson arrived at 1:35. Finding                                                               
no public testimony, he asked the will of the committee.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  MICCICHE  commented on  the  heartbreak  of suicide  and                                                               
expressed  appreciation for  the  work the  council does  helping                                                               
people that previously had few places to turn.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:39:03 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  MICCICHE  moved to  report  SB  37 from  committee  with                                                               
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s).                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DUNLEAVY announced that without  objection SB 37 moved from                                                               
the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee.