02/01/2024 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

               SB 46-BRAIN INJURY AWARENESS MONTH                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:28:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that  the next order  of business  would be                                                               
SENATE BILL  NO. 46, "An Act  establishing the month of  March as                                                               
Brain Injury Awareness Month."                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:29:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 3:29 p.m.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:29:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR LÖKI  TOBIN, Alaska State Legislature,  as prime sponsor,                                                               
presented  SB   46.    She  paraphrased   the  sponsor  statement                                                               
[included  in  the  committee  packet],  which  read  as  follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     Senate  Bill 46  would  designate each  March as  Brain                                                                    
     Injury Awareness Month in Alaska.  This will help focus                                                                    
     public attention  on the  prevalence of  brain injuries                                                                    
     and highlight ways to prevent these injuries.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Both traumatic  and acquired brain injuries  can happen                                                                    
     to  anyone.  These injuries  can  bring  a lifetime  of                                                                    
     secondary   health  conditions,   including  persistent                                                                    
     concussion  symptoms,   post-traumatic  stress  injury,                                                                    
     physical impairment, and developmental delays.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     It's  estimated that  3.2 to  5 million  Americans live                                                                    
     with long-term disabilities due  to brain injuries, and                                                                    
     Alaska has one of the  highest rates of traumatic brain                                                                    
     injuries in  the nation.  The Brain  Injury Association                                                                    
     of  America reports  that every  9 seconds,  someone in                                                                    
     the  U.S. sustains  a brain  injury. The  Department of                                                                    
     Defense reports that over  430,000 service members have                                                                    
     sustained traumatic brain injuries since 2000.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     Thousands  of lives  are impacted  every  day by  brain                                                                    
     injuries even though most  traumatic brain injuries are                                                                    
     preventable, especially  by wearing a seatbelt  when in                                                                    
     a  vehicle and  wearing a  helmet when  skiing, biking,                                                                    
     and snowmachining.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
     Permanently  designating  each  March as  Brain  Injury                                                                    
     Awareness   Month  in   Alaska  will   increase  public                                                                    
     awareness  about the  dangers  of  brain injuries  and,                                                                    
     potentially, help  prevent future brain  injuries among                                                                    
     Alaskans. We ask for your support.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:33:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MACKENZIE  POPE,   Staff,  Senator   Löki  Tobin,   Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  on   behalf  of   Senator  Tobin,   prime  sponsor,                                                               
presented  the sectional  analysis  for SB  46  [included in  the                                                               
committee packet],  which read  as follows  [original punctuation                                                               
provided]:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     Section 1    Amends the uncodified law of  the State of                                                                    
     Alaska to add a  new section recognizing the importance                                                                    
     of brain injury awareness in the State of Alaska.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     Section 2   Amends AS 44.12  by adding a new section to                                                                    
     article  2 establishing  the month  of  March as  Brain                                                                    
     Injury Awareness Month in  Alaska. This allows schools,                                                                    
     community   groups,  and   other  public   and  private                                                                    
     agencies  and  individuals   to  observe  Brain  Injury                                                                    
     Awareness  Month   with  appropriate   activities  that                                                                    
     increase the  publics  awareness of the  prevention and                                                                    
     treatment of brain injuries.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW opened invited testimony on SB 46.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:34:16 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANNETTE  ALFONSI,  Alaska   State  Coordinator,  Unmasking  Brain                                                               
Injury, gave invited  testimony in support of SB 46.   She shared                                                               
a personal anecdote  and conveyed her experiences  as someone who                                                               
suffered a  brain injury.   She  stressed that  further awareness                                                               
and  education  is needed  to  change  outcomes and  must  happen                                                               
systemically, not  individually.   She encouraged the  passing of                                                               
SB 46 to help raise needed awareness.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:37:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ANNA  ZIERFUSS,  Chair,  Brain Injury  Council  of  Alaska,  gave                                                               
invited testimony  in support of  SB 46.   She said once  a brain                                                               
injury   happens,  suicide,   alcoholism,  and   drug  use   were                                                               
statistically more  likely.  She  shared a personal  anecdote and                                                               
conveyed her experience  as someone who suffered  a brain injury.                                                               
She pointed  out that  those with brain  injuries who  first went                                                               
into emergency rooms after their  injury had the lowest access to                                                               
care, and  it is  an "invisible  disability."   Raising awareness                                                               
would  let those  with  brain  injuries know  that  they are  not                                                               
alone, she said.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:43:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STORY shared her belief  that it was time to bring                                                               
awareness to this cause.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:44:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER asked, "Why March?"                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR TOBIN said March was  in alignment with the US Department                                                               
of Defense (DOD) and was also historically in the resolution.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:44:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW opened public testimony  on SB 46.  After ascertaining                                                               
no one wished to testify, he closed public testimony.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:45:12 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  WRIGHT   moved  to   adopt  the   proposed  House                                                               
committee  substitute (HCS)  for SB  46, Version  33-LS0325\B, A.                                                               
Radford/Bergerud, 1/17/24, as the working document.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:45:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. WHITT  presented the explanation  of changes in  the proposed                                                               
CS for HB 46, Version B.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:46:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW announced that SB 46 was held over.