02/29/2024 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

             SB 103-PEER SUPPORT COUNSELING PROGRAM                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:21:30 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
SENATE BILL NO. 103, "An  Act relating to peer support counseling                                                               
programs   for  law   enforcement  agencies,   emergency  service                                                               
providers, and the Department of Corrections."                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:21:48 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  FOREST  DUNBAR,  Alaska   State  Legislature,  as  prime                                                               
sponsor,  paraphrased  the sponsor  statement  for  SB 103  [copy                                                               
included  in  the  committee  packet],   which  read  as  follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     SB 103 PEER SUPPORT  COUNSELING PROGRAM establishes the                                                                    
     ability   for  law   enforcement  officers   and  first                                                                    
     responders  to  seek  mental  health  counseling  rfrom                                                                    
     [sic]  trained peer  counselors while  protecting their                                                                    
     identity.  Under current  law,  public safety  officers                                                                    
     are  extremely  limited  in their  options  to  discuss                                                                    
     stressful  and traumatic  events  that  occur in  their                                                                    
     workplace  because they  are  often,  by their  nature,                                                                    
     related  to criminal  investigations. SB  103 addresses                                                                    
     the  critical  need   to  de-stigmatize  mental  health                                                                    
     issues  that  affect  many public  safety  officers  by                                                                    
     providing a safe and confidential  way for them to talk                                                                    
     about emotionally  intense aspects  of their  work. The                                                                    
     confidentiality created by  the peer counseling program                                                                    
     does not apply to any  threats made by the participant,                                                                    
     nor does it apply to  admission of criminal conduct. SB
  allows  existing  agencies  to  establish  a  peer                                                                    
     support  counseling program  without mandating  changes                                                                    
     to those agencies. A  law enforcement agency, emergency                                                                    
     service  provider,  or  the Department  of  Corrections                                                                    
     will  have the  opportunity  to  designate an  existing                                                                    
     employee  as  a  peer  counselor  if  they  have  prior                                                                    
     counseling   training.   Any  participant   who   seeks                                                                    
     counseling  from their  designated  peer is  guaranteed                                                                    
     confidentiality  in those  communications. Confidential                                                                    
     space   for   participants   to   discuss   emotionally                                                                    
     traumatic   events  is   key  for   creating  effective                                                                    
     Critical  Incident  Stress Management  debriefs,  which                                                                    
     the  United  States   Occupational  Safety  and  Health                                                                    
     Administration  recognizes  as crucial  for  preventing                                                                    
     and  mitigating  the effects  of  trauma.  SB 103  will                                                                    
     ultimately  provide  emotional  relief and  a  path  to                                                                    
     healing  for  the  Alaskans  who  bear  the  burden  of                                                                    
     protecting the public. I urge you to support SB 103.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DUNBAR explained  that  30 percent  of first  responders                                                               
develop depression  and post traumatic  stress disorder.   Police                                                               
officers  and fire  fighters are  more likely  to die  by suicide                                                               
than in the line of duty                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:23:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  noted that Commissioner Cockrell  and representatives                                                               
from  the   Anchorage  Police   Department  were   available  for                                                               
questions.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:24:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:24:24 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DUNBAR asked to hear  invited testimony from Commissioner                                                               
Cockrell.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:24:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JAMES  COCKRELL,  Commissioner,   Department  of  Public  Safety,                                                               
stated that the Department of Public  Safety supports SB 103.  He                                                               
described the  accumulation of traumatic  events that  people who                                                               
work  in law  enforcement experience.    He noted  the stigma  of                                                               
seeking  help to  work through  trauma  and the  success of  peer                                                               
counseling efforts throughout the  department.  He emphasized the                                                               
importance  of  confidentiality  and  how it  is  critical  to  a                                                               
prosperous peer  counseling system.  He  reported that throughout                                                               
2023,  1,900  peer  support contacts  were  made  throughout  the                                                               
department.  A law that  guarantees confidentiality would help to                                                               
safeguard  the trust  that  first responders  put  into the  peer                                                               
counselling program.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:27:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARRICK   asked  about   the  use  of   the  word                                                               
"counselor" in SB 103 and the parameters of counselor training.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:28:19 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DUNBAR acknowledged that  there are medical professionals                                                               
who are  called counselors and  that peer support  counselors are                                                               
not licensed counselors.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:28:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SERGEANT KELLY  HUSTON, Peer Support Team  Coordinator, Anchorage                                                               
Police  Department,   explained  that  peer   counselors  receive                                                               
training  and certification  through  a 40-hour  course with  the                                                               
International  Critical Incident  Stress  Foundation.   She  said                                                               
peer counselors do not have advanced degrees.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   CARRICK  noted   that   the  semantics   between                                                               
"counselor"  and "peer  counselor" may  be misleading  for people                                                               
who  may  need  additional  support  from  professional  licensed                                                               
counselors.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:30:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DUNBAR  said the  term that should  be utilized  is "peer                                                               
counselor" and  stated his understanding that  peer counseling is                                                               
not a substitute for therapy or medical treatment.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:31:17 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER asked  about confidentiality and whether                                                               
it would  apply to  an admission  of criminal  conduct in  a peer                                                               
counseling session.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:32:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
COMMISSIONER   COCKRELL  stated   that  training   empowers  peer                                                               
counselors to  discontinue peer support  in the event  the crimes                                                               
are admitted  to during  a counseling  session.   Peer counselors                                                               
are required to report any criminal offenses.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
COMMISSIONER COCKRELL  explained that  if the  needs of  a public                                                               
safety employee are beyond the help  of what a peer counselor can                                                               
provide, professional help can be sought elsewhere.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
3:33:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ALLARD asked about confidentiality safeguards.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
COMMISSIONER COCKRELL  said the department has  strict guidelines                                                               
about confidentiality.   If confidentiality were  in question, an                                                               
internal  investigation  would  occur, and  discipline  would  be                                                               
given in accordance with the level of violation.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DUNBAR asked  to hear  Seargent Huston's  point of  view                                                               
regarding confidentiality.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:35:33 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SERGEANT HUSTON  said that members  of the peer support  team are                                                               
required to  sign a  confidentiality agreement.   She  noted that                                                               
peer counselors are volunteers and  are selected through internal                                                               
recommendation.   Confidentiality  has  yet to  be a  significant                                                               
issue within the  program.  There would be  an internal personnel                                                               
process if confidentiality complaints came to light.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:37:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STORY asked  if  the term  "counselor" should  be                                                               
changed  to  "peer  counselor"  throughout  the  bill  to  ensure                                                               
clarity.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:38:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DUNBAR stated  that he  is not  opposed to  a clarifying                                                               
amendment.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW announced that SB 103 was held over.