Legislature(2025 - 2026)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
04/23/2025 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB103 | |
| SB49 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SB 49 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 103 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 103-CNA TRAINING
2:02:31 PM
VICE-CHAIR MERRICK announced the consideration of SENATE BILL
NO. 103 "An Act relating to certified nurse aide training; and
providing for an effective date."
2:02:58 PM
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON speaking as the sponsor presented SB 103 as
follows:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Currently in Alaska, Certified Nurse Aides, also
referred to as CNA's, go through training programs
that meet federal and state standards, but we've heard
a growing recognition that these standards need to
evolve to reflect the increasing complexities of
patient care in Alaska. Our population is aging, and
our CNAs are relied on to be well trained, not only in
physical care, but also in emotional and cognitive
support.
One area for improved training would be in dementia
and Alzheimer care, client communication, and
recognizing the psychosocial and emotional needs of
patients experiencing these conditions. These symptoms
are being overlooked because we are not properly
training our nurse aides to identify the symptoms
sooner.
This bill before us today would strengthen training
requirements to ensure that all certified nurse aides
in our state are equipped with the necessary skills to
provide high quality, compassionate care. Enhancing
training standards is the least we can do for our
aging population in Alaska.
Most, if not all of us, have experienced the terrors
of Alzheimer's and dementia firsthand, and by
modernizing training requirements, Senate Bill 103
will help build a more skilled workforce, which will
in return improve patient outcomes, and ensure that
Alaskans receive the highest level of care.
Many states across the country are implementing laws
requiring dementia and Alzheimer's training for
Certified Nurse Assistants, and SB103 would align
Alaska with those high-quality standards of patient
care.
2:04:51 PM
DEIRDRE GOINS, Staff, Senator Elvie Gray-Jackson, Alaska State
Legislator, Juneau, Alaska, presented the sectional analysis for
SB 103:
[Original punctuation provided.]
Sectional Analysis Version A
Section 1- Adds a new subsection to AS 08.68.331.
Certification of Nurse Aides
(c) Regulations adopted under (a)(1) of this section
establishing standards for a Certified Nurse Aide
(CNA) training program must require that the program
(1) be conducted in a manner ensuring clients
receive safe and competent care; and
(2) train a certified nurse aide to
(A) form a relationship, communicate, and
interact competently with a client;
(B) demonstrate sensitivity to the
emotional, social, and mental health needs
of a client through skillful and direct
interactions;
(C) assist a client in reaching and
maintaining independence;
(D) support and promote the rights of a
client;
(E) demonstrate the skills of observing and
monitoring a client during caregiving, as
well as reporting those observations to
enable the assessment of the health,
physical condition, and well-being of a
client;
(F) demonstrate knowledge of the abilities
and care needs of a client;
(G) use a problem-solving approach when
providing care;
(H) use techniques that ensure and preserve
the respect, values, choices, and dignity of
a client;
(I) demonstrate knowledge of client
assessment and care planning best practices;
(J) use effective communication skills,
including while communication with a client
with psychosocial needs or Alzheimer's
disease, dementia, a mental illness, an
intellectual disability, or another
cognitive disability or impairment;
(K) provide care to a client who is
cognitively impaired or has a decline in
cognitive function related to dementia; and
(L) demonstrate basic knowledge of
Alzheimer's disease, dementia, dementia-
related behaviors, and the activities of
daily living; in this subparagraph,
"activities of daily living" means eating,
dressing, grooming, bathing, and toileting.
Section 2 This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.
2:06:30 PM
VICE-CHAIR MERRICK announced invited testimony on SB 103.
2:06:43 PM
At ease.
2:07:05 PM
VICE-CHAIR MERRICK reconvened the meeting.
2:07:19 PM
MAUREEN TOWNSEND, Board Member, Alaska Chapter, Alzheimer's
Association, Soldotna, Alaska, testified by invitation on SB
103. She stated that even with her CNA training she felt
unprepared for the challenges she experienced working in the
dementia wing. She said better training could have helped her
work with dementia patients. She stated that her experience in
the dementia wing led her to switch careers because she felt
like training would not prepare her to work as a CNA.
2:08:47 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR asked Ms. Townsend where she received her CNA
training.
2:08:58 PM
MS. TOWNSEND responded that she went to Kenai Peninsula College
(KPC) located in Soldotna.
2:09:06 PM
SENATOR YUNDT asked what are the CNA training requirements and
how are they affected by SB 103.
2:09:27 PM
MS. TOWNSEND replied she completed six months of CNA training.
2:09:45 PM
SENATOR YUNDT asked what changes she would make to CNA training.
2:09:56 PM
MS. TOWNSEND responded she would like to see more training on
managing behavioral challenges because she felt unprepared to
handle or de-escalate patients in distress.
2:10:58 PM
MICHELLE CASSANO, Member, Alzheimer's Association, Akron, Ohio,
testified by invitation on SB 103. She read the following:
[Original punctuation provided.]
I'm a retired nurse, and I support Senate Bill 103. I
care deeply about quality dementia education and
person-centered care training for CNAs because my
husband, Larry, deserved better care.
He had Alzheimer's, and our family made the difficult
decision to place him in a facility here in Anchorage.
While it is a respected facility, and of higher
quality than some others in Alaska, their staff were
still very uneducated about dementia and person-
centered care. Subsequently, Larry was frequently
unnecessarily transported to Emergency Services, which
averaged $14,000 at least once a month, mostly very
late or in the middle of the night. Larry did not
need emergency care. He was exhibiting normal, non-
emergency dementia behaviors and needed to simply be
put back to bed. The lack of quality education of
Alaska's CNAs is a burden to emergency rooms, a poor
use of resources, and terribly upsetting to patients
and families.
CNAs trained in dementia care can effectively manage
challenging behaviors and ensure the safety and
security of our loved ones. The educational content
outlined in Senate Bill 103 would give families peace
of mind, knowing that their family member is in
capable hands, even in difficult situations. CNAs
trained in dementia care can recognize early signs and
symptoms of cognitive decline. This enables timely
interventions and support services, potentially
slowing the progression of dementia.
I was later able to get my husband into a facility
with better trained and experienced staff, who
understood common dementia behaviors, like lying on
the floor when tired, they helped him avoid falls and
gave him the personal care he needed. He spent two
years at that new facility with educated staff without
one hospital visit. CNAs are an important part of the
healthcare team, and all of Alaska's CNA programs
should cover person centered care, signs and symptoms
of dementia, and content on responding to challenging
dementia-related behaviors. Further CNA's want to have
the skills needed to care for their patients,
resources are available...I even took a series of
classes called Savy Care Giving and used online
resources during our long journey.
2:15:48 PM
KAY PAPAKRISTO, Outreach Director, Alzheimer's Resource of
Alaska (ARA), Anchorage, Alaska, testified by invitation on SB
103. She read the following:
[Original punctuation provided.]
I'm here today to speak in strong support of Senate
Bill 103, which will help ensure that Certified Nurse
Aides across Alaska receive essential dementia
training.
The importance of dementia training is something many
of us come to learn about through personal experience.
Prior to working with our agency, one of our ARA team
members had her parents in different dementia care
homes. Her parents required about the same level of
care and, in both settings, CNAs were reported to be
kind, caring, and deeply committed to their work but
the difference in the quality of care was profound. In
one home, the father was treated with dignity, largely
because his dementia care needs and challenges were
anticipated. In the other home, lack of dementia
understanding and training led to missed signs,
misinterpreted behavior, and unnecessary stress not
just for the mother, but for other residents and staff
too.
Speaking of staff, I was invited to observe a VA
hospital where young CNAs and nurses on [the] dementia
wing were feeling overwhelmed and unsafe. Many of the
veterans were living with dementia alongside other
complex conditions, like PTSD, which just make things
even more complex. With proper dementia training, CNAs
can anticipate needs, respond with confidence, and
create a calmer, more supportive environment. Good
training doesn't just help CNAs feel more prepared
it ensures they are safer, more capable in their
roles, and recognized as essential members of the care
These stories are not isolated they reflect a
statewide need. SB 103 is a simple, cost-effective,
and meaningful step in the right direction. It
supports our CNA workforce by giving them what they
need to succeed. It strengthens our healthcare system,
supports those who provide direct care, and honors the
people for whom they care.
2:19:14 PM
VICE-CHAIR MERRICK held SB 103 in committee.