04/07/2010 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

          SB 262-EXTEND BOARD OF SOCIAL WORK EXAMINERS                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
4:10:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON  announced that the  next order of business  would be                                                               
SENATE BILL  NO. 262, "An  Act extending the termination  date of                                                               
the  Board  of  Social  Work  Examiners;  and  providing  for  an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:11:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JOSH  APPLEBEE, Staff,  Legislative Budget  and Audit  Committee,                                                               
Senator   Kevin   Meyer,   Chair,   Alaska   State   Legislature,                                                               
paraphrased  from the  sponsor statement,  which read  as follows                                                               
[original punctuation provided]:                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     The  Board   of  Social   Work  Examiners   (BSWE)  was                                                                    
     established   for  the   purpose  of   controlling  and                                                                    
     regulating the practice of social  work in the State. A                                                                    
     licensed social  worker applies social  work principles                                                                    
     and  methods, as  defined by  AS 08.95.990(7),  to help                                                                    
     individuals  achieve  more  adequate,  satisfying,  and                                                                    
     productive social adjustments.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     BSWE  is  composed of  five  members  appointed by  the                                                                    
     Governor. Statutes requires that  one board member be a                                                                    
     licensed  baccalaureate social  worker, one  a licensed                                                                    
     master social worker, two  members be licensed clinical                                                                    
     social  workers, and  one be  a member  of the  general                                                                    
     public.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     In the  opinion of  Legislative Audit, the  BSWE should                                                                    
     continue    to   regulate    clinical,   master,    and                                                                    
     baccalaureate social workers.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     The board  is serving the public  interest by promoting                                                                    
     the  competence  and  integrity of  those  who  provide                                                                    
     services  to the  public  as  licensed social  workers.                                                                    
     BSWE  continues  to  enforce  and  propose  changes  to                                                                    
     regulations to improve  BSWE's effectiveness and ensure                                                                    
     that social workers are appropriately licensed.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     SB 262,  if enacted, would  extend the Board  for eight                                                                    
     years to June 30, 2018.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:12:11 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DARYL  ALMAN, Licensed  Clinical Social  Worker; Chair,  Board of                                                               
Social Work  Examiners (BSWE),  stated that  the Board  of Social                                                               
Work Examiners  (BSWE) is working  for the public  protection and                                                               
to implement  appropriate standards for  the profession.   As the                                                               
audit indicated there were not  any specific recommendations.  He                                                               
related that  social worker licensing  fees are being  reduced to                                                               
$250.   He  stated  that the  BSWE board  is  functioning in  the                                                               
public interest.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
4:13:59 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  OLSON,  after first  determining  no  one else  wished  to                                                               
testify, closed public testimony on SB 262.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:14:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE T. WILSON moved to  report SB 262 out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.   There being no objection,  SB 262 was reported  from the                                                               
House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
4:14:29 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 4:14 p.m. to 4:16 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:16:49 PM