Legislature(2005 - 2006)CAPITOL 106

03/17/2005 03:00 PM House HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES


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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= HB 151 RESPONSIBILITY FOR CARE AFTER EYE SURGERY TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSHB 151(HES) Out of Committee
*+ HB 156 COMMISSION ON AGING TELECONFERENCED
Moved CSHB 156(HES) Out of Committee
*+ HB 185 POSTSECONDARY STUDENT IMMUNIZATION TELECONFERENCED
Moved Out of Committee
Bills Previously Heard/Scheduled
= HB 193 LICENSING MEDICAL OR CARE FACILITIES
Heard & Held
HB 185-POSTSECONDARY STUDENT IMMUNIZATION                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:52:53 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WILSON announced  that the next order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL  NO.   185  "An  Act  relating   to  immunization  of                                                               
postsecondary  students  for  meningitis; and  providing  for  an                                                               
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
ERIC  DELAND, Staff  to Representative  Mike Chenault,  presented                                                               
the  sponsor statement  for HB  185 on  behalf of  Representative                                                               
Chenault.   He described how a  man in Alaska, age  nineteen, was                                                               
overcome  with  a meningococcal  disease  and  became brain  dead                                                               
within several hours of the onset  of symptoms.  He informed that                                                               
meningococcal  disease has  a 15  percent mortality  rate.   What                                                               
this bill  tries to do,  he related,  is remove the  exemption so                                                               
that post-secondary institutions  shall provide information about                                                               
viral and  bacterial meningococcal diseases  and their risk.   He                                                               
said that  the students shall  also sign a document  stating that                                                               
they have  received this information  and can have the  option of                                                               
immunization.   He emphasized  that there  is no  requirement for                                                               
immunization in  HB 185.   He  said that  the Center  for Disease                                                               
Control,  the American  Academy of  Physicians, and  the American                                                               
Academy of Pediatrics  recommend immunizations for post-secondary                                                               
students.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WILSON commented  that immunization requirements concerning                                                               
meningococcal disease are required for  some groups of people but                                                               
that there are  known exemptions.  She  offered religious beliefs                                                               
as an example of an exemption.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR.  DELAND explained  that the  passage  of HB  185 will  enable                                                               
post-secondary    students   to    receive   information    about                                                               
meningococcal  disease.   He  said  that post-secondary  students                                                               
live in  high-risk environments for  the spread  of meningococcal                                                               
disease                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WILSON   clarified  that   this  bill  does   not  require                                                               
immunization of students.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR.  DELAND stated  that it  requires  post-secondary schools  to                                                               
provide  information  pertaining  to  meningococcal  disease  and                                                               
information about immunization.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GARDNER  asked  if  there are  various  types  of                                                               
meningococcal disease.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR.  DELAND  said that  meningococcal  disease  can be  viral  or                                                               
bacterial.  He informed that there are many different strains.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER  inquired as  to the effectiveness  of the                                                               
immunization for all of the types of meningococcal disease.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MR. DELAND stated that the  immunization is effective, regardless                                                               
of the strain of meningococcal disease.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING  inquired as  to the necessity  of passing                                                               
HB  185 and  creating statute  around this  issue.   He asked  if                                                               
schools are informed about meningococcal disease.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MR.  DELAND  said  that  most  schools  around  the  country  are                                                               
requiring immunizations but it is not required in Alaska.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KOHRING  asked if  schools  in  Alaska know  that                                                               
meningococcal disease is a problem.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MR. DELAND  opined that schools should  know [about meningococcal                                                               
disease]  and the  purpose  of  HB 185  is  to provide  necessary                                                               
information  so  that  students can  make  a  decision  regarding                                                               
immunization.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  KOHRING  inquired  as   to  the  distribution  of                                                               
letters  to  schools as  an  attempt  to  inform, as  opposed  to                                                               
creating legislation.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MR. DELAND  clarified that  HB 185  is related  to post-secondary                                                               
schools.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING  offered that  the letters  be distributed                                                               
to  post-secondary  schools.   He  expressed  his uncertainty  of                                                               
creating a bill to inform students of a disease.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR.   DELAND  restated   that   not   all  institutions   provide                                                               
information on meningococcal disease.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KOHRING  inquired as  to the cost  associated with                                                               
the distribution of information.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR. DELAND explained  that there is a [health]  packet handed out                                                               
to new  students at post-secondary  schools and  this information                                                               
would be included in that packet.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
3:59:05 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCGUIRE said,  "We're requiring  that information                                                               
be given but we're not requiring immunization?"                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
MR. DELAND said that is correct.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCGUIRE asked why immunization is not required.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MR. DELAND said that the reasons  are similar to those brought up                                                               
by Chair  Wilson.  He  described the issues  concerning religious                                                               
beliefs, and  opined that each  individual should make  their own                                                               
decisions [to immunize].                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   MCGUIRE  related   that,   in  her   experience,                                                               
immunizations were required when attending school.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WILSON clarified  that there  are other  exemptions.   She                                                               
commented  that some  people don't  believe  in immunizing  their                                                               
children, and  that, based  on her experience  as a  school nurse                                                               
for many years,  there are many reasons why people  choose not to                                                               
be immunized.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:00:35 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCGUIRE inquired  as to the number  of states that                                                               
require immunization [of meningococcal disease].                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
RICHARD  MANDSAGER, M.D.,  Director, Division  of Public  Health,                                                               
Department of Health  and Social Services, stated  that there are                                                               
two  varieties of  meningococcal vaccine  for this  organism, for                                                               
Neiserria meningitidis.   He explained  that this is the  kind of                                                               
meningitis that makes people fearful.  He said:                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
     somebody gets  sick with flu  symptoms and can  be dead                                                                    
     in a few hours.  Thankfully,  it's very rare.  There is                                                                    
     a  small, increased  risk if  you are  a freshman  in a                                                                    
     college dorm or  in the military, and  that's where the                                                                    
     epidemics back ... during  WWII, were first recognized.                                                                    
     A couple things have  changed this winter, the American                                                                    
     Council on  Infectious Practices  has just  changed its                                                                    
     recommendations   about  the   vaccine  for   Neiserria                                                                    
     meningitidis  ...  and  is  now  recommending,  because                                                                    
     there is a new vaccine  available this winter, that all                                                                    
     people  ... get  it ...  within  a few  years, this  is                                                                    
     going  to be  common  practice for  most kids  entering                                                                    
     post-secondary   institutions   ...  colleges   already                                                                    
     include  it   in  their  information  ...   we  in  the                                                                    
     [Department of  Health and Social Services]  are fairly                                                                    
     neutral  on this  bill  for some  of  the reasons  that                                                                    
     Representative Kohring just stated  ... there's a small                                                                    
     number  of post-graduate  colleges  in  this state  and                                                                    
     couldn't  we persuade  them to  voluntarily include  [a                                                                    
     letter]  rather than  have a  statute,  given the  fact                                                                    
     that immunization  practices over the next  five years,                                                                    
     most  kids, by  the time  they go  off to  college, are                                                                    
     going  to  be immunized  already  with  a new  vaccine.                                                                    
     Your  question is  specifically  how  many states  have                                                                    
     requirements for  either information or  vaccination or                                                                    
     nothing,  most  have moved  to  ...   either  requiring                                                                    
     information  or requiring  immunization  and there's  a                                                                    
     mixture  across the  country but  it's going  to change                                                                    
     fairly  quickly now  with  the  change in  immunization                                                                    
     practices.   We are a universal  immunization state and                                                                    
     we don't  have to include  this vaccine because  of the                                                                    
     vaccine for  kids which is  the federal program  ... as                                                                    
     long as  we remain  a universal  vaccine state,  all of                                                                    
     our kids  in this state  will be offered, and  the only                                                                    
     kids that won't be immunized  will be the families that                                                                    
     choose not  to get vaccinated,  but it will  get joined                                                                    
     into the  requirement for  school attendance  over this                                                                    
     next  year ...  I  recognize the  ...  interest in  the                                                                    
     bill, but  the timing  is interesting given  the change                                                                    
     in vaccine as to how  necessary it is, given it's going                                                                    
     to happen, anyhow.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
4:04:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MCGUIRE   expressed  her  belief  that   if  [the                                                               
legislature]  makes   a  fundamental  policy  shift   to  require                                                               
immunizations,  then  that  should  be  the  law  created.    She                                                               
inquired as  to the  requirements of  immunizations at  the local                                                               
level for students, before entering school.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
DR. MANDSAGER said that over this  next year, because Alaska is a                                                               
"universal  vaccine state",  the  Department will  be putting  up                                                               
proposed  regulations that  [meningococcal disease  vaccine] will                                                               
get added to the schools for  students in grades K-12.  He opined                                                               
that  over  the  next  six   months  the  [meningococcal  disease                                                               
vaccine] will be  added in; the [Department of  Health and Social                                                               
Services] will  have to  put out  regulations proposing  to amend                                                               
the mandatory vaccine policies for  schools and, if that happens,                                                               
over the  next few years  all of the  teenagers are going  to get                                                               
vaccinated.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCGUIRE clarified  that the [meningococcal disease                                                               
vaccine] will be a requirement for students in grades K-12.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON stated that  HB 185 deals specifically with                                                               
post-secondary  students.   He asked  if regulations  proposed by                                                               
the state will apply for post-secondary schools.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
DR. MANDSAGER  said that the  state has no authority  to regulate                                                               
immunization in post-secondary schools.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER  inquired as to the  document mentioned in                                                               
HB 185 where the student's  immunization status is recorded.  She                                                               
asked how long this document would be kept and by whom.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR.  DELAND  said that  the  document  would  be kept  while  the                                                               
student was attending that institution, by the institution.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:07:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MCGUIRE  moved to report  HB 185 out  of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  GARDNER objected.   She  said that  if this  bill                                                               
were to pass,  she anticipates repealing it  when regulations are                                                               
revised.   She said that  she is not in  favor of passing  a bill                                                               
that may not be needed.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  WILSON  reminded  Representative   Gardner  that  the  new                                                               
regulations would  apply to  grades K-12, and  HB 185  is dealing                                                               
with post-secondary schools.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
A roll call  vote was taken.   Representatives Anderson, McGuire,                                                               
Seaton, Cissna,  and Wilson  voted in favor  of reporting  HB 185                                                               
out  of  committee.   Representative  Gardner  voted against  it.                                                               
Representative Kohring  was absent for  the vote.   Therefore, HB
185  was reported  from the  House Health,  Education and  Social                                                               
Services Standing Committee by a vote of 5-1.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:09:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                

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