Legislature(2009 - 2010)CAPITOL 106
03/30/2010 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB307 | |
| HB277 | |
| HB361 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SB 307 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 25 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 392 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 277 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| = | HB 361 | ||
SB 307-SHELTERS FOR RUNAWAY MINORS
3:10:54 PM
CO-CHAIR KELLER announced that the first order of business would
be SENATE BILL NO. 307, "An Act relating to residential shelters
for runaway minors."
3:11:16 PM
CELESTE HODGE, Staff to Senator Bettye Davis, Alaska State
Legislature, read from the sponsor statement [Included in the
committee packet.] [original punctuation provided]:
SB307 allows emergency residential shelters like the
Covenant House Alaska to continue to accept federal
grant funding. Covenant House Alaska has five
programs that include emergency shelter, healthcare,
job and educational assistance and transitional
living. Covenant House Alaska served nearly 3,000
Alaskan youth in Alaska for over 20 years and served
literally tens of thousands of youth.
In 2007, Covenant House Alaska was awarded the federal
Basic Center Grant (BCG) through the Administration
for Children and Families. This competitive, federal
grant supplied Covenant House Alaska with $300,000
phased over three years to operate the Crisis Center
($100,000 per year). The Administration for Children
and Families recently notified Covenant House Alaska
the Crisis Center is technically out of compliance
with federal grant requirements stated in the Homeless
and Runaway Youth Act.
The Act at 42 U.S.C Section 5712(b)(2)(A) states the
shelter can have "a maximum capacity of not more than
20 youth, except where the applicant assures that the
State where the center or locally controlled facility
is located has a State or local law or regulation that
requires a higher maximum to comply with licensure
requirements for child and youth serving facilities."
Established through the Act, federal regulation 45 CFR
1351.18 (d) states the Basic Center Grant (BCG) may be
awarded to facilities with a shelter capacity of 20
beds or less. Covenant House Alaska holds 40 beds.
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
concedes that states with statutes requiring them to
operate a facility over 20 beds will meet the federal
requirements. SB307 allows for a simple amendment to
AS 47.10.310 - "Licensing of Programs for Runaway
Minors" by adding a new subsection to read: "(e) A
program for runaway minors that operates a licensed
residential shelter in the state shall provide a
shelter with a capacity designated in the license
issued under AS 47.10.300-47.10.390." This simple
amendment will allow emergency residential shelters
like Covenant House Alaska to continue competing for
the federal Basic Center Grant (BCG).
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked how SB 307 would mandate a specific
number of beds in order to comply with license requirements.
3:15:03 PM
TOM OBERMEYER, Staff to Senator Bettye Davis, Alaska State
Legislature, stated that Legislative Legal and Research had
reviewed the federal statute in order to write a bill to bring
Covenant House into compliance with federal law. He offered his
understanding that should a state statute allow this level of
capacity then the federal law would also allow it.
3:17:25 PM
WILDA LAUGHLIN, Special Assistant, Office of the Commissioner,
Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), stated that
Department of Health and Social Services had no concerns with
the bill. She pointed out that it would help the Division of
Juvenile Justice and Office of Children's Services. She offered
her understanding that the licensing would not have a
programmatic impact on the section of certification and
licensing, as this was a federal regulation.
CO-CHAIR KELLER offered his belief that the federal requirement
for 20 beds was already in the regulations, but that Covenant
House had already licensed for 40 beds. This would be an
authorization for Covenant House Alaska to operate at the state
established capacity.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON read from the sponsor statement that a
State or local law "requires a higher maximum to comply with
license requirements..." He asked if the language in SB 307,
"the state shall provide a shelter with a capacity designated in
the license" was sufficient to comply with the federal law. He
asked if the state was going to have different capacities on
different licenses.
3:20:54 PM
LAUREN RICE, Director of Public Affairs, Covenant House Alaska,
pointed out that Covenant House was the only homeless shelter
for youth in Alaska. It had programs designed to keep kids off
the streets and to help with the transition to healthy lives.
She pointed out that these youth come from all over Alaska, and
more than 39 percent were Native Alaskan. She stated that 65
percent of the girls had been sexually abused or raped, and 75
percent of the kids came from homes with abuse of alcohol and
drugs. She noted that 70 percent of the $3.7 million budget was
from private donations, with the balance coming from local,
state, and federal grants.
MS. RICE directed attention to the 2004 and 2007 Basic Center
Grants (BCG), which Covenant House Alaska had received
regardless of the 20 bed capacity regulation. She shared that
the current federal administration had requested clarifying
language to apply for this grant. She explained that SB 307
would not impact any new shelters with fewer than the 40 bed
capacity of Covenant House Alaska. She summarized SB 307:
if a youth facility is going to operate in the state
of Alaska they need to be able to provide the beds
they are licensed for. So, if you are licensed for
three, you need to be able to provide three. If, in
the situation with Covenant House, if we are licensed
for forty, we will be required to provide forty beds
to our kids.
MS. RICE offered her hope that SB 307 would continue to keep
Covenant House Alaska competitive. She pointed out that its
daily average was 34 kids, and that Covenant House Alaska needed
a 40 bed capacity to operate in Alaska. She stressed that there
was not intent to limit capacity for other new shelters.
3:26:29 PM
KIMBERLY COLBO, Counsel for Covenant House Alaska, expressed
agreement with Ms. Rice's summation. Reading from SB 307, she
offered her belief that "shall provide a shelter with the
capacity designated in the license" that's been approved by the
state was functionally the same as the original language which
stated "is required to provide a shelter." She opined that this
should allow flexibility while permitting Covenant House to
operate and compete for the BCG.
3:28:30 PM
CO-CHAIR KELLER, after ascertaining that no one else wished to
testify, closed public testimony on SB 307.
3:28:44 PM
REPRESENTATIVE T. WILSON moved to report SB 307 out of committee
with individual recommendations. There being no objection, SB
307 was reported from the House Health and Social Services
Standing Committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB25prt1.PDF |
HHSS 3/30/2010 3:00:00 PM |
HB 25 |
| HB25prt2.PDF |
HHSS 3/30/2010 3:00:00 PM |
HB 25 |
| SB307pckt.PDF |
HHSS 3/30/2010 3:00:00 PM |
SB 307 |
| HB277pkt.PDF |
HHSS 3/30/2010 3:00:00 PM |
HB 277 |