Legislature(2001 - 2002)

02/05/2001 03:20 PM House L&C

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
HB  73-EXTENDING BOARD OF VETERINARY EXAMINERS                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 0940                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MURKOWSKI said  the committee would take up  HOUSE BILL NO.                                                               
73,  "An Act  extending  the  termination date  of  the Board  of                                                               
Veterinary Examiners."                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HAYES,  sponsor of  HB 73,  said the  bill extends                                                               
the  termination date  of the  Board of  Veterinary Examiners  to                                                               
June 30,  2005.   He said  the audit of  the board  was conducted                                                               
last  year and  the  conclusion  reached was  that  the board  is                                                               
operating  in  an  efficient and  effective  manner,  and  should                                                               
continue to regulate veterinarians.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HAYES relayed  that according  to the  audit, the                                                               
board is operating  in the best interest of the  public.  He said                                                               
the  Legislative   Budget  and   Audit  Committee,   Division  of                                                               
Legislative  Audit ("Legislative  Audit"),  and  the Division  of                                                               
Occupational  Licensing,  Department  of Community  and  Economic                                                               
Development  (DCED), both  recommend  extending  the board  until                                                               
June 30, 2005.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  HAYES   said  the  board  is   composed  of  four                                                               
veterinarians  and  one  public member,  staggered  in  four-year                                                               
increments.  He  mentioned that there is a zero  fiscal note.  He                                                               
said  he had  a  letter from  Todd  Palmatier, President,  Alaska                                                               
State Veterinarian Medical  Association, who is in  support of HB
73.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Number 1093                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CATHERINE REARDON, Director,  Division of Occupational Licensing,                                                               
Department  of Community  and Economic  Development (DCED),  said                                                               
the division  concurs that the  Board of Veterinary  Examiners is                                                               
doing a  good job  and supports  the extension  of the  board for                                                               
another four years.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS.  REARDON responded  to a  question  about courtesy  licenses.                                                               
She  explained that  there is  a  statute, which  applies to  all                                                               
boards,  that  establishes a  system  for  courtesy licenses  for                                                               
individuals who are licensed in other  states and who come up [to                                                               
Alaska] for  specific situations.   She said this board  chose to                                                               
write  regulations,   establishing  courtesy   licenses  designed                                                               
primarily for dog-mushing races.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 1167                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON said because there  are both foreign and out-of-state                                                               
veterinarians coming for the Iditarod  and the Yukon Quest, often                                                               
as volunteers, the courtesy licenses  allow them to serve in that                                                               
capacity on  the Iditarod or so  forth, for a specific  period of                                                               
time on  their out-of-state license;  participating veterinarians                                                               
don't have to go through the  whole licensure process, but do pay                                                               
a fee.   She  explained that this  has eased  tensions previously                                                               
caused by the  process.  She said  the board has done  a good job                                                               
of acting timely and streamlining the process.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON said  there was a special teleconference  a few weeks                                                               
ago to approve the licenses so everyone would be set to go.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 1222                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MURKOWSKI asked  if there  were  any continuing  education                                                               
requirements  for veterinarians.    She  said veterinarians  deal                                                               
with pharmaceuticals for animals and  she would think there would                                                               
need to be some kind of  "update" when dealing with drugs used on                                                               
animals.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 1243                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON  said she believed  there was a  continuing education                                                               
requirement for the renewal of  a veterinarian license.  She said                                                               
the continuing  education is  to be done  in areas  that directly                                                               
relate to  the practice of veterinary  medicine.  She said  it is                                                               
up  to  the professionals  to  decide  which kind  of  continuing                                                               
education to take.   She said this is generally  the case for all                                                               
of "their" health  care professions.  Doctors are  told that they                                                               
need  to  have  American  Medical Association  (AMA)  category  1                                                               
continuing  education but  can  pick  any topic.    She said  she                                                               
doesn't know if "they" are  getting it in pharmaceutical areas or                                                               
not.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Number 1293                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR MURKOWSKI  asked about  animal chiropractors.   She  said a                                                               
member of  the public  suggested that the  board should  create a                                                               
new licensing category in Alaska for animal chiropractors.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Number 1309                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  REARDON  replied that  she  thought  there was  a  question,                                                               
during the  past year, about  whether a human  chiropractor could                                                               
perform  chiropractic  [care]  on  animals, and  whether  it  was                                                               
within  the scope  of the  chiropractic  license.   She said  she                                                               
thought  the answer  was that  human chiropractors  couldn't, but                                                               
veterinarians could  do chiropractic  [care] and didn't  need any                                                               
type of certification.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Number 1354                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   KOTT    asked   Ms.   Reardon    about   typical                                                               
investigations with this group of practitioners.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON  said there is generally  an animal owner who  is not                                                               
happy  with  the outcome  of  treatment,  much like  someone  who                                                               
complains about  a human  physician.   She said  there was  a big                                                               
complaint investigation  and filing  of disciplinary  action that                                                               
related to  "euthanizing" animals.   She said  community members,                                                               
not an  animal owner,  brought about  the complaint  because they                                                               
felt  that the  drugs being  used for  euthanasia were  inhumane.                                                               
She said  that was  one of  the bigger  and more  expensive cases                                                               
over the last  five years to investigate.  This  situation was an                                                               
exception, but one that the  veterinary community was quite aware                                                               
of.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON  said there are  complaints from  other practitioners                                                               
and some from clients.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Number 1435                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KOTT  said there  is a  dispute between  the board                                                               
and the Department of Health  and Social Services (DHSS) over the                                                               
issue  of [vaccinating  against] rabies,  which has  held up  the                                                               
distribution  of  the  annual  veterinarian  handbook  until  the                                                               
policy is promulgated  by DHSS.  He asked Ms.  Reardon if she was                                                               
aware  of the  issue, based  on the  recommendations made  by the                                                               
board.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Number 1460                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON said she hadn't realized  that it was still an issue.                                                               
She said she  heard about the topic two years  ago and hoped that                                                               
it was  resolved.  She said  she thought he was  referring to the                                                               
DHSS handbook.   She  said the board  felt that  the instructions                                                               
given in the  DHSS handbook didn't match what was  believed to be                                                               
current  practice for  administering rabies  vaccines.   She said                                                               
she believed the board wrote  a letter explaining its concerns to                                                               
DHSS.  She said she would check and see how it all came out.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Number 1511                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  MURKOWSKI said  the [audit]  report  gives the  impression                                                               
that it  has not  been resolved.   She said  the board  held back                                                               
distributing  its annual  handbook until  the Division  of Public                                                               
Health,  DHSS, revised  state regulation  to  reflect the  recent                                                               
policy at the national (indisc.).                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Number 1533                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MEYER  referred to  the fiscal  note, page  2, and                                                               
said  the revenue  for 1999  was  $111,000, and  was $17,000  for                                                               
fiscal  year 2000.   He  asked Ms.  Reardon about  the difference                                                               
[between the two years].                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Number 1555                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON said fiscal year 1999  was the renewal year, when the                                                               
vast majority of  people paid money to cover  the two-year cycle,                                                               
"so  that is  why  there is  the  up  and the  down  year."   She                                                               
explained that  the fiscal  year 2000  [revenue] would  have just                                                               
been from new people coming into the profession.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  MEYER asked  Ms.  Reardon where  the board  meets                                                               
because he had observed that  the meeting [notices] are published                                                               
in Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage.   He wondered if costs could                                                               
be saved by publishing announcements in  just one paper or on the                                                               
Internet.   He  said only  a select  group is  interested in  the                                                               
meetings but areawide coverage is being paid for.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON explained that the board  always meets once a year in                                                               
Anchorage,  and usually  once in  Fairbanks, but  not necessarily                                                               
Juneau.   She said the board  moves around, but has  at least one                                                               
meeting in  Anchorage.   She said reducing  the number  of papers                                                               
that  run the  ad could  save some  money, and  has been  done in                                                               
recent  years.    She  said   the  details  were  discussed  with                                                               
Legislative Audit,  and said that  a similar paragraph  exists in                                                               
all of the audits.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Number 1641                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  REARDON  referred   to  page  10  [of   the  audit  report],                                                               
"Location, date, and time of  upcoming board meetings and notices                                                               
and  proposed changes  regulations are  published in  those three                                                               
papers."  She said advertisements  always appear in the Anchorage                                                             
Daily News because it is the  paper of largest circulation in the                                                             
state.  When  a meeting is taking place in  another spot, then an                                                               
advertisement  shows  up there  as  well.    She said  there  are                                                               
different  practices for  proposed  regulation  changes that  are                                                               
more widely  advertised.  She  said the  sentence [on page  10 of                                                               
the audit report] covers both things,  which is why it looks that                                                               
way.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
MS.  REARDON  said  she  could  provide  the  actual  policy  and                                                               
procedure   on  advertising.     She   said  the   comment  about                                                               
advertising  on the  Internet was  helpful.   It would  take some                                                               
statutory  changes  to  get  rid of  the  requirement  about  the                                                               
advertisement in  the paper, which  appears in the  legal section                                                               
of the  classified ads.  She  said it is an  expense without much                                                               
value other than complying with the  law.  She said most citizens                                                               
don't look in that section for meetings.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MS.  REARDON said  most  people  can't afford  display  ads on  a                                                               
frequent  basis, which  would be  the logical  way to  advertise.                                                               
She said  it might be a  more valuable legal requirement  to post                                                               
public  notices  online, along  with  mailing  to people  on  the                                                               
Interested Parties  List.   She said it  might be  different with                                                               
regulations because  "they" may  like to point  to the  fact that                                                               
regulations were  publicly noticed.   She said many  payments are                                                               
made to  the classified sections  that probably  aren't resulting                                                               
in value.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Number 1737                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  REARDON  said  public  notice  of  examinations  is  another                                                               
example  of   possible  ineffective  advertising,   since  people                                                               
needing to  take an examination do  not start at the  paper.  She                                                               
said prospective licensees call the  division and ask them how to                                                               
do it.   She said  the division writes  back to people  about the                                                               
exam, if  they qualify  to take it.   Anyone who  sees it  in the                                                               
paper, by  definition, doesn't qualify  to take the test.   There                                                               
are probably some  cost savings that could be done.   She said it                                                               
is  her   responsibility  to  bring  statutory   changes  to  the                                                               
committee - those necessary to achieve the changes.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Number 1775                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MEYER  referred to the expenditures  and asked for                                                               
an example of contractual services.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS.  REARDON  said  personnel  services   would  be  salaries  of                                                               
division staff, such as the  licensing examiner, a [pay] range 12                                                               
position  who does  the board's  agenda, deals  with the  public,                                                               
reviews applications, and  so forth.  She  said investigator time                                                               
would also be considered a personnel service.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MS.  REARDON said  contractual  services  are services  purchased                                                               
from  sources  outside  of   the  division  including:  telephone                                                               
services,  postage, legal  services,  expert witness  agreements,                                                               
and examination purchases.  She  said the national examination is                                                               
purchased and then  people are charged to take it.   She said the                                                               
portion  of money  paid  to the  department as  a  whole for  the                                                               
personnel or fiscal division also shows up that way.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE MEYER asked Ms. Reardon  what percentage of time a                                                               
range-12 position would be dedicated to the board.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Number 1861                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON  said half  to three-fourths  of the  range-12's time                                                               
would be dedicated  to this, depending on the time  of year.  She                                                               
said a  range 12 [position], step  A, costs about $42,000  a year                                                               
including  benefits.   She  said  this person  is  probably at  a                                                               
higher step,  which would be a  little more than that.   She said                                                               
the  hearing  officer's salary  would  fall  under the  personnel                                                               
cost.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS.  REARDON said  half time  would [probably]  be more  accurate                                                               
[referring to the  range 12's time dedicated to the  board].  She                                                               
said  that  person  also  works  with  the  Board  of  Dispensing                                                               
Opticians and in licensing of underground storage-tank workers.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Number 1916                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ROKEBERG asked  Ms. Reardon where the  board is in                                                               
the licensing cycle.   He said fiscal year 2000  was when license                                                               
revenue was received.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON responded by saying  that "they" renewed December 31,                                                               
2000.   She  said there  are no  increments in  the fiscal  note;                                                               
there is  a zero  fiscal note  because no  additional expenditure                                                               
authority is needed.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  ROKEBERG said  he was  referring to  the increase                                                               
last year and asked if the board voted on a fee increase.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Number 1979                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS.  REARDON said  there was  a  fee increase,  which required  a                                                               
consultation with the  board.  The members of the  board were not                                                               
happy that it  was increasing but they understood.   She said she                                                               
met with  the veterinarian association  in Seward to  discuss the                                                               
fee situation back in November or December [2000].                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON said  there was a fee increase,  related primarily to                                                               
a  deficit  because  of  the  investigation,  legal  action,  and                                                               
discipline related  to the  euthanasia topic,  mentioned earlier.                                                               
She said  it is a  relatively small profession, one  where people                                                               
are not highly compensated, so  the fee [increase] affects them a                                                               
lot.  She  said she believed the association fee  was around $45.                                                               
She  mentioned that  veterinarians  are  a fiscally  conservative                                                               
group.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Number 2024                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KOTT asked Ms. Reardon  about the budget and audit                                                               
report and said  the same recommendation was made in  1996 to the                                                               
board members,  to establish a  hard-core minimum test  score for                                                               
veterinarians.   He asked if  she'd had any discussions  with the                                                               
board or heard any dialog "that's  taken place on the board as to                                                               
why they haven't put that hard-core number into regulation yet."                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 2047                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON  said she didn't know  why the board hadn't  but said                                                               
"we" will do  it.  She said  she was pretty sure  that last time,                                                               
as part of  the sunset audit legislation,  there were substantial                                                               
revisions regarding which test was  required.  She said she would                                                               
make sure that  "we" do a regulation establishing  a minimum test                                                               
score.  She said there has  always been a minimum test score but,                                                               
as  was pointed  out  in the  audit, the  problem  has been  that                                                               
Alaska's definition of "passing" is different than other states.                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MS. REARDON mentioned  that she would check on  the rabies issue,                                                               
mentioned earlier.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Number 2116                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HALCRO made a motion  to move HB 73 from committee                                                               
with  individual recommendations  and the  attached fiscal  note,                                                               
and asked  for unanimous consent.   There being no  objection, HB
73 moved from the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                

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