05/07/2006 01:00 PM Senate FINANCE

2:23:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
     HOUSE BILL NO. 485 am                                                                                                      
     "An Act  amending the  State Personnel Act  to place  in the                                                               
     exempt service  pharmacists and  physicians employed  in the                                                               
     Department  of   Health  and  Social  Services   or  in  the                                                               
     Department of  Corrections; and  providing for  an effective                                                               
     date."                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
This was  the first hearing for  this bill in the  Senate Finance                                                               
Committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
JANET CLARKE,  Assistant Commissioner,  Department of  Health and                                                               
Social  Services, testified  that  this bill  would transfer  the                                                               
pharmacist  job  class  into  exempt   status  from  the  current                                                               
placement in  classified status.  Currently ten positions  in the                                                               
Department of  Health and Social  Services and the  Department of                                                               
Corrections   would  be   affected  by   this  legislation.   The                                                               
Department  of  Health  and Social  Services  is  advocating  the                                                               
passage of  this bill  in an attempt  to address  difficulties in                                                               
recruiting  for these  positions.  Pharmacist  positions in  both                                                               
departments   require  specific   training.   For  example,   the                                                               
positions  within the  Department of  Health and  Social Services                                                               
call  for specialized  medical  credentials,  with the  pioneers'                                                               
homes necessitating geriatric experience and credentials.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Due to the specialized nature  of these positions, the Department                                                               
requested  they  be transferred  from  the  classified status  to                                                               
exempt  status,  as  they  are   more  similar  to  other  exempt                                                               
positions in the Department of Health and Social Services.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
2:24:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Dyson asked  about bargaining unit issues  related to the                                                               
bill.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
2:25:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Clarke reported  that the  affected  individuals would  move                                                               
from their current bargaining unit participation.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Green had heard from  State departments about the "great                                                               
need" for  pharmacists and the  difficulties in hiring  under the                                                               
current job classification.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
2:25:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken noted  the seven  fiscal notes  accompanying the                                                               
bill, of which six were  zero, with the Department of Corrections                                                               
fiscal note was  $30,000. The other departments  would absorb the                                                               
additional  costs  into  their  budgets  and  he  asked  why  the                                                               
Department of Corrections would not be able to do so as well.                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
2:26:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Clarke related  that  the Department  of  Health and  Social                                                               
Services  had  agreed  in  hearings   before  the  House  Finance                                                               
Committee to a zero fiscal note,  as the Department has many more                                                               
appropriation  components from  which to  absorb costs  than does                                                               
the Department of Corrections.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
2:26:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SHARLEEN GRIFFIN, Director,  Division of Administrative Services,                                                               
Department  of Corrections,  testified  that  the Department  has                                                               
only one  budget component for  pharmacy costs. The  previous two                                                               
years  witnessed  supplemental  appropriation requests  for  that                                                               
component.   The  State's   unhealthy  inmate   population  makes                                                               
absorbing additional personnel costs unfeasible.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
2:27:39 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Wilken  offered  a  motion  to  report  the  bill  from                                                               
Committee  with   individual  recommendations   and  accompanying                                                               
fiscal notes.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Without  objection, HB  485  am, was  MOVED  from Committee  with                                                               
fiscal note  #3 for $30,700  from the Department  of Corrections,                                                               
and the  following zero fiscal  notes: #1 from the  Department of                                                               
Commerce, Community  and Economic Development; #8  from the House                                                               
Finance  Committee  for  the  Department  of  Health  and  Social                                                               
Services, Public Health Results Delivery  Unit (RDU); #9 from the                                                               
House Finance Committee  for the Department of  Health and Social                                                               
Services,  Behavioral  Health RDU;  #10  from  the House  Finance                                                               
Committee  for  the Department  of  Health  and Social  Services,                                                               
Health Care  Services RDU; #11  from the House  Finance Committee                                                               
for  the  Department  of  Health  and  Social  Services,  Alaskan                                                               
Pioneer Homes RDU;  and #12 from the House  Finance Committee for                                                               
the Department of Revenue, Tax and Treasury RDU.