Legislature(1999 - 2000)
03/16/2000 08:32 AM Senate FIN
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
MINUTES
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
March 16, 2000
8:32 AM
TAPES
SFC-00 # 51, Side A
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Sean Parnell convened the meeting at approximately
8:32 AM
PRESENT Co-Chair Sean Parnell, Co-Chair Torgerson, Senator
Dave Donley, Senator Loren Leman, Senator Randy Phillips,
Senator Gary Wilken and Senator Green
Also Attending: JAN MCGILLIVARY, President, Mental Health
Association in Alaska; JAN GUERTIN; ED HILL; SHERRI MCCROY;
LILY NANN HOLTEN; DONA RULE, Fairbanks Community Mental
Health Center's board of directors, board member, Alaska
Mental Health Association, student, University of Alaska-
Fairbanks
SUMMARY INFORMATION
Building Bridges Mental Health Campaign Presentation
JAN MCGILLIVARY, President, Mental Health Association in
Alaska testified that the campaign is a consortium of
organizations that serve the mental health services in the
community. She said the campaign members are advocates and
consumers of these services either for themselves or family
members. She spoke of the efforts made by members of the
campaign to raise funds from bake sales to car washes.
Ms. McGillivary told the Committee that her charge is to
empower the campaign members to speak for themselves before
the legislators.
JAN GUERTIN from Juneau read testimony telling of her work
as a mother and parent advocate for Parents Incorporated.
She stated that the agency is federally mandated by the US
Department of Education to provide training and education to
parents of special needs students so they can receive the
services their children need under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDA).
Ms. Guertin addressed SB 205 and its companion, HB 301 that
would update the state special education statute to conform
to the IDA law of 1997. SB 198, she continued, would raise
the base program for student allocations within schools
from $3,940 per student to $3,990 per student. She then
spoke in favor of SB 244 and HB 366, companion bills that
would increase the grant funding to school districts to
assure in implementation of the state's Quality Schools
Initiative.
Ms. Guertin supported funding for the Denali KidCare program
at the current level of 200 percent of the federal
guideline.
Ms. Guertin concluded by stressing that these programs would
support the lives of children in "the life domain" and help
them to have a greater quality of life.
Co-Chair Parnell commented that sometimes the Administration
encourages testifiers to legislative committees to mention
certain bills on the Governor's behalf. He asked the witness
to give her personal assessment of what the Quality Schools
Initiative and the Denali KidCare would do for her and
others in her situation.
Ms. Guertin told of a woman with a disabled child. This
woman worked full time but was barely able to make ends meet
and depended upon Denali Kidcare because she could not
otherwise provide medical care to her child. She told of the
other services the mother received through the school system
to meet the child's extensive needs, but noted that other
needs go unmet. Ms. Guertin understood that the Denali
Kidcare program's funding level was reduced to 100 percent
and then raised to 130 percent. She stressed the importance
of utilizing the federally approved guidelines to fund the
program at 200 percent, which would allow for Alaska's
higher cost of living expenses.
Co-Chair Parnell corrected that the proposed operating
budget considered by both the Senate and the House of
Representatives currently had agreement for funding at the
200 percent level. The reduction, he explained was contained
in a house bill that was stagnant in a committee and would
not pass into law. He was concerned that she was led to
believe the legislature was contributing less.
ED HILL, from Anchorage testified in regards to SB 73, which
addressed assisted living. He also touched upon the $2.8
million in cuts to the Department of Health and Social
Services budget planned for this year. He told of why he did
not believe there should be any more cuts to mental health
care. He realized that the initial savings seemed good, but
warned that the whenever a mental health patient was denied
services, the long-term cost rose to a seven-to-one ratio.
He explained that the patients in need of services travel
through the police system, then into the Alaska Psychiatric
Institute, where the cost is $1,000 per day. He urged the
Committee to make the least amount of cuts as possible.
Senator Phillips stressed the top priority of the people
living in his district was to cut the budget and not spend
the permanent fund for government services. He asked the
witness's interpretation of the Permanent Fund Advisory vote
held on September 14, 1999.
Mr. Hill countered saying the people he talked to about the
state's budget situation all agreed that a fair state tax
was acceptable. He spoke of the need to explain the need for
these services to the public. He stressed the common belief
of those who understood the situation was that the neediest
should not be forced to carry the burden.
SHERRI MCCROY, from Fairbanks read testimony in regards to
information, intervention and assistance and its importance
in her family. She spoke of her two teenage sons who suffer
from Serious Emotional Disturbances (SED) and the "constant
battle" every day between the sons. She said the boys fight
constantly and that her health has suffered as a result.
Although she and her husband hold full-time jobs, they have
been called away to come to the school to intervene with the
behavior problems. She then learned about a program in
Fairbanks that has helped her oldest son immensely. The
second son, she said is also showing progress in this
program.
She stressed that without these services and the knowledge
they provided her about her sons' illness, she would not
have been able to treat the boys.
She mentioned HB 149, insurance coverage for mental health
and substance abuse and encouraged its passage. Without
Denali KidCare, she said she would not have been able to
access the services.
LILY NANN HOLTEN, from Homer thanked the members for funding
mental health agencies that made it possible for her to
attend this meeting. She gave a brief description of her
multiple medical problems and a chronic mental illness. She
told of having two adult sons who were productive members of
society. She said that when "their lives were collapsing
around us" her son was able to access the mental health
services he needed. She told of how her counselor told her
she had to apply for public assistance in order to become
eligible for services.
She talked about the negative affects of poverty on a young
person. She suggested that people who earn enough money that
they must pay taxes should be proud of their contribution.
DONA RULE, from Fairbanks, told the Committee that he serves
on Fairbanks Community Mental Health Center's board of
directors, is a board member of the Alaska Mental Health
Association, a University of Alaska-Fairbanks student, who
works part time and suffers from schizophrenia. He stated
that the location of services was critical to him and his
peers in Fairbanks. He spoke of the importance of the
services he receives and thanked the members for their much-
needed support.
ADJOURNED
Senator Parnell adjourned the meeting at 8:57 AM.
SFC-00 (1) 03/16/00
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