HB 97-TELEHEALTH: PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS; DRUGS                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
6:15:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WOOL  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL NO. 97, "An Act  relating to the prescription of drugs                                                               
by a physician assistant without physical examination."                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
6:16:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
6:16:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE JONATHAN  KREISS-TOMKINS, as  prime sponsor  of HB                                                               
97, explained  that the bill  is companion legislation to  a bill                                                               
in the  Senate.  He  said it is  effectively a "fix-it"  bill, as                                                               
there  was   an  inadvertent   omission  from   the  legislatures                                                               
telehealth bill that  left out physicians' assistants  (PAs).  He                                                               
stated that HB 97 fixes that.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN  sought clarification  about the  change on                                                               
page 3, line 2, from "person" to "patient."                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
6:18:55 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REID  HARRIS,  Staff,   Representative  Jonathan  Kreiss-Tomkins,                                                               
Alaska  State Legislature,  on behalf  of Representative  Kreiss-                                                               
Tomkins, prime sponsor, explained  that "person" was the original                                                               
language that was  then changed to "patient" to  reflect a change                                                               
that was made  in the Senate bill,  SB 44.  It  was then realized                                                               
that "patient" is  not defined in statute  and therefore, changed                                                               
back to "person."                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
6:19:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN  questioned whether  it has anything  to do                                                               
with  the  oversite  of  PAs  being  left  out  of  the  original                                                               
telehealth medical directive.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. HARRIS  answered no.  He  explained that the entirety  of the                                                               
bill  deals  with PAs  being  left  out  of the  initial  medical                                                               
directive, which was from SB 44  in 2016.  The "person" "patient"                                                               
change was more of a drafting mistake, he said.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
6:21:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES moved to report CSHB 97, Version LS0695\S,                                                                
Fisher,    4/23/19,   out    of    committee   with    individual                                                               
recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE REVAK objected and subsequently removed his                                                                      
objection.  There being no further objection, CSHB 97 was moved                                                                 
from the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.