HB 105-PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION  8:28:10 AM CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 105, "An Act relating to mental health education." 8:29:03 AM REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE moved to adopt Amendment 1 to HB 105, labeled 34-LS0558\A.3, Bergerud, 3/24/25, which read: INSERT HERE CO-CHAIR STORY objected. 8:29:27 AM REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE explained that the proposed amendment would mandate that mental health instruction in Alaska be taught under the definitions written by the Institute of Medicine. She read from specific definitions of mental health from the Institute of Medicine and said that "elevating physical and mental health is misguided". She said that kids' cell phone addictions and not getting outdoors are causing "really poor mental health outcomes" and said that terminology in mental health education curriculums around the world is unclear. She said it is "not the role" of educators to begin with mental health case identifications. She said that anxiety and stress are not mental health disorders, they're "emotions that we all feel on a daily basis". 8:36:31 AM CO-CHAIR STORY shared her understanding that teachers in schools are not taking it upon themselves to deliver psychiatric evaluations. 8:37:04 AM DAVID JIANG, Staff, Representative Alyese Galvin, Alaska State Legislature, on behalf of Representative Alyese Galvin, prime sponsor, presented HB 105 to the committee. He explained that it is not the role of teachers to diagnose or recommend treatment to their students and said that HB 105 was intended to create guidelines for a curriculum surrounding mental health, not allow for teachers to diagnose students with mental health conditions. 8:38:35 AM CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT shared her understanding that the National Academy of Medicine developed mental health terminology in the name of psychiatric recovery. CO-CHAIR STORY maintained her objection. 8:40:20 AM A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Schwanke, Elam, and Underwood voted in favor of Amendment 1 to HB 105. Representatives Eischeid, Dibert, Story, and Himschoot voted against it. Therefore, Amendment 1 to HB 105 failed by a vote of 3-4. 8:41:35 AM CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT moved to report HB 105 out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE objected. She shared her belief that the proposed legislation wasn't necessary, given the current curriculum outlined by Alaska state standards of education. 8:43:12 AM REPRESENTATIVE ELAM shared his concern that HB 105 was more focused on the diagnostics of mental health rather than the education of mental health. 8:44:30 AM CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT commented that HB 105 would provide clear mental health curriculum guidelines for school districts and said that the real issue is meeting the mental health needs of students in Alaska. 8:46:39 AM CO-CHAIR STORY added that it is important that the committee do the work to ensure a broad perspective is obtained while working to create new standards of education for schools in Alaska. She explained that the bill does include a clause for parental notification regarding a possible mental health concern of a student. 8:48:58 AM REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT said that she supported HB 105 because it could make in-person counseling more accessible for students in rural Alaska. 8:51:14 AM REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD shared that she did not support HB 105 because there were already school districts in Alaska that were implementing mental health curriculums of their own. 8:53:07 AM REPRESENTATIVE EISCHEID explained that he supported HB 105 because of his own experience in witnessing the barrier to learning that is created by a student's poor mental health. REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE maintained her objection. 8:54:50 AM A roll call vote was taken. Representatives Himschoot, Story, Eischeid, and Dibert voted in favor of reporting HB 105 out of committee. Representatives Schwanke, Elam, and Underwood voted against it. Therefore, HB 105 was reported out of the House Education Standing Committee by a vote of 4-3. 8:55:47 AM The committee took an at-ease from 8:55 a.m. to 8:59 a.m.