SB 36-EXTEND BOARD OF NURSING
3:32:45 PM
CO-CHAIR WOOL announced that the next order of business would be
SENATE BILL NO. 36, "An Act extending the termination date of
the Board of Nursing; and providing for an effective date."
3:33:10 PM
SENATOR CATHY GIESSEL, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor of SB 36, introduced the bill and paraphrased parts of
the sponsor statement [included in the committee packet], which
read in its entirety as follows [original punctuation provided]:
In accordance with AS 08.03.010(c)(14,) the Board of
Nursing is scheduled to terminate June 30, 2019.
Senate Bill 36 extends the board's termination date
six years to June 30, 2025.
The Board of Nursing is established under AS 08.68 for
the purpose of controlling and regulating the practice
of nursing, including APRNs, nurse anesthetists,
registered nurses, LPNs and CNAs.
The board's mission statement is "to actively promote
and protect the health of the citizens of Alaska
through the safe and effective practice of nursing as
defined by law."
The audit of the Board demonstrated that it is meeting
this mission.
SENATOR GIESSEL addressed the Board of Nursing's sunset audit,
which was conducted by the Division of Legislative Audit (DLA)
to determine the need for the board's continued existence. She
noted that the DLA made four recommendations, all of which have
been agreed to by the board. She directed attention to page 11
of the audit and addressed the 337,422-dollar deficit. She
pointed out that the board's revenues and expenditures have
since been updated to reflect the license renewals from October
and November 2018. She assured the committee that, currently,
"the cash box is full."
3:36:43 PM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX asked why the DLA recommended a six-year
extension as opposed to three or four years.
SENATOR GIESSEL offered her understanding that the DLA wanted
the ability to follow up and ensure that prior recommendations
will be resolved.
3:37:48 PM
KAREN BUCHKOSKI, Audit Manager, Division of Legislative Audit,
Legislative Affairs Agency, explained that the reduction in
extension time was due to the repeat findings.
3:40:52 PM
SARAH CHAMBERS, Director, Division of Corporations, Business and
Professional Licensing, Department of Commerce, Community &
Economic Development, in response to a question from
Representative Hannan, said that the audit was one of the first
things that the new board addressed. She revealed that the
board recently approved two sets of regulations to be forwarded
for public notice once they are through the legal process.
3:41:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN mentioned the opioid crisis and expressed
concern that notifications of license suspensions for
prescriptive authority weren't being dealt with in a timely
matter. She asked how soon the regulations would be in place
and wondered if they would adequately address the problem.
MS. CHAMBERS explained that the division views the audit's
recommendation as an extra safeguard. She said that
administrative measures were established 6 months ago to address
the problem. She said the board created the regulations as an
extra step and to "make sure that it was a mandate on
themselves."
3:46:09 PM
CO-CHAIR LEDOUX pointed out that the board is still missing one
member because one of the appointees didn't meet certain
requirements.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS requested that the DCCED follow up on the
review of CNA programs and report back to the committee.
MS. CHAMBERS offered to give the committee a current update.
She said that timeframe of lookback for the audit covered a
period when the board was switching from an independent
contractor to a permanent position, which went vacant for a
period of time. During that time, she said, "programs approvals
fell by the wayside and the board itself didn't pick up that
activity." She said once the position was filled, they returned
to a regular schedule and a full update on the status of CNA
program reviews was reported to the new board at their first
meeting. She stated that it is no longer a deficiency.
REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS questioned whether all 22 CNA programs are
getting inspected.
MS. CHAMBERS confirmed that they are all inspected on a biennial
basis. She noted that they received a federal grant through the
Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) to offset the
cost and ensure that it doesn't fall on the certified nurse aids
themselves.
3:48:49 PM
CO-CHAIR WOOL questioned whether the 22 CNA [training] programs
are mostly affiliated with hospitals or if they are educational.
MS. CHAMBERS replied that there is a variety; for example, some
are private, and some are affiliated with university programs.
Nonetheless, she pointed out that all of them must meet the same
standards.
3:49:33 PM
CO-CHAIR WOOL announced that SB 36 was held over.