HB 144-EXTEND BOARD OF VETERINARY EXAMINERS  3:19:19 PM CHAIR KITO announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 144, "An Act extending the termination date of the Board of Veterinary Examiners; and providing for an effective date." 3:19:35 PM CHRYSTAL KOENEMAN, Staff, Representative Sam Kito, III, Alaska State Legislature, advised that HB 144 extends the Board of Veterinarian Examiners eight full years until 2020, at the request of the Division of Legislative Audit. 3:20:22 PM The committee took an at-ease from 3:19 p.m. to 3:21:21 p.m. 3:21:03 PM CHAIR KITO, after ascertaining no one wished to testify, closed public testimony on HB 144. 3:21:38 PM DOCTOR RACHAEL BERNGARTT, Veterinarian, Alaska Board of Veterinary Examiners, said she was available for questions. REPRESENTATIVE JOSEPHSON asked what the board could do about improving veterinary medicine in rural Alaska. DR. BURNGARTT answered that the Alaska Board of Veterinary Examiners are charged with regulating licensees and it does not specifically know where licensees will practice. She suggested that an appropriate resource to work with in increasing veterinary care in rural Alaska would be the Alaska State Veterinary Medical Association, which speaks to all veterinarians. Historically, people submit their credentials, the board reviews it, "and that's it." She opined that the board has never denied a courtesy license, commenting that it recently completed more than 20, less than 50, courtesy licenses for the Iditarod and veterinarians were stretched out into very remote areas of Alaska. She reiterated that the board simply looks at credentials to be certain license applicants adhere to the regulations, and while she understands the need to increase veterinary assess in rural Alaska, she expressed that that is not the job of the Alaska Board of Veterinary Examiners. 3:24:29 PM REPRESENTATIVE STUTES asked Dr. Burngartt to explain a courtesy license. DR. BURNGARTT answered that a courtesy license is issued for special events such as, the Iditarod, a spay/neuter clinic, a marine mammal conference, and such, where the desire is to draw in outside experts or more manpower. The courtesy license is issued for a specific event only, at a reduced rate, with an Alaskan veterinarian as a sponsor. The board also offers temporary licenses up to 60 days to help folks that may only need short-term coverage. 3:26:21 PM REPRESENTATIVE STUTES surmised that courtesy licenses are issued to existing veterinarians, who may not be Alaskan residents. DR. BURNGARTT responded that the veterinarians who are issued courtesy licenses are not Alaska residents. 3:26:43 PM REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP asked whether the people who have expressed opposition to HB 144 believe the role of the board is other than what it is, that maybe the board's role should provide services, or whether they oppose HB 144 because they view the board as an impediment to more rural services. DR. BURNGARTT responded that she could not speculate why they are unhappy, but the board has not denied a license to any veterinarian meeting the credentials. 3:27:51 PM REPRESENTATIVE KNOPP asked whether it would be fair to say [the unhappy people] were unsure of the board's role, which is not uncommon. DR. BURNGARTT speculated, "Yes," and commented that they do not understand the role of the board and the folks living in rural Alaska want care for their pets. She said she would like to see a cardiologist in rural Alaska, and many other things, but that is not the job of the Alaska Board of Veterinary Examiners. CHAIR KITO advised Representative Knopp that one of the challenges is that there does not appear to be a place where people can call when they do not receive adequate service. He further advised that that issue is definitely something his office is interested in working on over the interim and invited the members of the committee to participate in collecting information as to different ways the state could help facilitate additional care for animals in rural Alaska. CHAIR KITO reopened public testimony on HB 144. 3:29:23 PM DOCTOR ERIC JAYNE, Veterinarian, advised he is the veterinarian who worked throughout rural Alaska for 10 years, 1999-2009, and is intimately knowledgeable about the issues. He advised that he prepared a 2004 survey through the University of Alaska Fairbanks, looking at veterinary needs and asking people for solutions. One recommendation was to increase education because people in the villages were performing veterinary care for animals with zero training and simply guessing about the procedures. The University of Alaska tried to start a training program and even though the board's only described role was approving or denying of licenses, he pointed out that the board actually did intervene in that training. He stressed that the board will intervene in issues, and the issue at that time was training people how to perform emergency care, and the board did not feel the training was appropriate. The 2004 survey found that a "crazy number" of animals died every year in rural Alaska due to the lack of veterinary care, and he estimated the number was in excess of 50,000 animals dying from lack of care, or being shot. He explained that a huge issue for him in these small isolated villages is that the individuals caring for animals have no choice, and when there is an excess of strays, or animals that cannot be treated, the animal are shot. The call goes out in the villages for people to tie up their dogs, which means any loose dogs will be shot. During that time, he articulated, the children may not actually see the dogs being shot, but they hear the gunshots which is a source of trauma for the children in villages. He expressed that the board should be more involved because there is a rule in the veterinarian board regulations calling for the board to perform surveys, and the board has never performed a survey. Also, he pointed out, a rural member should be admitted to the board, so the needs of rural Alaskans can be heard, except there are policies now that are tweaked against rural veterinarians. He clarified that by rural veterinarians, he meant non-profit veterinarians. 3:31:42 PM DR. JAYNE related that there is a real hesitation on the part of Alaska to allow outside non-profit veterinarians into the state, which is happening all across America, and whether the board wants to admit it or not, it is a resource being denied Alaskans. He acknowledged that the board is fine with everything up to a point, except the survey suggested that at least 10,000 spays and neuters are necessary in rural Alaska just to stay even, and when rising up to that number of spays and neuters, a lot of veterinarians will feel threatened economically. The manner in which the board's rules are interpreted currently, "allows easy access to harass a veterinarian, which is exactly what happened to me." He explained that he recently withdrew his application "so this could be talked about, I guess this was keeping the issue from being talked about, and I'd be happy to talk with anybody about what has happened to me," and there are many things in the "vet board rules" allowing the problems to happen. For example, he said, there is no time limit to file a complaint, and in reapplying for a license, he actually had a complaint brought forward from 12-years prior and he was asked to respond to the complaint, "which is crazy," he expressed. 3:33:08 PM DR. JAYNE explained that among the many things that are actually legal in Alaska, the state allows a veterinarian to euthanize a pet if the owner cannot pay the bill, which happens oftentimes in rural Alaska. For example, in Chalkyitsik, an elderly woman sent her little white dog into town to have one small front tooth removed, the veterinarian removed it, and told her the cost would be $500 or they would euthanize the dog. She came up with the money, paid the fee and paid for both flights. The veterinarian put one stitch in that tooth - the empty socket, and Dr. Jayne said he had never seen a stitch put in that location. The veterinarian "literally told her she could not take the stitch out herself, that that was against the law, that she had to fly the dog back in to have the stitch removed." Fortunately, he said, he was in Chalkyitsik at the time and removed the stitch, the elder was frantic and almost in tears, he related. There are stories such as that happening all of the time. Also, he advised, he has seen many cases where rural Alaskans do not feel protected by the board because they have received poor quality medicine, were sent drugs without the correct labeling, and such. Dr. Jayne stressed that there were so many things the board could do if it took an interest in rural Alaska, and the best way to accomplish that result would be to add a true rural Alaska member. 3:34:50 PM CHAIR KITO encouraged Dr. Jayne to allow Chair Kito's staff to work with him over the interim to try to come up with different ideas to bring back before the committee next year. DR. JAYNE said, "That would be great," and advised that the reason he reapplied was absolutely to bring this issue out because he is "haunted by the memory of the children in rural Alaska and the effect this has on them." CHAIR KITO closed public testimony on HB 144. 3:35:38 PM REPRESENTATIVE WOOL moved to report HB 144, Version 30-LS0596\A, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, HB 144 was moved from the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee.