SB 92 BOARD OF VETERINARY EXAMINERS; LICENSE  CHAIRMAN LEMAN announced SB 92 to be up for consideration. MS. ANNETTE KREITZER, Staff to Senator Leman, said she tried to come up with language that reflected the desires of the Committee which would require amending 08.981.65 (Qualifications for a license) and 08.981.84 (Licensure by credentials). After reviewing her memo, Ms. Reardon and Mr. Welker noted one item that is a policy question for the Committee - whether or not the State is going to require the CCT and the NBE exam for credentialed applicants. Right now section 2 says that they pass the written exam of the State and pass the practical examination of skills, but section 3, Licensure by credential under the amendment, only includes State written or practical exam, she said. The question is are credential applicants being given the choice of passing either the Alaskan written exam or the CCT, but not both. CHAIRMAN LEMAN said he thought the issue was that the Board might require it, but the concern is that it might be too restrictive. He said that existing statutes require applicants from the United States to be a graduate of an accredited veterinary school. MS. KREITZER added, or pass the NBE Committee's Education Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates. The current statute has an "or." CHAIRMAN LEMAN said in Engineering there is an option for people who do not graduate from an accredited school. Although he believes it is highly unlikely that anyone would fall in that category, but he thought it unwise to preclude it in case someone wanted to teach themselves or have alternate training - as long as they can pass the practical exams and do everything else that shows they are qualified to practice as a veterinarian. He is not opposed to having certain restrictions for the foreign applicants so they can demonstrate that they are at least qualified to sit for the exam. SENATOR MACKIE asked if there were three ways to be a veterinarian under the new language; one, to have graduated from an accredited school, two, to have passed the Education Commission on Foreign Veterinary Graduates Certification process; or three, to have passed the NBE. MS. KREITZER replied that that was her understanding. CHAIRMAN LEMAN said he wanted to correct their understanding. He said there are two provisions. The third one Senator Mackie listed was an "and" provision. SENATOR KELLY asked if you are an American and have graduated from an accredited American veterinary school, do you still have to take a test. CHAIRMAN LEMAN answered yes. MR. RANDY WELKER, Legislative Audit, clarified that section two addresses if you are trying to come into Alaska and get your initial license to be a veterinarian. You must have graduated from an accredited school or have passed the Foreign Veterinary Graduates examination and then have satisfied the other requirements which are the State written exam and a practical exam (CCT which is also written). MS. KREITZER interjected that passing the NBE is one of the four requirements of the foreign test and this is why the language was changed to the "certification process." MR. WELKER continued saying that section three's proposed change says if you are licensed in another jurisdiction and you want to get licensed in Alaska, right now, the way the amendment is worded, you would have to have the same as the other, plus satisfy 2, 3, 4, and 5. That takes the NBE out of the equation for licensed by credentials. There is nothing in there saying a graduate from an accredited school has to have passed that test. The law they are trying to amend says that to come in, you have to have been licensed under standards that were equivalent to or greater than the State's at the time you were initially licensed. SENATOR MACKIE asked if they currently have to do a State written or practical exam. MR. WELKER replied no; that right now the law says the standards they have to meet when they were licensed originally in their state have to be equivalent to the requirements in Alaska at the time they were licensed in the other state. SENATOR MACKIE asked if the proposed language makes the requirements more stringent. MR. WELKER replied that it was more stringent, but that was in response to the fact that the Board is headed towards requiring the CCT of all applicants whether they had passed it before or not. CHAIRMAN LEMAN said he was hesitant to make policy changes when they didn't fully understand the impacts of those changes. SENATOR MACKIE said he was having a hard time following, also, and wanted the amendment presented as a CS. CHAIRMAN LEMAN said they would do that and bring it up at another meeting.