HB 306-EUTHANASIA FOR DOMESTIC ANIMALS  CHAIRMAN STEVENS announced HB 306 to be up for consideration. REPRESENTATIVE LANCASTER, sponsor of HB 306, said in Alaska the animal control agencies do not have the authority to purchase, possess or use certain drugs to perform the most humane method of euthanasia for domestic animals. Right now a veterinarian has to be called to do this or the animal would have to be taken to a veterinarian facility. If an animal is brought in suffering, nothing can be done until the vet gets there and this could take hours. If HB 306 were to pass, injured animals would not have to suffer these hours and the process would be more humane. During business hours a veterinarian might be busy with other animals and unable to respond immediately or sometimes there isn't one available in small villages, which have access to veterinarians only occasionally and have to resort to harsher methods of euthanasia. If an animal is brought in in the middle of the night, it would take longer for a vet to respond. Pet owners would still have the option of bringing their animals to a vet. The goal of HB 306 is not to take business away from veterinarians, but to provide a more humane cost- effective method to treat sick or abandoned animals. Not only would it be more efficient and humane, it will also save municipalities money. With the fiscal situation the state is in, finding areas to save money is essential. In the Mat-Su alone, the animal shelter is spending $34,000 and up per year to contract for the service with the local veterinarian. In Fairbanks, it costs up to $85 per case. He said that agencies in this program will be under the self sufficiency act, so this would not cost the state of Alaska any money. Agencies wishing to apply will have certain guidelines to follow in order to obtain and keep these permits. Those who will be administering these drugs will have completed a euthanasia technician certification course that is approved by the National Animal Control Association, the American Humane Association, and Public Humane Society of the United States. Testimony in the House revealed that there were concerns that drugs would be available to untrained individuals, but any agency that applies for the permit will have to follow the rules in effect for possession of drugs for veterinarians. They will have to be kept under lock and key and licensed supervision. The DEA has indicated there has been very few investigations of these drugs and those were because of improper storage. Thirty-one other states have laws allowing animal control leagues to use the right to apply for a permit to purchase, possess and use drugs for euthanasia of domestic animals. MS. SHANA ANDERSON said she has been the animal control officer in Valdez for almost 13 years and she is also the president of the Alaska Animal Control Association. She supported HB 306, explaining that right now she has a very good working relationship with a veterinarian, but that isn't always the case. Other agencies have had problems being able to purchase drugs. "Anyone in this field who performs euthanasia are professional people, they're compassionate people…" MS. ANDERSON said that she wished she could be put out of business and that euthanasia wasn't needed. Many times it is necessary because animals don't have homes. MS. LAURA HOOD, Manager, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Division of Animal Control, supported HB 306. Unfortunately, thousands of animals are euthanised in shelters in the state of Alaska each year. This bill allows animal shelter workers to legally purchase, maintain and use the drug which is accepted as the best euthanasia method that we have available to us. This bill will save municipalities money as they become able to purchase these drugs directly from the manufacturers. They will no longer have to rely on the services of a veterinarian to purchase or administer the drug, which can cause the municipalities thousands of dollars each year. It will protect veterinarians by removing responsibility of these drugs when used in animal shelters from the veterinarians and placing it with the animal sheltering agencies. It will allow communities without veterinarians to practice modern, safe and humane animal control. It will allow humane euthanasia for injured pets in emergencies that may occur day or night. The euthanasia technician certification requirement will set a state wide standard for the level of care that pets receive in their last moments of life and will raise the level of professionalism in animal control workers providing this service. I really urge you to support this bill. Thanks. MR. BRETT REID, Kenai Animal Shelter, supported HB 306. He wanted to clarify that the "tool" they need to conduct euthanasia is basically a controlled overdose that does require some training. The course for using it is offered 20 times in the coming year and will probably be offered in Juneau, as well. The federal record keeping is pretty well established, so the wheel doesn't have to be reinvented on that issue. This is not a blank ticket to buy drugs as the bill lists specific ones that can be used. MS. MARIANNE CLARK, Soldotna Animal Shelter, said she had been in this field for over 25 years and supported HB 306. "This is a very important tool for us to use. It is the most humane method of euthanising the animals…" MS. NANCY BUCKMASTER, Sitka Animal Control Officer, said she runs the animal shelter and is the euthanasia technician. She has been certified for almost four years and has a good working relationship with the two veterinarians that work there. She supported this bill. She said it's more of a timing issue for those that have good working relationships with veterinarians. If she is not able to get drugs when she needs them, the process has to wait. Anyone who performs euthanasia usually has to be mentally ready and when those tools are not available for us, we then again have to redo our mental state and get prepared again to euthanise an animal. It's not an easy process, but the timing has to be there. I would ask that you support this bill for not only us, but all the smaller communities that are in the Alaska area. MS. HAVA LEE, Executive Director, Juneau Gastineau Humane Society, supported HB 306. She said that everyone in this business knows that euthanasia is a difficult topic, but it is part of their job and there is training available. The procedure is not to be taken lightly. There is nothing in the bill that says that organizations would have to discontinue using a veterinarian for this service and probably in Juneau they would continue. This bill provides options that allow qualified individuals to have access to euthanasia drugs. In instances where a veterinarian is not available, this could mean the difference between a humane death or hours or even days of endless agony for an animal. Supporters of this bill including humane societies and animal shelters and animal control officers throughout the state do not see this bill as a cheap way to reduce the animal populations. Animal organizations have an aggressive spay and neuter program. Humane societies and animal shelters do not create domestic over populations, but they are responsible for dealing with the problems of pets when they populate too much. In Juneau, as in most if not all animal shelters, animals are euthanised if there is no possibility that they will be adopted. We do euthanise animals that are severely injured, old and too sick to recover and/or vicious and like most animal welfare organizations, we go out of our way to find homes for adoptable animals. We do not have a list of people who want to adopt a 17- year old cat that sprays and has diabetes. That's just the reality. TAPE 02-17, SIDE B    MS. CATHERINE REARDON, Director, Division of Occupational Licensing, said her division staffs the Veterinary Board. She has reviewed and worked with the sponsor so they would be able to administer the bill if it passes and she didn't have any technical problems with it. MS. REARDON said that the Veterinary Board is not totally comfortable with the bill, because they are concerned about whether there would be sufficient insurance that the euthanasia drugs would be kept secure in community settings. They are also concerned about "pre-medication," meaning that sometimes animals need to be given a soothing drug before they can be euthanised because they are agitated by their situation. They are concerned about those drugs having potentials to become street drugs. SENATOR DAVIS asked if the Board of Veterinarians brought this up on the House side. MS. REARDON replied that she thought it was mentioned in House Labor and Commerce. SENATOR AUSTERMAN asked if the concern of the Board was that the control of the drug was not going to be tight enough. MS. REARDON replied yes. SENATOR AUSTERMAN asked if it was true that veterinarians controlled the drug now and there is no problem. MS. REARDON replied yes. DEA has rules about tracking the drugs and locking them up and things like that. The veterinarians' DEA permits are on the line if they don't adhere to those regulations. SENATOR AUSTERMAN said he assumed that municipalities would fall under those same rules. MS. REARDON said she thought the concern was with the smaller communities who might not have the resources or staff to adhere to all the requirements. SENATOR TORGERSON moved to pass CSHB 306 (L&C) out of committee with individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal note. There were no objections and it was so ordered.