SB 119-ATHLETIC TRAINER LICENSING  3:16:53 PM CHAIR EGAN announced SB 119 to be up for consideration. SENATOR PASKVAN moved to bring CSSB 199( ), 27-LS0732\D before the committee for purposes of discussion. CHAIR EGAN objected for discussion. SENATOR MEYER, sponsor of SB 119, said that athletic trainers are certified health care professionals who practice in the field of sports medicine. Athletic training has been recognized by the American Medical Association; the profession plays a significant role in the management, prevention and recognition of rehabilitation of injured athletes. He explained that when the traumatic brain injury bill came before the legislature, it was found that there wasn't a group association to deal with it; so Alaska athletic trainers brought it to their attention. Alaska is one of only three states that doesn't license athletic trainers. SENATOR MENARD said they are most familiar with high school sports where you have an assistant coach who does things like wrap ankles and apply ice to injuries and asked if those assistants could still be used if they weren't licensed trainers. CHRISTINE MARASEGAN, staff to Senator Meyer, pointed out that this bill is about licensing. All athletic trainers that call themselves athletic trainers are certified through a national board. In terms of how this would play out in Alaska, they want to make sure that personnel are licensed in the State of Alaska to be able to provide treatment. Forty-two people have met all of the certification for being an athletic trainer but aren't licensed in the state. So, they could be at the game and they would not be able to provide service because they are not licensed. SENATOR MENARD said the glitch for her is that assistant coaches aren't licensed and she didn't want to get them in trouble. MS. MARASEGAN responded that this bill would not get them in trouble. A provision on page 1, lines 14-15, and (b) on the next page says if you have personnel that can provide assistance that they can provide it. She also pointed out that language on page 2, line 14, of the CS effectively removes the cap on the fee. 3:22:12 PM BRENDA SHELDON, President, Alaska Athletic Trainers Association (AATA), supported SB 119. She said they recognize the changes in the CS and acknowledge the challenges of their small number. But 2008 data places the mid-point salary for a full-time athletic trainer in their district at $40,000. She said many members volunteer as athletic trainers and are not in paid positions. Alaska has many non-profit and community events that they serve and SB 119, section 3, will include Alaska trainers in the immunity for providing free health care services. This is very important to them. She said what they lack in size they make up for with their certification agency, the Board of Certification. This agency will ensure that athletic training professionals have completed their proper college education; it will administer the entry level examination, track continuing education and continue to enforce the renewal for certification. Because of the board's role they feel their fees should be comparable to that of speech and language pathologists, geologists and dieticians. MS. SHELDON assured Senator Menard that this bill intends to only speak to athletic trainers and in no way limits what others can do at events with student athletes. 3:24:41 PM SENATOR PASKVAN remarked that his daughter is certified by the National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification and has been for a long time. She works in a high school of 4,500 students and to address Senator Menard's question, she works with the coaches and the assistant coaches particularly in the area of the football team and concussions. It's her decision as compared to any coach or assistant coach or anyone else on field that controls whether the kid goes back in. His daughter told him that there is no other certifying organization out there and this is the one that should be looked to as the "national gold standard." Therefore, he supported the bill. SENATOR MENARD said the fees will be collected by the Division of Licensing and asked if it would be necessary to have board representation. MS. MARASEGAN answered that could be worked out between the Alaska Athletic Trainers Association and the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. The ATTA didn't want to create a whole board, because they go through so much for certification already. They simply wanted licensure for the State of Alaska and Alaska would issue the license, but it would be referring back to the national organization, which is the only one that has been doing so for a number of years. SENATOR MENARD said she would support having a board member that is representative of what they are trying to do if that ever came up. 3:28:29 PM SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report CSSB 119(L&C), version D, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note. There were no objections and it was so ordered. 3:29:11 PM At ease from 3:29 PM to 3:30 PM.