HB 138-MARCH: SOBRIETY AWARENESS MONTH  4:39:56 PM CHAIR MEYER called the committee back to order and announced the consideration of House Bill 138 (HB 138). 4:40:41 PM REPRESENTATIVE IVY SPOHNHOLZ, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, sponsor of HB 138, provided an overview of the bill as follows: HB 138 permanently designates March as Sobriety Awareness Month. Sobriety Awareness Month recognizes and celebrates Alaskans who choose to live a sober lifestyle and provides an opportunity for Alaskans to promote sobriety through activities and celebrations throughout the state. This bill is not a new idea and the concept behind it is not a new idea. In the 1980s and 1990s, native Alaskan and rural communities recognized the negative impact that alcohol and drug abuse had in their lives, so they sought to help solve the problem by highlighting models of sobriety in their communities. This movement escalated in 1992 when the first "Idita Pledge" event was undertaken by Akiak musher Mike Williams who was a musher participating in the Iditarod and he carried signatures of Alaskans who pledged to live a sober lifestyle with him along the Iditarod. In 1995 the Legislature adopted this idea for the first time declaring its first sobriety awareness month, but really the whole concept was built in the Alaskan native community and has been carried by the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) for many years. In 1996 there was a big push around Sobriety Awareness Month and the Alaska Legislature amended the Uniform Alcoholism and Treatment Act to reaffirm the state's commitment to sobriety by recognizing that it's the policy of the state to recognize, appreciate and reinforce the example set by its citizens who lead in, believe in, and support a life of sobriety. Sobriety Awareness Month continued to live on as sort of an annual activity of the Legislature until 2006; however, sobriety remains a really important topic in the state as alcoholism and drug addiction continue to plague us in many ways. Last year the McDowell Group reported through a study that found that the economic cost to the state in 2015 for alcohol and drug abuse was about $3 billion, that's pretty significant and we of course have had a lot of conversations recently in light of your crime problem and the opioid epidemic about the challenge with addiction that we continue to suffer from in the State of Alaska. I would argue that even in spite of the scope and the growth of the opioid epidemic, alcohol is still the number-one drug of choice of most Alaskans and remains probably our number-one problem. Many of you may know that I made a personal choice about 15-and-a-half years ago to become sober and have raised my family with a sober mom and really proud of that. I think that as a public person it's important to use my position to help educate people about the doors that sobriety can open to one if you allow yourself to walk through and that in fact it can be far from a burden but in fact can be quite liberating. So, I'm pleased to be able to present this concept to you. 4:44:10 PM SENATOR COGHILL commented that his mind goes to the times of year where alcohol consumption seems to "rev up." For example, the holiday seasons like the Fourth of July, Christmas and New Year's. He asked if she did a study on the placement of the Sobriety Awareness Month to get more public attention. REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ answered that choosing March was founded on tradition. She explained that the tradition originally came from the "Idita Pledge." She opined that the sobriety message might be missed during the holidays when many activities occur. She said the decision was to stick with tradition and pick March for the Sobriety Awareness Month. She disclosed that she inherited the bill from a former House representative and decided to take the concept and run with it. 4:45:51 PM TASHA ELIZARDE, Staff, Representative Spohnholz, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, explained that HB 138 establishes March as "Sobriety Awareness Month" in the state. She said Section 1 clarifies in codified law that the State of Alaska recognizes the importance of sobriety in the state. Section 2 adds a section to AS 44.12.150, designating March as Sobriety Awareness Month that allows schools, community groups, public and private agencies, other organizations, and individuals who are invested in the cause of sobriety to celebrate with activities. CHAIR MEYER commented that there seems to be a lot of bills for awareness months and days. He agreed that establishing March as Sobriety Awareness Month is important and appreciated Representative Spohnholz for bringing the legislation forward. SENATOR GIESSEL stated that she appreciated March as the chosen month because March is the month of the Iditarod where the race goes through many rural villages. She said sobriety is a topic that could be spotlighted by the Iditarod's platform where everyone, even outside the state follows. CHAIR MEYER noted that the intent is to make the designation in statute rather than a resolution that is brought up annually to serve as a reminder versus passing a bill and forgetting about it. He pointed out that Representative Spohnholz has chosen to dedicate her life to encourage people who need to be sober. 4:48:31 PM REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ explained that she inherited the bill and concurred that the intent is to designate the legislation into law, a philosophy that she agreed with. She opined that the sobriety message from advocates and community members should be focused on Alaskans rather than educating legislators. She asserted that Alaskans need to hear the message that sobriety is a positive and powerful choice that can lead to a vibrant life. She emphasized that the sobriety choice does not move a person away from fun, self-realization and great relationships; however, sobriety moves an individual towards those things. She asserted that the bill will provide advocates with an opportunity to move away from legislators and focus on building a community of support around the sobriety topic, something that she believes is a good use of their precious time as a resource. 4:49:53 PM CHAIR MEYER opened public testimony. 4:50:18 PM KIM ZELLO, Advocate, Fallen Up Ministries, Palmer, Alaska, testified in support of HB 138. She explained that Fallen Up Ministries is a nonprofit that advocates for those who have addictions, seek sobriety and need peer support or transitional- living services. She set forth that HB 138 will give notice to the state and nation that Alaska recognizes important issues that have affected residents like addiction and sobriety. 4:52:10 PM JULIE KITKA, President, Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), Anchorage, Alaska, testified in support of HB 138. She disclosed that AFN historically has been very involved in the sobriety movement. She said making a permanent month dedication to sobriety would be very constructive. She explained that AFN's work in supporting the sobriety movement over the years has shown to change the stigma of people, attitudes and lives. She emphasized that the legislation is not the end-all for everything but will be positive and will make a difference. CHAIR MEYER thanked AFN for their resolution. MS. KITKA explained that the resolution was from the AFN convention. 4:55:16 PM TIFFANY HALL, Executive Director, Recover Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, testified in support of HB 138. She disclosed that Recover Alaska is a multi-sector action group working to reduce excessive alcohol use and harm throughout Alaska. She asserted that Recover Alaska's vision is for Alaskans to live free from the consequences of alcohol misuse and to empower individuals to achieve their full potential. She stated that Recover Alaska wants to correct the falsehood that addiction is a moral failing and emphasize that addiction is a chronic disease. She remarked that Alaska has a pervasive drinking culture and noted statistics connected to alcohol where the state is at the top in terms of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and suicide. She pointed out that the state's alcohol mortality rate is over twice as high as the rest of the nation and six-times higher with the Alaska native population. She thanked AFN's sobriety movement for initiating March for sobriety as well as their year-round involvement in promoting healthy, sober lifestyles. She thanked Representative Spohnholz for taking up HB 138 and for serving as a strong and positive role model of what a full, healthy, sober life can look like. 5:00:12 PM CHAIR MEYER closed public testimony. 5:00:47 PM SENATOR GIESSEL moved to report HB 138, version 30-LS0488\D from committee with individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal note. 5:01:01 PM CHAIR MEYER announced that there being no objection, the motion carried.