ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
February 9, 2006
3:19 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Peggy Wilson, Chair
Representative Tom Anderson
Representative Carl Gatto
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Berta Gardner
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Paul Seaton, Vice Chair
Representative Vic Kohring
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Professional Teaching Practices Commission
Bonnie C. Gaborik - Fairbanks
Dr. Linda L. Gillam Black -
Craig Baker - Kodiak
- CONFIRMATION(S) ADVANCED
HOUSE BILL NO. 408
"An Act relating to the definition of 'child abuse and neglect'
for child protection purposes; and providing for an effective
date."
- MOVED CSHB 408(HES) OUT OF COMMITTEE
OVERVIEW: NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM & DRUG DEPENDENCE
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 408
SHORT TITLE: CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT/DISCLOSURE/PFDS
SPONSOR(s): RULES BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
01/30/06 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
01/30/06 (H) HES, FIN
02/07/06 (H) HES AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106
02/07/06 (H) Heard & Held
02/07/06 (H) MINUTE(HES)
02/09/06 (H) HES AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
BONNIE GABORIK, Appointee
to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission
North Pole, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As appointee to the PTPC, answered
questions.
LINDA GILLAM BLACK, Appointee
to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As appointee to the PTPC, answered
questions.
CRAIG BAKER, Appointee
to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission
Kodiak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As appointee to the PTPC, answered
questions.
JOANNE GIBBENS, Program Administrator
Office of Children's Services (OCS)
Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an amendment to HB 408.
STACIE KRALY, Chief Assistant Attorney General
Statewide Section Supervisor
Human Services Section, Civil Division
Department of Law (DOL)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 408.
MATT FELIX, MS, Executive Director
National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence (NCADD)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an overview of the NCADD.
JESSICA PARIS
National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence (NCADD)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Explained the "Protecting You, Protecting
Me" (PYPM) curriculum.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR PEGGY WILSON called the House Health, Education and Social
Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:19:57 PM
Representatives Wilson, Anderson, Gardner, and Cissna were
present at the call to order. Representative Gatto arrived
immediately thereafter.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
^Professional Teaching Practices Commission
CHAIR WILSON announced that the first order of business would be
the confirmation hearing of the governor's appointments to the
Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC).
BONNIE GABORIK, Appointee to the Professional Teaching Practices
Commission, informed the committee that she has been in Alaska
most recently since 1977 and has been teaching at Salcha
Elementary in the Fairbanks School District since 1980. She
related that currently she is a teaching principal. She also
related that last year she was appointed to fill a vacant
position on the PTPC, which she found to be very challenging and
important work that she would like to continue.
3:22:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO inquired as to the type of work performed
by the PTPC, specifically is the PTPC faced with teachers who
have been severely reprimanded.
MS. GABORIK answered that during her time on the PTPC such a
scenario hasn't occurred, although there was a teacher who
struggled to maintain his own private religious views from what
is appropriate to express in the public school. In the
aforementioned case, the teacher was given the benefit of the
doubt with a very strict warning to maintain his private views
separate from what he expressed at the school. Ms. Gaborik then
recalled the last meeting of the PTPC during which the bulk of
the cases were related to school districts who are forced to
hire teachers who don't have certification due to the shortage
of teachers. Although most of the aforementioned cases were
solved and didn't necessitate a hearing, ensuring that people
are properly certified and teaching in their field seems to be
the focus of the PTPC.
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO inquired as to whether Ms. Gaborik would
view a teacher found guilty of driving under the influence
during his/her time off duty as qualified to be in the
classroom.
3:25:12 PM
MS. GABORIK answered that it should be addressed on a case-by-
case scenario. She opined that the teacher is probably
qualified to be in the classroom, but she opined that she
wouldn't want to ignore a repeat offender. She noted that each
district may already have specifics in place with regard to how
to handle such situations. The bottom line, she stated, is to
keep students safe.
3:26:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked if Ms. Gaborik has any ideas as to
how the commission could be improved.
MS. GABORIK replied no, and added that she has been quite
impressed with the caliber of those on the commission and the
seriousness with which everyone takes the job.
3:27:11 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA moved that the House Health, Education and
Social Services Standing Committee forward the name of Bonnie
Gaborik to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission to the
joint session for consideration. There being no objection, it
was so ordered.
3:28:30 PM
LINDA GILLAM BLACK, Appointee to the Professional Teaching
Practices Commission, informed the committee that she has spent
the last three decades of her life working in the public schools
in Alaska, particularly in the Anchorage area. She related that
she is currently involved in higher education. In fact, the
academic dean nominated her for this position. She explained
that she is interested in serving because educators should
maintain the highest ethical standards and serve as models to
the students and those in the community. Dr. Black opined that
she would like to help improve education in Alaska.
3:30:05 PM
DR. BLACK, in response to Representative Gatto, specified that
she worked out of the central office for "SOS" and then traveled
to rural Alaska. She further specified that she first worked
with the children's cache that began preschool programs and then
worked with various Title 1 programs doing teacher and teacher's
aide training.
3:30:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA informed the committee that she has spent
a number of hours speaking with Dr. Black because she was a
principal in a school in her district and did a superb job.
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA moved that the House Health, Education and
Social Services Standing Committee forward the name of Linda
Gillam Black to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission
to the joint session for consideration. There being no
objection, it was so ordered.
3:32:04 PM
CRAIG BAKER, Appointee to the Professional Teaching Practices
Commission, began by informing the committee that this would be
a reappointment for him as he has been a member of the PTPC for
the past three years. He said that of the many commissions and
boards on which he has served, the PTPC is the most interesting.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked if Mr. Baker has noticed a change
in the issues that the PTPC has addressed over the past three
years.
3:32:53 PM
MR. BAKER answered that he has not observed any changes in the
way the PTPC operates. However, he mentioned that he is
constantly seeing new issues come before the commission. In
further response to Representative Gardner, Mr. Baker opined
that what is coming before the PTPC has stayed much the same,
although licensure issues may have increased. In the rural
areas, there are situations in which teachers don't return to
their positions after the holidays. In response to Chair
Wilson, Mr. Baker confirmed that he is aware of the statewide
mentoring program.
3:35:33 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA moved that the House Health, Education and
Social Services Standing Committee forward the name of Craig
Baker to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission to the
joint session for consideration. There being no objection, it
was so ordered.
HB 408-DEFINITION OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
3:36:20 PM
CHAIR WILSON announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 408, "An Act relating to the definition of 'child
abuse and neglect' for child protection purposes; and providing
for an effective date."
3:36:55 PM
JOANNE GIBBENS, Program Administrator, Office of Children's
Services (OCS), Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS),
stated departmental support for the proposed amendment [later
labeled and adopted as Amendment 2] as it addresses issues
previously discussed in committee [February 7, 2006], and
reflects current reporting practices to OCS. That amendment
[Amendment 2] read [original punctuation provided]:
Page 1, line 8, following "thereby;":
Insert ""child abuse or neglect" includes a
determination, at delivery, by a health care provider
that a child has been adversely affected by, or is
withdrawing from exposure to, a controlled substance
or alcohol;"
Page 1, lines 9 - 12:
Delete all material.
Page 1, line 13:
Delete "(B)"
Insert "(A)"
Page 2, line 2:
Delete "(C)"
Insert "(B)"
3:38:13 PM
CHAIR WILSON pointed out that [Amendment 2] is the definition of
child abuse or neglect with the inclusion of "or alcohol."
However, this change does not effectively alter how these issues
are currently being handled by OCS or statewide medical
facilities.
3:38:33 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDERSON posed a scenario in which a social
drinker who is not aware of her pregnancy takes measures upon
her awareness of being prenatal, but subsequently births a child
with fetal alcohol syndrome disabilities (FASD). He asked if
the parent(s) would then be faced with having the infant
reported to OCS. He related that he has received a broad
spectrum of opinions regarding alcohol affects on unborn
children and expressed his concern for the possibility of an
unwitting situation.
MS. GIBBENS explained that this bill addresses situations when a
health care provider has a reason for concern, and that a report
to OCS does not mean a child will be remanded by the state.
3:41:24 PM
CHAIR WILSON reiterated that this bill does not change anything
in current practice in the state, but simply provides state
statute for what is already occurring and to conform to federal
language and requirements.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER pointed out the possibilities that may be
looked at as options to state remand: no action may be
required, following a family assessment; supportive home
services may be employed; spousal presence in the home may be
made conditional; or whatever may be deemed necessary and
available to assure the safety of the child.
3:43:25 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO pointed out that on page 1, line 1, the
word "and" disagrees with the remaining language of the bill and
should be changed to "or" to maintain consistency.
STACIE KRALY, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Statewide
Section Supervisor, Human Services Section, Civil Division,
Department of Law (DOL), pointed out that the title does need to
be amended to "or" to remain consistent with AS 47.17.290(2) and
the remainder of the bill.
REPRESENTATIVE GATTO moved to adopt Amendment 1, deleting the
word "and" from page 1, line 1, and inserting the word "or."
There being no objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.
3:45:26 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER offered Amendment 2 [text previously
provided] and explained that this amendment effectively
redefines the abuse statute. She pointed out that child abuse
includes exposure, withdrawal, and adverse effects of controlled
substances or alcohol, but that the fact that a child has been
exposed does not mean harm has occurred, or that a child is
experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
3:46:42 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDERSON reiterated his concern for an unwitting
situation that results in, or a suspicion of, an FASD infant and
the possible consequences.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER reminded the committee that if OCS is
called and a report made, it does not mean the child is removed
from parental custody; rather an assessment would be made to
ascertain the welfare of the child.
REPRESENTATIVE ANDERSON maintained his concern for the judicial
aspect of the bill.
3:49:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA expressed concern that [by the time a
report is made to OCS] the mother and child may have already
"fallen off of a cliff." She reminded the committee as to the
need to address programs that take proactive preventative
measures.
3:50:20 PM
CHAIR WILSON asked if statute is in place that will ease the
concerns of the committee.
MS. GIBBENS said that there is statute addressing the
appropriate protocol for contacting OCS in a situation in which
a parent who is abusing a substance that interferes with the
proper care of his/her child(ren).
3:51:27 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDERSON said he agreed with Representative
Cissna that there is no need to focus on tougher penalties but
rather proactive/preventative programs to curb recidivism.
3:52:20 PM
CHAIR WILSON, upon determining there was no objection, announced
that Amendment 2 was adopted.
REPRESENTATIVE ANDERSON moved to report HB 408, as amended, out
of committee with individual recommendations and the
accompanying zero fiscal note. There being no objection, CSHB
408(HES) was reported from the House Health, Education and
Social Services Standing Committee.
3:53:35 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA reiterated her concern with regard to
prevention. She highlighted the language she gave to committee
members regarding an effective state program. She indicated
that legislation based on the language she provided to the
committee proposes the use of public health nurses to do healthy
family training, assessments, mentor parents, and work
proactively for the child.
3:56:02 PM
CHAIR WILSON commented that the aforementioned is something that
one must consider in terms of how the state can address such.
She further commented that are some prevention monies that she
hoped would stay in the budget in order to achieve such
[prevention activities].
^OVERVIEW: NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ALCOHOLISM & DRUG DEPENDENCE
3:56:24 PM
CHAIR WILSON announced that the final order of business would be
the presentation by the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug
Dependence.
MATT FELIX, MS, Executive Director, National Council on
Alcoholism & Drug Dependence (NCADD), informed the committee
that NCADD has about 96 affiliates throughout the nation. He
noted that NCADD performs a number of duties, all of which
revolve around the prevention of alcohol and drug abuse, safety,
health promotion, and disease prevention. He explained that
NCADD is part of a state system that uses a public health model,
which utilizes the three prongs of prevention, treatment, and
environmental strategies. The NCADD is the prevention portion
of the equation.
MR. FELIX stated that the reason NCADD has existed since 1965 is
because of the tremendous problem with alcohol abuse and
alcoholism in Alaska. He then directed attention to the chart
entitled, "U.S. and Alaska Consumption Comparison." The
aforementioned chart illustrates that Alaska consistently drinks
over a half-gallon of alcohol more than the national average.
In Alaska, the drug of choice is alcohol as evidenced by the
fact that more Alaskans drink and less Alaskans are completely
abstinent. Since prohibition was repealed, about one-third of
the nation doesn't drink at all while in Alaska only 25 percent
of Alaskans don't drink. Furthermore, 50 percent of the
drinkers in Alaska are categorized as heavy drinkers. The
average Alaskan drinks about 526 drinks a year and about 18
percent of the total population of Alaska drinks 76 percent of
all the alcohol. This population is impacting the state's
health and judicial systems, he stressed.
MR. FELIX then informed the committee that NCADD was founded by
the first woman in Alcoholics Anonymous and her focus was to
overcome the stigma attached to alcoholism and to establish a
system by which individuals entered treatment and recovery
rather than being treated in the criminal justice system. The
NCADD is supported by the Smithers Foundation and in Juneau by
various city, state, and federal funds. As the system has
evolved in the state, more people have promoted treatment and
less have promoted prevention. However, Mr. Felix opined that
prevention is where the focus should be because for every dollar
spent on prevention, $5-$10 spent on treatment could be saved.
4:02:25 PM
MR. FELIX informed the committee that NCADD operates the
following programs: the therapeutic court in Juneau; Alcohol
Safety Action Program (ASAP); alcohol-related intervention
services, public education; statewide media campaign; statewide
school system teacher training campaign; tobacco cessation;
teens against tobacco in the school system; seatbelt use, driver
training system; and community- and school-based prevention. He
mentioned that NCADD is a rather large agency for the size and
population of the state.
4:03:16 PM
MR. FELIX highlighted that the focus on schools is becoming more
prominent throughout prevention because of the tremendous amount
of acceptance of heavy drinking in the state. The desire is to
reduce Alaska's per capita consumption of alcohol to closer to
the national average because all the [problems] correlated with
heavy use will drop as well if the next generation can be
transitioned into less use. Although there is a zero tolerance
policy in schools and other deterrent programs exist, studies
show that postponing the first use of alcohol reduces adult
problems [associated with alcohol abuse]. Therefore, the
curricula in the school system tries to stop children from
drinking, to understand the consequences, physical and
otherwise, and to resist peer pressure in order to postpone the
first use of alcohol.
4:06:12 PM
JESSICA PARIS, National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence
(NCADD), explained that she would be discussing the "Protecting
You, Protecting Me" (PYPM) curriculum, which was developed by
Mother's Against Drunk Driving (MADD) when it added the
component of preventing underage drinking to its mission. The
NCADD is able to spread this curriculum in Alaska with the help
of a grant from the Department of Transportation & Public
Facilities (DOT&PF) and the Alaska Highway Safety Office (AHSO).
In response to questions, Ms. Paris related that the curriculum
is used in first through fifth grades and has been presented in
the Juneau School District. The Fairbanks North Star Borough
School District has had training for its counselors. She noted
that the Anchorage School District is the next district to
[receive training on PYPM].
4:08:47 PM
CHAIR WILSON related her understanding that Native populations
have a higher rate of alcohol abuse, and therefore she
questioned whether such areas will be targeted.
MS. PARIS answered that NCADD doesn't have a plan to focus on
the rural areas, although there is now an on-line training
option that will make it easier and cheaper to provide training
throughout the state.
4:09:58 PM
MR. FELIX related that the PYPM program primarily trains
teachers to use it. He then reviewed the various models that
can be utilized. He pointed out that the organization doesn't
have staff that can go to every school and thus the teacher
training model has proven to be of most use with the PYPM
program. He noted that the PYPM program includes a safety
aspect as well.
CHAIR WILSON recalled her time as a school nurse during which
she experienced many drug and alcohol prevention programs. She
recalled that it was easier to illustrate the effects of smoking
versus alcohol. She expressed interest as to how the program
relates the dangers of alcohol.
MS. PARIS then turned to the PowerPoint presentation entitled,
"Protecting You Protecting Me." The two curriculum goals are
that elementary students learn the effects of alcohol on the
brain and that they learn how to protect themselves when forced
to ride with a driver impaired by alcohol.
4:12:37 PM
MS. PARIS reminded the committee that the PYPM program is
utilized in first through fifth grades. Although this may seem
to be a young age to begin the discussion, a survey of Juneau
[teens] reported that 31 percent of 13-year-olds reported riding
at least once in a car driven by someone who had been drinking
alcohol. In 2003, a national [survey] reported that 209
children under age 14 were killed while riding in the car with a
driver who had been drinking. Further supporting the need to
teach elementary students about the importance of not drinking
before age 21 is that the Alaska YRBS reports that 23 percent of
Alaska students report they had their first drink of alcohol
before age 13. The aforementioned [percentage] is consistent
across the nation and that in middle school there is a huge leap
in use. Again, any delay in the first use of alcohol is
important. In fact, for every year delayed an individual is 15
percent less likely to develop alcoholism.
4:14:30 PM
MS. PARIS then turned to the question of how an adult's brain is
different from that of someone under age 21. The general
philosophy used to be that the brain completed development at
birth. However, recent technology has shown that the brain
continues to develop past the age of 21. This development is
about the wiring, organization, and function of the brain occurs
[from birth into the early 20s]. Furthermore, there is
[research showing] that the brain develops on a schedule.
Although 40 percent of brain development occurs during the pre-
natal period, the majority of brain development occurs well into
the 20s with key development times. In fact, a peak of brain
development occurs during ages 1-5, particularly during age 2.5.
There is also peak in brain development around age 14 or 15.
4:18:26 PM
MS. PARIS continued with the question as to how alcohol impacts
the brain of someone under age 21. To that, she stated that
alcohol impacts the developing brain differently than an adult
brain. Given all the same criteria other than age, alcohol
impacts the brain differently and it impacts those [21 and
younger] more negatively. However, there is no way to quantify
the impact of drunk teens beyond data obtained from MRIs
[Magnetic Resonance Imaging] performed on drunk rats and [self-
reported] teen drinkers and non-drinkers. Ms. Paris related
that what is being shown is that alcohol disrupts development
between the neurotransmitters and receptor sites and thus
development along the proper path can't occur. She further
related that research shows that brain damage occurs once the
individual is sober as the brain attempts to recover from the
impacts of the alcohol. Therefore, during the brain's peak
development it's at its greatest vulnerability to be damaged.
However, she noted that there is potential for damage throughout
an individual's 21-plus years. She reminded everyone that
alcohol impacts the brain and the body that the individual must
use for the rest of his/her life.
4:22:24 PM
CHAIR WILSON related her understanding that if an individual
begins drinking at say age 13, that individual's maturity level
seems to remain at that level until the individual stops
drinking [at which time] the individual continues to mature
again.
MS. PARIS said that she wasn't sure whether the aforementioned
scenario of emotional arrest is more of a psychological question
or has to do with the structural changes to the brain. The
question as to how much alcohol is too much, she pointed out,
remains. Furthermore, whether the brain damage is permanent or
long term is also a question that remains. The aforementioned
questions result in the view that since there is no known safe
amount, there should be zero tolerance. Moreover, there is also
the suggestion that occasional binge drinking is very damaging
as well and shouldn't be dismissed.
4:24:42 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER suggested that teens seem to fit into the
binge drinking category because they seem to drink in excess,
although not every day.
MS. PARIS noted her agreement and highlighted that some of the
predicted consequences of teen binge drinking are problems with
addiction, memory, learning, decision-making, judgment, and
impulse control.
4:25:25 PM
MS. PARIS explained that the Protecting You, Protecting Me
curriculum is based on this brain research. Although there are
many alcohol prevention curricula available, the PYPM curriculum
is unique in that it really focuses on how alcohol impacts the
brain in a more tangible way. Furthermore, the curriculum
highlights and explains why it's very different for a teen to
have a few beers versus his/her mother having a few beers.
4:26:55 PM
MS. PARIS informed the committee that PYPM has been tested in
3,500 schools over a five-year period and has been named a model
program by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA). The PYPM is also an Office of Juvenile
Justice Delinquency and Prevention (OJJDP) model program. Ms.
Paris explained that PYPM is classroom based and requires that
the instructor be trained by the developers of the program. As
mentioned earlier, PYPM targets students in grades 1-5. There
is a total of 40 lessons during an 8-week program. She
discussed the resource material for the various grades,
including books, videos, workbooks, and culturally relevant
curriculum for Alaska Native students. This curriculum
emphasizes the risks/dangers of underage alcohol use and teaches
vehicle safety and other skills. Moreover, the curriculum meets
standards in many content areas.
4:29:18 PM
MS. PARIS explained that the curriculum can be implemented in
various fashions. Classroom teachers, counselors, and high
school students can be trained to teach the curriculum to the
students. The curriculum can also be implemented with community
prevention specialists. In Juneau, it has worked well for the
counselors to teach the curriculum. She then turned attention
to graphs included on PowerPoint slides 19-20, which compare
[students] who had received PYPM curriculum with those who had
not over a five-year period. The aforementioned testing found
that those who had received PYPM had greatly increased/improved
knowledge of brain development, vehicle safety skills, and
attitude regarding underage drinking. Ms. Paris opined that
much of the goal of the curriculum is to build on the negative
attitude that elementary students already have regarding
underage drinking. The curriculum also improves stress
management and decision-making skills, she noted.
4:32:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER inquired as to what studies report with
regard to the real goal of PYPM, which is to reduce teenage
drinking.
MS. PARIS reminded the committee that PYPM was developed in
1998, and thus there is not data to track how effective it has
been. Since that's the case, it's important to recognize the
PYPM does meet the criteria as a model program based on what is
known to be effective. She then informed the committee that the
alcohol use of the high school students who teach PYPM was
evaluated prior to and after teaching other students and
compared with other high school students in peer leadership
classes. The rates of alcohol use, binge drinking, riding with
drunk drivers, and drunk driving of those high school students
who taught PYPM was less than that of their teenage peers who
had not taught PYPM.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER surmised then that the evidence available
indicates that the drinking behavior of the PYPM student
teachers may have been impacted. However, at this point there
is no knowledge as to whether the drinking behavior of the
students receiving the PYPM curriculum have been impacted during
their teen years. Therefore, she suggested that the
organizations classifying PYPM as a model program may have
"jumped the gun."
MR. FELIX interjected that there is knowledge that such
curricula does delay the first use of alcohol, which is
critically important with regard to use later in life. He
emphasized that the worst choice would be to do nothing and
allow students to enter the teen years without knowledge of the
potential damage and consequences of early use.
4:37:27 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER agreed that the policy of doing nothing
doesn't serve anyone well. However, she submitted that there
are other avenues to address this such as funding schools to a
level that any children who want to play sports can. She
suggested that when children have something to do, they aren't
idle and are provided an alternative to drinking. She then
inquired as to what it costs to implement PYPM in a school.
MS. PARIS reiterated that currently there is a grant from DOT&PF
and AHSO. She specified that it costs between $400-600 to train
a PYPM instructor. She mentioned that on-line training is also
available for about $400, which includes three hours of training
time and the curriculum to use for five grades.
4:39:33 PM
CHAIR WILSON commented that today's children face different
challenges than she did as they have parents and other adults
who drink in excess.
MR. FELIX noted that Chair Wilson didn't grow up in Alaska. He
reminded the committee of the high prevalence, availability, and
acceptance of alcohol in Alaska. He also reminded the committee
that in Alaska it's legal for a parent to serve alcohol to
his/her child, under age 21, in his/her home, which is contrary
to most states.
4:41:59 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER related her belief that part of the
attraction with underage drinking is that the underage
individual is getting away with something illegal. She recalled
her teen years in England where she didn't recall drinking being
an issue, which she attributed to the lack of it being a taboo.
MR. FELIX informed the committee that research shows that the
taboo effect doesn't promote drinking, rather the availability
of alcohol does. He opined that if it was legal for 18-year-
olds to drink, more would be drinking. In fact, since raising
the drinking age to 21, teen fatalities in traffic accidents has
dropped by 38 percent.
MS. PARIS relayed that the World Health Organization (WHO)
performed a study a year or so ago of 16-year-old European
students and compared the rates of binge drinking. The study,
she reported, found that the rate of binge drinking among 16-
year-olds in England and Germany was much higher than in the
U.S.
4:45:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER questioned whether [the use/view of
alcohol] has changed over the decades.
MR. FELIX said that there are cultural, religious, and
geographic factors. For example, he related that he grew up in
a Portuguese family in the wine country of California and wine
was on the table every day, but drinking was regulated. Still,
the data relates that it's much better to delay the onset of
drinking.
4:47:51 PM
CHAIR WILSON suggested that had the knowledge that is available
about alcohol been available 30 years ago, it probably wouldn't
have been allowed to be legal.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER pointed out that prohibition didn't work.
MR. FELIX mentioned that this chemical has been around and
accepted since the 1400s. He then pointed out that during the
10-year period of prohibition, which he characterized as a
desperate response by Congress, there was a 22 percent decline
in public health institutional occupancy. Mr. Felix encouraged
the committee to help maintain the prevention increment in the
budget.
4:50:33 PM
CHAIR WILSON concluded the meeting by emphasizing the need to
perform prevention.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee meeting
was adjourned at 4:51:03 PM.