HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE February 21, 1997 3:21 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Representative Norman Rokeberg, Chairman Representative John Cowdery Representative Jerry Sanders Representative Joe Ryan MEMBERS ABSENT Representative Bill Hudson Representative Tom Brice Representative Gene Kubina COMMITTEE CALENDAR Governor's Appointments to Boards and Commissions - HEARD AND HELD PREVIOUS ACTION No previous action to record. WITNESS REGISTER CATHERINE REARDON, Director Division of Occupational Licensing Department of Commerce and Economic Development P.O. Box 110806 Juneau, Alaska 99811-0806 Telephone: (907) 465-2538 POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions regarding appointments to boards. ACTION NARRATIVE TAPE 97-13, SIDE A Number 001 CHAIRMAN NORMAN ROKEBERG called the House Labor and Commerce Standing Committee to order at 3:21 p.m. Members present at the call to order were Representatives Rokeberg, Cowdery, Sanders and Ryan. GOVERNOR'S APPOINTMENTS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS Number 031 CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG announced the committee would address appointments by the Governor to various boards and commissions. He said he would like to briefly review the various lists. If any of the members have any knowledge about the appointments, he would ask them to make it known to the committee. CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG announced the first appointment is to the Board of Public Accountancy. Number 153 REPRESENTATIVE JOHN COWDERY indicated he hasn't reviewed all the appointments, but he believes new appointments to the boards are healthy. CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG said he does believe the Governor should have the right to appoint the people he chooses. However, it is the constitutional responsibility of the legislators to review these people and make their will known. He noted as a matter of procedure, the action the committee takes will merely to refer the names forward. Chairman Rokeberg said the Medical Board has a further referral to the Health, Education and Social Services (HESS) Committee. He said the committee is not taking definitive action of rejection or acceptance by the committee's action. Number 293 CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors and said, "I've made some inquiries and seemingly at this stage appear to be positive, all of which are new appointments. No information on the Board of Barbers and Hairdressers. I'll double check on the Board of Chiropractic." CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the Board of Clinical Social Work Examiners and said that is a new appointment which he will check on. He said the Board of Dispensing Opticians and the Board of Chiropractic Examiners are reappointments. The Alaska Relations Agency has a reappointment and a new appointment. Chairman Rokeberg referred to the appointment to the Board of Marine Pilots, Bernie Smith, and said he believes Mr. Smith is with the Tesoro Petroleum Company and is well known. The appointments to the State Medical Board are all reappointments. He noted he has made some inquiries and there doesn't seem to be any problems. Number 415 CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives and the Board of Nursing and said those are also reappointments. William D. Faulkner is a new appointment to the Board of Optometry and is well known to him as a former member of Anchorage Municipal Assembly. He noted Aharon Sternberg is also a new appointment to the Board of Optometry. The Board of Pharmacy has one reappointment and one new appointment. The State Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Board has one new appointment and two reappointments. Number 486 CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners and asked Ms. Armstrong, Committee Aide, to make a note to check on this board as there was a major hearing in the House HESS Committee last year about a bill that redefined the psychological associates and the various statutory requirements. He said as he recalls there was some dissension between practitioners and some of the board members. Chairman Rokeberg suggested taking a closer look at this issue. CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers and said all three appointees are new. Number 569 REPRESENTATIVE JOE RYAN said, "We were talking about the psychological examiners and that bill is I think Senate Bill 196 by Senator Rieger and it was coincidental that his wife is a practitioner and that it allowed a little more latitude perhaps -- just coincidental. So yes, you might want to take a look at..." CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG said he recalls the testimony. Number 608 CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG again referred to the Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers and said he is familiar with Susan Crosson. He said he would make some inquiries on the other two appointees. CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG informed the committee that there are all new appointees to the Board of Veterinary Examiners. Number 628 CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to the Alaska Workers' Compensation Board and said it is a very important board. He asked Ms. Reardon if she recalls how many members are on that board. CATHERINE REARDON, Director, Division of Occupational Licensing, Department of Commerce and Economic Development, informed Chairman Rokeberg that board is in the Department of Labor. Number 650 REPRESENTATIVE COWDERY indicated he would like to see new appointments to some of the boards. CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG said he would point out that if a person is serving two terms, perhaps the prior Governor may have appointed them. He indicated he would hold the appointments over for further review and noted the appointments are also calendared again for the following Monday. Chairman Rokeberg asked Ms. Reardon if she has any comments that she would like to make about the appointments. Number 751 MS. REARDON responded that she was in attendance to observe in case there were questions or issues that she may need to research such as with the Board of Psychologist and Psychological Associate Examiners. She referred to the board and said there may have been House and Senate versions of the bill, but one version did pass into law. She said, "The most significant thing it did was allow psychological associates, which are the master's degree level, versus psychologists, which are at the Ph.D. level, allow the psychological associates to practice independently, more quickly. It reduced the supervision requirements from five years, under a psychologist, down to two or three and made some other changes like that. It didn't change the make up of the board. The Psychology Board has substantially changed since that time. As you may note, there were a lot of new appointments. There was a fair amount of perhaps disgruntlement or controversy in the psychology community in relation to the board and I believe four out of five were turned over to try, in my view, turn over a new lief and kind of start fresh. That's my opinion, not the Governor's voice on why some of those changes occurred." CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG asked what the women's name is that is being held over. MS. REARDON said she believes Dorothy Whitmore is the name. She noted the public member, Gail Shortell, is fairly new. She had just been appointed and then was reappointed. Number 895 REPRESENTATIVE JERRY SANDERS said they have turned over three members. MS. REARDON responded that would be more accurate. REPRESENTATIVE SANDERS asked Ms. Reardon who hasn't been reappointed. MS. REARDON said she believes Bruno Kappes was the previous chair and was connected with the University of Alaska, Anchorage, as a professor. The psychological associate was Rod Stokes from Juneau. Number 940 CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG asked if the passage of the legislation and the controversy that revolved around it has anything to do with the people dropping off the board. MS. REARDON said she isn't sure that she should be the person to comment on that. Number 1042 CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG said there are some bills that are being referred to the House Labor and Commerce Committee which were introduced by through the Legislative Budget and Audit and Committee regarding sunset dates. He asked Ms. Reardon if the Administration has an objection to lengthening or doing away with the sunset dates for the State Medical Board and the Workers' Compensation Board as they are really institutions. MS. REARDON said since she has been involved with the Administration, they have supported substantial extension periods. The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee generally recommends the date. She said she has noticed that they used to recommend four years, but a couple of years ago they started recommending six to eight and even ten year extensions. Ms. Reardon said these boards will almost certainly be extended, so she would assume the Administration would be comfortable with a long extension. She noted the legislature is always free to eliminate a board at any time by initiating legislation. REPRESENTATIVE RYAN read from information in his file, "People can serve two successful terms, may not be reappointed unless four years have lapsed since the person last served." He said it may very well be that some of the people have served two terms and that is why there is a big turnover on the boards. CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG stated that two years ago, the Governor asked for the resignation of all the holdover members. They were not subject to a cause termination. He asked Ms. Reardon if she is involved with the Alaska Public Utilities Commission (APUC). MS. REARDON said they are located within the Department of Commerce and Economic Development, but they are their own agency. She referred to the Governor asking for the resignation of holdover members and said if she recalls correctly, it was just the board members who had been appointed by the previous Administration, but hadn't yet been confirmed. CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG thanked Ms. Reardon. He indicated committee would address the appointments at a later date. ADJOURNMENT CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG adjourned the House Labor and Commerce Committee meeting at 3:42 p.m.