SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE February 4, 1998 9:00 a.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Senator Gary Wilken, Chairman Senator Loren Leman, Vice-Chairman Senator Lyda Green Senator Johnny Ellis MEMBERS ABSENT Senator Jerry Ward COMMITTEE CALENDAR SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 19 Relating to the use of prototype designs in public school construction projects. MOVED CSSCR 19(HES)am OUT OF COMMITTEE HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 19 Relating to the Alaska Council of Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deaf/Blind. MOVED SCSHCR 19(HES) OUT OF COMMITTEE SENATE BILL NO. 241 "An Act relating to a tax credit program for postsecondary colleges or universities; and providing for an effective date." HEARD AND HELD CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 170(HES) "An Act relating to interference with the rights of physically and mentally challenged persons; and relating to service animals during their pre-training and training period." MOVED SCSCSHB 170(HES) OUT OF COMMITTEE SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 14 Establishing the Alaska Task Force on Parity for Mental Health. HEARD AND HELD PREVIOUS SENATE COMMITTEE ACTION SCR 14 - See HESS minutes dated 4/30/97 and 1/30/98. SCR 19 - See HESS minutes dated 1/28/98. SB 241 - No previous action. HB 170 - See Senate HESS minutes dated 1/23/98. HCR 19 - No previous action. WITNESS REGISTER Mike Morgan Facilities Section Department of Education 801 W 10th St., Suite 200 Juneau, Alaska 99801-1894 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SCR 19 Elmer Rasmussen POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SB 241 Loralei Meier Staff to Senator Leman Alaska State Capitol Juneau, Alaska 99801-1182 POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions about SB 241 Bob Bartholomew Income and Excise Audit Division Department of Revenue P.O. Box 110420 Juneau, Alaska 99811-0420 POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on SB 241 Joe Hayes Staff to Representative Brice Alaska State Capitol Juneau, Alaska 99801-1182 POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on HB 170 Darrell Campbell Center for Deaf Adults 731 Gambell, #200 Anchorage, Alaska 99501 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports HCR 19 and HB 170 Suzanne Price Leader Dog Box 84951 Fairbanks, Alaska 99708 POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on HB 170 Roger Hansen 4-H Club 1887 Southern Fairbanks, Alaska 99709 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SCSHB 170(HES) Ruby Schmidtbauer Box 306 Ninilchik, Alaska 99639 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SCSHB 170(HES) Linda Athons P.O. Box 3521 Soldotna, Alaska 99669 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SCSHB 170(HES) Rae Baggen Southeast Alaska Independent Living 5311 Halibut Point Road Sitka, Alaska 99835 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SCSHB 170(HES) Becky Rawson Southeast Alaska Independent Living P.O. Box 35097 Juneau, Alaska 99803 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SCSHB 170(HES) and HCR 19 Cheryl Hull Southeast Alaska Independent Living P.O. Box 35097 Juneau, Alaska 99803 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports SCSHB 170(HES) Dan Saddler Staff to Representative Bunde Alaska State Capitol Juneau, Alaska 99801-1182 POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HCR 19 for the sponsor Dwayne French Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Department of Education 1016 West 6th Ave., #205 Anchorage, Alaska 99501 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports HCR 19 Nan Truitt 405 West 36th, #102 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports HCR 19 Richard Kibby 405 West 36th, #102 Anchorage, Alaska 99503 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports HCR 19 Duane Mays Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Department of Education 1016 West 6th Ave., #205 Anchorage, Alaska 99501 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports HCR 19 Suellen Bahleda 17450 Rachel Ave. Anchorage, Alaska 99577 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports HCR 19 Kaya Kaya 122 1st Avenue Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 POSITION STATEMENT: Supports HCR 19 ACTION NARRATIVE TAPE 98-8, SIDE A Number 001 CHAIRMAN WILKEN called the Senate Health, Education and Social Services (HESS) Committee to order at 9:07 a.m. and recognized the presence of Senators Leman, Ward and Ellis. He announced the order of business would be SCR 19, SCR 14, HB 170, SB 241 and HCR 19 but stated the committee substitute for SCR 14 had only arrived ten minutes prior to the meeting, so although it will be discussed, he did not plan to take action on that measure today. SCR 19 - PROTOTYPE SCHOOL DESIGN SENATOR LEMAN moved to adopt CSSCR 19(HES), version B, as the working document of the committee. There being no objection, the motion carried. CHAIRMAN WILKEN explained the changes made in the committee substitute as follows. -On page 1, line 6, the word "critical" was changed to "crucial," and lines 14 and 15 contain some style changes for names. -On page 2, lines 1 through 6 contain suggestions submitted by Mr. Mackler, and line 7 addresses subarctic and arctic environments. -On page 2, lines 13 through 16 specify that the resolution is limited to K-6 schools and requires that engineering and design professionals who reside within the State are consulted on the prototype designs. -On line 19, language was added to require that the Bond Reimbursement and Grant Review Committee be consulted, and language on lines 23 through 26 allows for the use of prototype components in designs when complete prototype designs are unsuitable. SENATOR LEMAN stated he would prefer the resolve clause, on page 2, lines 13 - 17, to request the Governor to direct the Department of Education (DOE) to evaluate the advisability of the use of prototype school designs, because DOE has concluded, from past experience, that a statewide application may be inappropriate. He believed it is totally appropriate for individual school districts to develop prototype designs for their own use. He suggested the following language changes: - on line 15, insert the word "architecture" before "design professionals; - on line 16, change "climate and conditions" to "climatic conditions". Number 140 SENATOR ELLIS said he supports the last change suggested by Senator Leman because that language covers a concern raised in previous testimony about seismic conditions. He questioned whether other types of design professionals will be excluded if the term "engineering and architect design professionals" is used. SENATOR LEMAN said he was not aware of any, but asked participants to let him know. MIKE MORGAN, Facilities Manager for DOE, thought Senator Leman's language covers the full spectrum of engineering and architectural services. SENATOR LEMAN said specialties, such as corrosion and acoustics, would be covered within that language. SENATOR ELLIS suggested using the phrase "statewide association of design professionals" instead to guarantee that DOE gets a wider geographical perspective. Otherwise, DOE could meet the requirement by consulting with one engineer and one architect. SENATOR ELLIS also questioned why the resolution specifies that prototypical designs be developed for K-6 schools only. CHAIRMAN WILKEN answered that junior highs and high schools are programmatically much more difficult to build and much more demanding. Most elementary schools offer the same core programs. If this effort is successful, it can be expanded to junior and high schools. MR. MORGAN agreed that K-6 school programs are more uniform and explained there is no state or national definition of the middle school format. Grades can range from 5-7, 6-8, or 7-9. As the grade levels change, program needs change. At the high school level, programs are structured in a variety of ways, which affects designs. One factor that made the Fairbanks prototype design a success is that the school district applied a uniform educational specification to all of the schools. Number 207 SENATOR ELLIS questioned whether the phrase "core school functions" is in the committee substitute. SHEILA PETERSON, committee aide, answered that phrase was replaced by K-6. SENATOR ELLIS asked Senator Leman his opinion on whether to go with his original suggestion or to include the phrase "association of design professionals." SENATOR LEMAN said it did not make a difference to him; his intent was to incorporate the community of architects and engineers involved in the consultation, when design information is solicited. MR. MORGAN said DOE would want to gather a full range of input on this subject, not just information from one or two professionals. DOE would need input from design professionals in at least the three major areas of the State: Southeast, Anchorage, and Fairbanks, where there are concentrations of those professionals. CHAIRMAN WILKEN asked if anyone would be excluded if the resolution references the statewide association. SENATOR LEMAN said he did not think so. The American Society of Civil Engineers has a statewide association which is broken down into different regions. He assumed DOE would consult by region. CHAIRMAN WILKEN said that concept would be developed and incorporated into a new committee substitute. SENATOR ELLIS noted his suggested language would be "for grades K-6 in consultation with statewide associations for engineering and architecture design professionals." CHAIRMAN WILKEN asked if Senator Ellis was making a motion. SENATOR ELLIS said not necessarily, but requested the committee mull it over. CHAIRMAN WILKEN asked if there was any objection from the committee to Senator Ellis' suggested language. MR. MORGAN asked if that language would limit consultations to associations and prevent direct queries to firms. He assumed DOE would want to do both. SENATOR LEMAN agreed with Mr. Morgan's concern. CHAIRMAN WILKEN said that language will be cleaned up and incorporated into a new committee substitute. SENATOR GREEN thought the phrase "who reside in the State" might have unintended consequences if a firm, operating in the State of Alaska, had an employee residing outside of the State. She felt the goal is to find a person who resides in the State and is familiar with local conditions. CHAIRMAN WILKEN said that will be taken into consideration in the new committee substitute. MR. MORGAN said he had no further testimony and that DOE supports the bill. SCR 14 - PARITY FOR MENTAL HEALTH TASK FORCE CHAIRMAN WILKEN noted no teleconference participants were available to testify on SCR 14 at this time. SENATOR ELLIS asked committee members to read written testimony, in their files, from a family in Kodiak that puts a human face on the issue of parity. SENATOR GREEN said she read an article in a recent issue of Newsweek about the growing definition of mental illness and how that definition may become ever broader. She asked committee members to consider requiring the task force to focus on a description of illnesses covered by this resolution. SENATOR LEMAN added he would like the task force to address the issue of quantification. Number 328 CHAIRMAN WILKEN said a component of the committee substitute addresses that issue. He announced SCR 14 would be held in committee at this time. SB 241 - POSTSECONDARY SCHOOL TAX CREDIT SENATOR LEMAN, sponsor of SB 241, explained the legislation establishes equity between regionally accredited and nationally accredited institutions. He thought the lack of equity was probably an oversight by the Legislature when the issue was last addressed in 1991. There are nationally accredited institutions within the State of Alaska that do not meet the letter of the law for regional accreditation; the Department of Revenue will not grant the same tax benefits provided to regionally accredited institutions unless the law is changed. ELMER RASMUSSEN testified via teleconference from California and agreed with Senator Leman's testimony. He stated he has been a supporter of the Alaska Bible College for many years; his last donation was $100,000 over three years to build dormitories. The Alaska Bible College recently learned it is not a qualified institution to receive tax deductible donations under the higher education act because it is not regionally accredited. Mr. Rasmussen said he spoke with Bill Sheffield about the distinction, because the original bill was enacted during his administration. Mr. Sheffield did not recall any reason for the distinction. Mr. Rasmussen supports the bill because he would like to see the Alaska Bible College be eligible for tax deductible donations. SENATOR LEMAN noted this particular change of law will not affect Mr. Rasmussen personally but will affect other taxpayers in the State, such as oil companies and banks. MR. RASMUSSEN said individuals do not pay State income tax, but corporations do; this legislation will help the Alaska Bible College receive support from others. Number 389 LORALEI MEIER, staff to Senator Leman, explained in 1987 a tax credit program was established to encourage funding for direct instruction, research, education support purposes, etc. In 1991, two amendments were made: one expanded the available credits; the second restricted participation to regionally accredited schools. SB 241 allows nationally accredited schools to participate in this tax credit program as well. The intent of the amendments was to restrict participating institutions to those with regional accreditation to establish a standard for participating institutions. Accreditation between regionally and nationally recognized institutions is very comparable. The Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education does not make any distinction when administering student loans. SENATOR ELLIS asked why the Alaska Bible College does not apply for regional accreditation. MS. MEIER replied it prefers the national accrediting association because it has like mindedness regarding the direction this institution wants to take. SENATOR ELLIS asked which national accrediting association the Alaska Bible College belongs to. MS. MEIER answered it belongs to the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges. SENATOR ELLIS asked if there is a regional version of that organization. MS. MEIER said not to her knowledge, but said she would find out. SENATOR ELLIS noted the institutions referred to in the bill are New Concepts Beauty School, Charter College, Career Academy and the Alaska Bible College. He asked Ms. Meier to find out the national accrediting organizations for those institutions as well. SENATOR ELLIS thought the Legislature made that decision in 1991 based on discussions about constitutional concerns, religious affiliations, and private versus public institutions. Number 431 SENATOR LEMAN said the decision to restrict was not made inadvertently and it was probably well known that three institutions were qualifying under regional accreditation: Alaska Pacific University, Sheldon Jackson College, and the University of Alaska. He recalled that the discussion revolved around setting standards for institutions to be eligible for the tax credit program. It may have been the intent of representatives of those institutions that it be limited, but he did not believe it was based on arguments of constitutionality because two of those institutions have religious affiliations. At the time he had not explored the different mechanisms involved in regional and national accreditation but has since learned that they accomplish essentially the same thing as long as they use comparable standards. SENATOR ELLIS asked which accreditation program is more rigorous. MS. MEIER said the difference between the two is not based on difficulty, but on different ways of going about it. Regional accrediting associations base their accreditation on regional issues while national accrediting associations are more focussed on general issues. SENATOR LEMAN stated the standards required by the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges are comparable to those of the regional accreditation associations. He thought the Alaska Bible College might not have regional accreditation due to the cost. Number 476 BOB BARTHOLOMEW, Assistant Director of the Income and Excise Tax Division, Department of Revenue, offered to answer questions related to the fiscal note. He noted page 4 of the fiscal note contains a range from zero to $130,000 in loss of revenue. The division had to make assumptions to come up with an estimate, so used that range. Projecting whether new corporations would add to the pool of contributions to colleges or whether current corporate donors would shift their contributions was difficult. MR. BARTHOLOMEW informed committee members a second tax bill, SB 140, deals with the current tax credit program and raises the $200,000 limit in the amount that can be contributed to individual colleges. It also allows a tax credit for contributions to K-12 public schools. The intent was to expand the dollar amounts that can be contributed to higher education, and to expand the pool of eligible schools to include K-12 public schools. CHAIRMAN WILKEN asked Mr. Bartholomew about the amount of the fiscal note for SB 140. MR. BARTHOLOMEW said it was based on the growth of donations experienced by educational institutions when the two-tier system was established. SB 140 establishes a third tier so the Department of Revenue projected $2 million would go to education instead of the general fund. The total contributions made would be $4 million, since only 50 percent of the contribution can be taken as a tax credit. SENATOR LEMAN believed a tax credit program is a good approach because it encourages contributions to educational institutions from those who might not otherwise contribute. SENATOR ELLIS encouraged Chairman Wilken to schedule SB 140 so that these issues can be addressed comprehensively. He asked Senator Leman if he had considered using a graduated tier for these kinds of contributions. SENATOR ELLIS believed there is a higher compelling state interest to encourage tax credits by private individuals to the University of Alaska, Alaska Pacific University and Sheldon Jackson College, than there is to the New Concepts Beauty School. He said he is sure it is a fine school but there is probably a greater public benefit to encouraging tax credits to the other institutions of higher learning. He thought it unwise to put all of those institutions on equal footing in terms of the tax credit, when a loss of state revenues will result. He asked that the issue be discussed more comprehensively and that SB 140 be discussed in the committee because the Legislature is the body to make the tough decisions on the public purpose of tax credits. SENATOR LEMAN stated he would welcome broadening this program to include K-12 education, if that would enhance the chance of getting legislative support and support from the Administration. Regarding which institutions should get the tax benefit, he thought large taxpayers evaluate the broad support in their organization, and make contributions accordingly, so it becomes a self-policing mechanism. For example, ARCO probably tries to determine what institution its employees support the most and then contributes to that institution. SENATOR ELLIS asked CHAIRMAN WILKEN what his intentions were regarding SB 241. CHAIRMAN WILKEN answered he intends to hold SB 241 and re-read SB 140. He recalled two concerns he originally had with SB 140; the first was the fiscal note, the second was that donors wanted to specify which public school their donation went to, and that created problems. HB 170 - SERVICE ANIMALS FOR PHYS/MENT. CHALLENGED SENATOR LEMAN moved to adopt SCSCSHB 170(HES), version P, as the working document before the committee. There being no objection, the motion carried. TAPE 98-8, SIDE B CHAIRMAN WILKEN explained the changes made in version P as follows. - On page 2, line 21, language was added requiring that the animal be identified as a training animal. - On page 2, lines 22, 23 and 25 limit the activity to public facilities only, so this bill will not apply to private enterprises. - On page 2, lines 30 and 31, and page 3, lines 1 through 5, lists justifiable reasons to ask a service animal to leave, as well as two qualifications to defend that action. - On page 3, lines 9, 10, and 16 through 19, contain definitions. Line 20 reduces the penalty from a misdemeanor to a violation. SENATOR ELLIS asked why the change to eliminate private facilities. CHAIRMAN WILKEN answered he agreed with the argument that private industry should be allowed to choose whether to comply, and not be required to do so. The effort behind the bill is to train guide dogs, and State facilities can be used to provide the same types of experiences found in private facilities. JOE HAYES, staff to Representative Brice, sponsor of HB 170, agreed with the Chairman's description of the changes made to the bill, and the reasons for those changes. CHAIRMAN WILKEN took teleconference testimony. Number 555 DARRELL CAMPBELL, Interim Director of the Center for Deaf Adults in Anchorage, stated support for HB 170 and urged the committee to move the bill out of committee. SUZANNE PRICE, a mental health professional, stated she is affiliated with Leader Dogs, an organization based in Michigan, and the 4-H Club. As a trainer of service animals, she is concerned about the elimination of private facilities because these facilities amount to about 95 percent of the places trainers need to take animals. The State of Nevada has similar legislation that regulates what people can do in private industry every day all day along. Many of the stores that currently allow access in Alaska, such as Fred Meyer, could change their policy. She asked that the phrase "place of public accommodation, or other place to which the general public is invited," be reinserted in the bill. CHAIRMAN WILKEN advised Ms. Price that he has received a lot of comment on this issue, and that the important thing is that a bill be passed that allow some training to take place. If the private industry requirement is kept in the bill, it will not advance through this Legislature. He suggested it is better to take "half a loaf" rather than none. ROGER HANSEN, a 4-H Club Leader, agreed with Chairman Wilken that it is important to get a bill passed this session. RUBY SCHMIDTBAUER, representing Guide Dogs, stated she owns a guide dog and submitted information about guide dogs for committee files. She agreed half a loaf is better than nothing, and urged passage of the bill. LINDA ATHONS, Coordinator of the Alaska Guide Dog Puppy Project, noted her disappointment about eliminating the private sector but appreciated the committee's effort to move the legislation. RAE BAGGEN, representing Southeast Alaska Independent Living, agreed that passage of this bill is better than no legislation, and thanked the committee for its effort. CHAIRMAN WILKEN announced a packet of faxes received by his office over the last few days regarding this legislation was placed in committee members' packets. He noted Senators Leman, Taylor, and Wilken signed on as cross sponsors of this bill in the Senate. BECKY RAWSEN, Southeast Alaska Independent Living Center (SAIL) testified, and informed committee members she is deaf. She spoke in support of HB 170, and shared the following story with members to demonstrate the need to pass this bill. As a person with multiple disabilities, deafness and agoraphobia, it has been a struggle to be independent because she relies on family members to accompany her everywhere. Her family decided it would be a good investment to get a service animal but she could get no guarantees from trainers that a dog would be suitable for her disabilities and that she could get a dog in less than two to three years. Her family, residing in Idaho at the time, decided to work with a local trainer and a puppy. When traveling on the ferry from Bellingham to Juneau, she was not allowed to bring her dog on the ferry as a service animal although she had documentation. She urged the committee to support the bill so that people can keep their service dogs in training with them. CHAIRMAN WILKEN asked Ms. Rawsen what sorts of things guide dogs do for one who is deaf. MS. RAWSEN replied a hearing ear dog will alert the deaf person if someone knocks on the door or when the telephone rings. The dog actually comes to the person, and then goes to the source of the sound. In an agoraphobic situation, the dog is a companion to help alleviate some of the fears of being in public. Number 430 CHERYL HULL, SAIL, encouraged committee members to pass HB 170. She too was disappointed with some of the changes made, but is grateful this bill might pass the Legislature this session. She believed once State facilities allow dogs in training onto their premises, the private sector will follow suit. While in a wheelchair for the last 36 hours, she has realized how helpful it would be to have a service animal to retrieve items for her. There being no further testimony or discussion, SENATOR LEMAN moved SCSCSHB 170(HES), version P, from committee with individual recommendations and its zero fiscal note. There being no objection, the motion carried. HCR 19 - COUNCIL OF DEAF/HARD OF HEARING/DEAF/BLIN DAN SADDLER, staff to Representative Bunde, sponsor of HCR 19, read the sponsor's statement into the record. In summary, HCR 19 offers recognition and encouragement to a volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of services available to Alaska's deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind citizens. The Alaska Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, and Deafblind Council (ADC) has been operating for three years; its membership consists of several non-profit organizations operating in Southeast, Southcentral, and Interior Alaska. The council acts as a library and forum where information about services is available for consumers and providers. The resolution does not create a new council, and will not cost the State a penny. Also, it does not establish the Council as the sole voice of this population, and does not bar any other organization from providing any services it might want to. SENATOR LEMAN moved to adopt SCSHCR 19(HES), version F, as the working document of the committee. There being no objection, the motion carried. Number 365 DWAYNE FRENCH, Director of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Education (DOE), testified in full support of HCR 19, version F. DOE has recognized the ADC as one of the significant members of the Deaf Services Committee of the Governor's Committee on Employment and Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities. He commended Representative Bunde and his staff for putting the resolution forward and he urged passage of it. SENATOR GREEN noted there was more disagreement among the groups related to services for the deaf than any other group when she sat on the Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education. She asked if any group has opposed or has questions about this Council. MR. FRENCH said he has not heard any opposition to this group at all. NAN TRUITT stated she is a paralegal for Attorney Richard Kibby, the owner of a restaurant with a large deaf clientele, and a board member of Caption Alaska, a non-profit organization that started bringing captioned movies to Alaska for the deaf and hard-of- hearing. She expressed concern about the isolation experienced by deaf people and believes one way to decrease isolation is to increase communication. She stated her support for HCR 19. RICHARD KIBBY, an attorney who has represented a number of deaf individuals, and a member of Caption Alaska, testified. He stated through contact with the ADC, Caption Alaska was able to establish captioned movies in Fairbanks. Also, through that Council he has the contact necessary to properly represent his deaf clients. He recommended the Legislature pass this legislation as he believes the Council has done an admirable job. DUANE MAYS, State Coordinator for the Deaf, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, stated support for SCSHCR 19(HES). Approximately 60,000 Alaskans experience hearing loss, many experience communication problems personally, socially, and in their jobs. Many Alaskans who experience hearing loss are not employed or are underemployed and remain on welfare because they are not able to overcome their hearing loss. The ADC will address the above issues by educating the State. It will function as a clearinghouse and referral center; resources will be shared and services will improve. Number 265 SUELLEN BAHLEDA, a certified interpreter through the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, a member of the Alaska Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, and a member of the Alaska Mentor Project, which is developing a protocol for working interpreters to improve their skills, testified. Communication issues are vital for the State's deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind citizens. She has been a participant on the ADC since its inception. It is vital for interpreters and deaf, hard-of- hearing and deafblind persons to work together to make communication access a possibility in this State. She strongly supports passage of SCSHCR 19(HES). KAYA KAYA, treasurer of the ADC, made the following comments. The clause on page 2, line 12 states ADC is in the process of obtaining 501(c)(3) status. She informed the committee ADC recently received that status, therefore it is officially non-profit. She works for Fairbanks Community Mental Health as its deaf and hard-of-hearing counselor. Many mental health issues are derived from being deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deafblind. The Council has enabled other counselors in the same field to meet and they have developed a mental health committee. She stated her support for SCSHCR 19(HES) and thanked the committee for its time. DARRELL CAMPBELL, Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education, spoke in support of SCSHCR19(HES). The ADC has accomplished a lot of things in different areas of the State in its three years. The ADC has attracted representatives from the Alaska Deaf School, interpreter organizations, UAA, and others, who have come together to work on projects and help each other. CHAIRMAN WILKEN noted it is the committee's intent to pass the bill out with the deletion of the language on page 2, line 12, that refers to the application of 501(c)(3) status. BECKY RAWSEN testified for SAIL in support of SCSHCR 19(HES) and stated the Council has established a unified approach for the deaf, and offers a place to get information, training, qualified interpreters, and help with mental health and employment issues, and other things important to independent living. CHAIRMAN WILKEN asked Ms. Rawsen how long she has been deaf. MS. RAWSEN replied she became totally deaf at the age of 20. CHAIRMAN WILKEN thought Ms. Rawsen spoke very well, and asked her to introduce her assistant. MS. RAWSEN introduced her husband and interpreter, Gene Rawsen. Number 145 SENATOR GREEN repeated her concern about the deaf community being the most divided of all groups involved in the Governor's Council on Disabilities and Special Education. She asked for assurance that no one group be disenfranchised by legislative endorsement of ADC later on, even though the membership of the Council is not under the Legislature's purview. MR. SADDLER said he could not speak for the Alaska Association for the Deaf, who was not represented at this hearing, but he believes that organization has expressed support of this resolution through Mr. Albert Burke. The ADC has tried to serve as an umbrella organization and has not tried to present itself as a sole voice. He did not believe any one organization will ever speak for the entire deaf community, just as no one group speaks for the able bodied. SENATOR GREEN said she does not want the Legislature to be a party to something that sets one group apart, or empowers one group against another. CHAIRMAN WILKEN did not think any committee members want to be a party to that kind of activity. SENATOR LEMAN moved to amend SCSHCR 19(HES), on page 2 and 3, lines 12 by deleting the phrase, "is working to obtain tax-exempt status in the State of Alaska and to achieve" to reflect the current non- profit status of the ADC. There being no objection, the motion carried. SENATOR LEMAN moved to pass SCSHCR 19(HES)am from committee. There being no objection, the motion carried. There being no further business before the committee, CHAIRMAN WILKEN adjourned the meeting at 10:40 a.m.