ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE  April 23, 2007 1:33 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Senator Bettye Davis, Chair Senator Joe Thomas, Vice Chair Senator John Cowdery Senator Kim Elton Senator Fred Dyson MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR    CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 136(FIN)(title am) "An Act relating to the supervision of dental hygienists by dentists, establishing a restorative function license endorsement for dental hygienists and allowing collaborative agreements between licensed dentists and dental hygienists." MOVED CSHB 136(FIN)(title am) OUT OF COMMITTEE SENATE BILL NO. 8 "An Act relating to a mental health patient's right to choose the gender of hospital staff providing intimate care to the mental health patient and to the duties of hospital staff in caring for patients receiving mental health treatment." MOVED SB 8 OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: HB 136 SHORT TITLE: DENTAL HYGIENISTS SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) STOLTZE 02/14/07 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 02/14/07 (H) HES, L&C 03/06/07 (H) HES AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106 03/06/07 (H) Moved Out of Committee 03/06/07 (H) MINUTE(HES) 03/07/07 (H) HES RPT 5DP 03/07/07 (H) DP: CISSNA, FAIRCLOUGH, GARDNER, ROSES, WILSON 03/07/07 (H) FIN REFERRAL ADDED AFTER L&C 03/19/07 (H) L&C AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 17 03/19/07 (H) Moved Out of Committee 03/19/07 (H) MINUTE(L&C) 03/21/07 (H) L&C RPT 7DP 03/21/07 (H) DP: GARDNER, NEUMAN, BUCH, LEDOUX, GATTO, RAMRAS, OLSON 03/27/07 (H) FIN AT 1:30 PM HOUSE FINANCE 519 03/27/07 (H) Moved CSHB 136(FIN) Out of Committee 03/27/07 (H) MINUTE(FIN) 03/28/07 (H) FIN RPT CS(FIN) 5DP 6NR 03/28/07 (H) DP: FOSTER, NELSON, STOLTZE, KELLY, MEYER 03/28/07 (H) NR: GARA, CRAWFORD, HAWKER, JOULE, THOMAS, CHENAULT 04/11/07 (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) 04/11/07 (H) VERSION: CSHB 136(FIN)(TITLE AM) 04/13/07 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 04/13/07 (S) HES, L&C, FIN 04/23/07 (S) HES AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 BILL: SB 8 SHORT TITLE: MENTAL HEALTH PATIENT RIGHTS:STAFF GENDER SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) DAVIS 01/16/07 (S) PREFILE RELEASED 1/5/07 01/16/07 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 01/16/07 (S) HES, JUD, FIN 04/18/07 (S) HES AT 2:00 PM BELTZ 211 04/18/07 (S) Heard & Held 04/18/07 (S) MINUTE(HES) 04/23/07 (S) HES AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 WITNESS REGISTER Jim Towle, Executive Director Alaska Dental Association Anchorage, AK POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on HB 136 ACTION NARRATIVE CHAIR BETTYE DAVIS called the Senate Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 1:33:25 PM. All members were present at the call to order. HB 136-DENTAL HYGIENISTS    CHAIR DAVIS announced HB 136 to be up for consideration. [Before the committee was CSHB 136(FIN)(title am).] She added that there was no opposition on the bill and no one signed up to testify, and so asked for a motion from the committee. 1:34:23 PM SENATOR COWDERY moved to report CSHB 136(FIN)(title am) from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There being no objection, the motion carried. SB 8-MENTAL HEALTH PATIENT RIGHTS:STAFF GENDER  CHAIR DAVIS announced SB 8 to be under consideration. She said that there were no testifiers signed up, and that her desire was to move the bill from committee. 1:35:30 PM SENATOR COWDERY made a motion to move SB 8 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There being no objection, the motion carried. CHAIR DAVIS said that there were no other bills to come before the committee, and asked if anyone in the audience had anything to say. [Discussion on HB 136 ensued.] 1:36:44 PM JIM TOWLE, Executive Director of the Alaska Dental Society (ADS), said he was prepared to comment on HB 136 but he understands the committee already did its due diligence and passed it from committee. CHAIR DAVIS apologized and explained that public testimony had been taken at a previous hearing. She asked if he would like to send testimony to the committee. MR. TOWLE replied he wanted to tell the committee that the ADS has concerns about the bill in its current form. "Having done that, I've done my duty," he said. CHAIR DAVIS asked if he said he is opposed to the bill because she understood that ADS supported it. MR. TOWLE replied ADS is not opposed to the bill but it has concerns with certain provisions. CHAIR DAVIS explained that amendments had been considered but the sponsor and the people who proposed the amendments decided they were not needed. The lobbyists also said they would not seek amendments at this time. MR. TOWLE said he appreciates that he simply wanted it on the record that ADS supports the basic tenets of the bill but it had reservations about certain portions. "We'll seek to take appropriate steps as it moves forward," he said. There being no further business to come before the committee, Chair Davis adjourned the meeting at 1:39:20 PM.