ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SENATE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE  April 13, 2023 3:54 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Senator David Wilson, Chair Senator James Kaufman, Vice Chair Senator Löki Tobin Senator Forrest Dunbar Senator Cathy Giessel MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR  SENATE BILL NO. 24 "An Act relating to mental health education; and providing for an effective date." - MOVED CSSB 24(HSS) OUT OF COMMITTEE SENATE BILL NO. 91 "An Act relating to telehealth; relating to multidisciplinary care teams; and relating to the practice of medicine." - MOVED CSSB 91(HSS) OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: SB 24 SHORT TITLE: PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) GRAY-JACKSON 01/18/23 (S) PREFILE RELEASED 1/9/23 01/18/23 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 01/18/23 (S) EDC, HSS, FIN 02/22/23 (S) EDC AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 02/22/23 (S) Heard & Held 02/22/23 (S) MINUTE(EDC) 03/06/23 (S) EDC AT 3:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg) 03/06/23 (S) Moved SB 24 Out of Committee 03/06/23 (S) MINUTE(EDC) 03/08/23 (S) EDC RPT 4DP 1NR 03/08/23 (S) DP: TOBIN, GRAY-JACKSON, STEVENS, KIEHL 03/08/23 (S) NR: BJORKMAN 03/23/23 (S) HSS AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 03/23/23 (S) Heard & Held 03/23/23 (S) MINUTE(HSS) 04/11/23 (S) HSS AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 04/11/23 (S) Heard & Held 04/11/23 (S) MINUTE(HSS) 04/13/23 (S) HSS AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 BILL: SB 91 SHORT TITLE: TELEHEALTH: MULTIDISCIPLINARY CARE TEAM SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) CLAMAN 03/06/23 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/06/23 (S) HSS, FIN 03/21/23 (S) HSS AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 03/21/23 (S) Heard & Held 03/21/23 (S) MINUTE(HSS) 04/11/23 (S) HSS AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 04/11/23 (S) Heard & Held 04/11/23 (S) MINUTE(HSS) 04/13/23 (S) HSS AT 3:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 WITNESS REGISTER SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON, District G Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as the sponsor of SB 24. SENATOR CLAMAN, District H Alaska State Legislature Juneau, Alaska POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as sponsor of SB 91. ACTION NARRATIVE 3:54:10 PM CHAIR DAVID WILSON called the Senate Health and Social Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:54 p.m. Present at the call to order were Senators Tobin, Kaufman, Giessel, Dunbar, and Chair Wilson. SB 24-PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION  3:54:48 PM CHAIR WILSON announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 24 "An Act relating to mental health education; and providing for an effective date." He noted that there was an amendment for the committee to consider. [Chair Wilson offered and withdrew Amendment 1, work order 33-LS0232\A.1, during the previous hearing.] 3:55:19 PM CHAIR WILSON moved to adopt Amendment A.2 ("Amendment 2"), work order 33-LS0232\A.2, for SB 24 . 33-LS0232\A.2 Marx 4/12/23 AMENDMENT 2 OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR WILSON Page 1, following line 9: Insert a new bill section to read:  "* Sec. 2. AS 14.03.016(a) is amended to read: (a) A local school board shall, in consultation with parents, teachers, and school administrators, adopt policies to promote the involvement of parents in the school district's education program. The policies must include procedures (1) recognizing the authority of a parent and allowing a parent to object to and withdraw the child from a standards-based assessment or test required by the state; (2) recognizing the authority of a parent and allowing a parent to object to and withdraw the child from an activity, class, or program; (3) providing for parent notification not less than two weeks before any activity, class, or program that includes content involving human reproduction or sexual matters is provided to a child; (4) recognizing the authority of a parent and allowing a parent to withdraw the child from an activity, class, program, or standards-based assessment or test required by the state for a religious holiday, as defined by the parent; (5) providing a parent with an opportunity to review the content of an activity, class, performance standard, or program; (6) ensuring that, when a child is absent from an activity, class, program, or standards-based assessment or test required by the state under this section, the absence is not considered an unlawful absence under AS 14.30.020 if the child's parent withdrew the child from the activity, class, program, or standards-based assessment or test or gave permission for the child's absence;  (7) providing for parent notification not  less than two weeks before any class or program that  provides instruction in mental health is provided to a  child." Renumber the following bill sections accordingly. Page 2, line 29: Delete "sec. 3" Insert "sec. 4" Page 3, line 4: Delete "sec. 3" Insert "sec. 4" 3:55:25 PM SENATOR KAUFMAN objected for purposes of discussion. 3:55:32 PM CHAIR WILSON said Amendment 2 is very similar to the amendment that he offered and then withdrew during the previous hearing. Amendment 2 adds a provision on page 2, lines 2 - 4, clarifying that prior notification would be required for any class or program providing instruction in mental health. 3:56:23 PM At ease. 3:56:38 PM CHAIR WILSON reconvened the meeting. CHAIR WILSON said AS 14.03.016(b)(c) is an existing statute allowing organic conversations at school without parental notification. 3:57:14 PM SENATOR DUNBAR thanked Senator Wilson for revising the first amendment and opined that the language in Amendment 2 makes it clear that organic conversation can occur. He noted a scrivener's error in the amendment. 3:58:07 PM CHAIR WILSON advised that Legislative Legal is authorized to make technical and conforming changes to amendments. 3:58:22 PM SENATOR GIESSEL agreed with the logic and placement of the change but expressed concern that it stigmatizes mental health by drawing undue attention to it. 3:58:56 PM CHAIR WILSON asked if there was further discussion. 3:58:58 PM SENATOR KAUFMAN withdrew his objection. 3:59:02 PM CHAIR WILSON found no further objection and Amendment 2 was adopted. 3:59:13 PM SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON, District G, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, stated she found the amendment to SB 24 acceptable and thanked the committee for its attention to the bill. 3:59:39 PM CHAIR WILSON solicited a motion. 3:59:43 PM SENATOR KAUFMAN moved to report SB 24, work order 33-LS0232\A, as amended, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). 4:00:07 PM CHAIR WILSON found no objection and CSSB 24(HSS) was reported from the Senate Health and Social Services Standing Committee. 4:00:15 PM At ease. SB 91-TELEHEALTH: MULTIDISCIPLINARY CARE TEAM  4:01:50 PM CHAIR WILSON reconvened the meeting and announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 91 "An Act relating to telehealth; relating to multidisciplinary care teams; and relating to the practice of medicine." 4:02:33 PM CHAIR WILSON said Amendment A.8 ("Amendment 2"), work order 33- LS0193\A.8, was pending from the previous hearing on the bill. 4:02:43 PM SENATOR GIESSEL summarized that Amendment 2 allows a physician's multidisciplinary care team to provide health care services through telehealth to a patient located in Alaska only if the health care service is not otherwise available. The physician must also meet the requirements of an in-state license. Sections 3 and 4 address the professions that cannot provide telephonic services, such as dental hygienist or direct-entry midwife. The multidisciplinary team members must also register with the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development (DCCED). 4:05:04 PM CHAIR WILSON asked if there was further discussion on Amendment 2. 4:05:10 PM SENATOR DUNBAR asked Senator Giessel if she would agree to change the word "otherwise" to "reasonably." on page 1, line 4. 4:05:32 PM SENATOR GIESSEL replied that she was open to changing the language. 4:05:58 PM SENATOR DUNBAR asked Senator Giessel if she would consider allowing physical and occupational therapists to be part of a telephonic multidisciplinary team. 4:06:25 PM SENATOR GIESSEL said she would agree to the change reluctantly. She stated there is cognitive dissonance when the state seeks to prohibit out-of-state companies from operating in-state without paying taxes but allows out-of-state healthcare professionals to provide telehealth services when in-state providers are available. As an example, she mentioned out-of-state employees working on the North Slope. 4:08:51 PM SENATOR DUNBAR moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 2 for SB 91. CONCEPTUAL AMENDMENT 1 TO AMENDMENT 2    Page 1, line 4:   Delete "otherwise"   Insert "reasonably"   Section 3: Insert: "physical therapy" and "occupational therapy"  4:09:15 PM CHAIR WILSON asked Senator Dunbar to repeat the conceptual amendment. SENATOR DUNBAR repeated the conceptual amendment. 4:09:24 PM CHAIR WILSON found no objection and Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 2 was adopted. 4:09:41 PM SENATOR CLAMAN, District H, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, thanked the committee for its discussion on SB 91. 4:09:50 PM CHAIR WILSON withdrew his objection. 4:09:54 PM CHAIR WILSON found no further objection and Amendment 2, work order 33-LS0193\A.8 as amended, was adopted. 4:10:07 PM CHAIR WILSON solicited a motion. 4:10:09 PM SENATOR KAUFMAN moved to report SB 91, work order 33-LS0193\A, as amended, from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). 4:10:36 PM CHAIR WILSON found no objection and CSSB 91(HSS) was reported from the Senate Health and Social Services Standing Committee. 4:11:12 PM There being no further business to come before the committee, Chair Wilson adjourned the Senate Health and Social Services Standing Committee meeting at 4:11 p.m.