[NASW Alaska Chapter Listserve] Weekly Legislative Report

Mon May 7 23:40:30 BST 2007

Capitol Currents

Session One of the 25th legislature runs January 16-May 16, 2007.

10 LEGISLATIVE DAYS TO GO

Week Sixteen 

You are strongly encouraged to check BASIS after 4:00pm each day for the
next day’s schedule from now until the end of session. HYPERLINK
"http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/hearing_form.asp?session=25"http://www.l
egis.state.ak.us/basis/hearing_form.asp?session=25 

Click on Committee Meeting and Public Hearing Schedules or if you only want
to check on a specific bill, write the bill number in the Bill Root box and
click on Display Bill Root.

This is the last weekly report you will receive from Capitol Currents.  A
summary of the last week of session will be available by May 21st and, an
interim report covering the first session of the 25th Legislature will be
printed once the Governor has acted on the budgets and bills of interest.

Legislative Committee Assignments:

Go to BASIS committee assignments list: 

HYPERLINK
"http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/commbr_info.asp?session=25"http://www.le
gis.state.ak.us/basis/commbr_info.asp?session=25

NEW BILLS:  Look here for legislation introduced during the previous week.

Go to BASIS bill/resolution list:  HYPERLINK
"http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/bandr_stat.asp?session=25"http://www.leg
is.state.ak.us/basis/bandr_stat.asp?session=25

CRIME:

Bill:                   HB 255

Sponsor:           Johnson

Title:                 Dual Sentencing

Referrals:          JUD, FIN

Content:           Amends AS 47.12 0659(a) to separate ages of juvenile
offenders and the offenses for which they can be referred to adult courts.
Juveniles can be referred at 16 years of age or older at the time of the
offense if the offense is a class B felony crime against a person;
misconduct involving weapons in the 1st or 2nd degree; or, a class C felony
crime against a person and the minor has previously been adjudicated a
delinquent for a felony offense that is a crime against a person.  They can
be referred at 12 years of age but under 16 at the time of the offense if
the offense is murder in the 1st or 2nd degree or murder of an unborn child;
manslaughter or manslaughter of an unborn child; or sexual assault in the
1st degree.

            .

HEALTH CARE:

Bill:                   HB 252                                   

Sponsor:           LeDoux

Title:                 Leave for Bone Marrow/Organ Donation

Referrals:          HES, STA

Content:           Similar to SB 140.  SB 150 requires companies with 20 or
more employees to provide the leave whereas this bill only requires
companies with 100 or more employees to provide the leave.  It’s scheduled
for a hearing in HES on May 8th.

Bill:                   SB 170

Sponsor:           McGuire

Title:                 Insurance for Well-Baby Exams

Referrals:          L&C, HES, FIN

Content:           Amends AS 21.42 by adding AS 21.42.351. - Coverage for
well-baby exams. The section requires a health care insurer that offers
health care insurance that covers a dependent of a covered individual to
initially and at each renewal, provide coverage for the cost of well-baby
exams. Coverage is limited to $1,500 a year for each covered baby. A
“well-baby exam" means (A) a periodic physical examination by a qualified
health care professional of a baby during the first 24 months of life in
which information is collected on matters including normal development,
growth rate, hearing, vision, language skills, motor development, diet,
general care, preventative health care, immunizations, and infectious
diseases; and (B) consultation between the health care professional and a
parent.  The bill is scheduled for a hearing in STA on May 9th.

OTHER:

Bill:                   HB 250/SB 169

Sponsor:           Rep. Doogan, Dahlstrom

Sen. French

Title:                 Report Youth Inappropriate Sexual Conduct

Referrals:          H JUD, FIN and is scheduled for a hearing on May 10th in
JUD.

            S HES, JUD 

Content:           The bill creates a duty to report for a parent, guardian,
other person responsible for a child and required reporters when the person
witnesses or has other reasonable cause to believe that a child has engaged
in inappropriate sexual conduct.  In appropriate sexual conduct is defined
as conduct that would be punishable as a felony under AS 11.41.410-470 if an
adult were engaging in the conduct with a child.  Failure to report is a
class A misdemeanor.

BUDGET:

The conferees for the operating and mental health budgets are Sen. Hoffman,
Stedman, Dyson and Rep. Chenault, Hawker and Joule.

UPDATES:  Look here to track bills of interest

HB 29, Safe Havens for Infants, is scheduled for a House floor vote on
Monday.

HB 90, Bail, passed the House and was referred to JUD, FIN in the Senate.

HB 159, Stillbirth Certificate, passed the House and was referred to STA,
FIN in the Senate.  It’s scheduled for a hearing in S STA on the 10th.

HB 171, Accommodate 90-day Session/Leg Procedures, had a conference
committee appointed.  Members are Rep. Coghill, Johnson, Gruenberg and Sen.
McGuire, Stevens and Wilken

HB 194, Fines & Offenses, moved from JUD.  It’s next committee is FIN.

HB 215, Task Force for CDVSA, passed S FIN and is in RLS.  The S FIN version
of the bill removes the duty to review the geographic location of the
Council office.

HJR 9, Constitutional Am.: Benefits & Marriage, is scheduled for a House
floor vote on Monday.

HJR 22, Denouncing Rapist Doll, passed STA and is scheduled for a hearing in
RLS on the 7th.

HCR 6, Civics Educ/Citizen Advisory Task Force, is scheduled for a House
floor vote on Monday.

SB 8, Mental Health Patient Rights: Staff Gender, was amended in JUD to move
the age of when a patient may make the request for certain staff from 18 to
16 years of age.  Its next referral is FIN.

SB 38, Salvia Divinorum as Controlled Substance, passed JUD and was referred
to FIN.

SB 76, Tuition for Out-Of-Home-Care Children, passed H FIN and is in H RLS.

SB 84, Testing & Packaging of Cigarettes, passed H L&C, was waived from JUD
and is now in FIN.

SB 85, Extend State Medical Board, passed H HES and is now in FIN.

Download legislators contact information:

HYPERLINK
"http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/infodocs/infodocs.htm"http://w3.legis.state.ak.
us/infodocs/infodocs.htm

Contact your lobbyist:

Caren Robinson HYPERLINK "mailto:dcc at alaska.net"dcc at alaska.net

Margaret F. Lumpkin
Executive Director, NASW Alaska Chapter
401 East Northern Lights Blvd. Suite 205  Anchorage, Alaska 99503
(907) 332-NASW (6279)     (800) 478-6279     Fax: (907) 332-6270
HYPERLINK "http://www.naswak.org"www.naswak.org

NASW Alaska Chapter Conference - October 1 - 3, 2007 at the Egan Center,
Anchorage - visit HYPERLINK "http://www.naswak.org/"www.naswak.org for more
information.

Membership dues support the work that we do. Thank you! If you are not yet a
member of NASW, we welcome you to discover the benefits of NASW membership
at: HYPERLINK
"blocked::https://www.socialworkers.org/nasw/join/default.asp"https://www.so
cialworkers.org/nasw/join/default.asp

NASW Alaska Chapter Opt-Out Statement: If you wish to be removed from this
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If you experience any difficulty, please contact NASW Alaska Chapter 401 E.
Northern Lights Blvd. Ste. 205 (907) 332-6279 or HYPERLINK
"mailto:director at naswak.org"director at naswak.org for assistance. 

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