[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6078839,"mediaKeyId","2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395","parentId",2958725,"title","SB 44 would require parent contact, unannounced inspections and reporting on seclusion/restraint for minors in psychiatric facilities","audioSeconds",546,"startMs",5971000,"endMs",6517000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395&start=5971&end=6517","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395/thumbnail_5971000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6078839/Alaska/SB-44-would-require-parent-contact-unannounced-inspections-and-reporting-on-seclusionrestraint-for-minors-in-psychiatric-facilities","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078839-6408fea3de1b03a5a58b647944cb2b4b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775277444&Signature=JpM7bU5R49L5wjag-zTertfsGQN02OlsPNcYtOrRUAF1LWN8yHl2jDjvhDqLr~K7Gv~LWbC2-9Ky2eHuPKEtLPAFdZH3wobdCqJdOPJGKaPRJ8AH4t746n5AxSU6kMRs307GSB7DrPIr2QkxHCz0sKh1g3Fy~1CymWzUd2Pu91BWn02UQhxC8XuT46MHMU3oaRutUxQtFAA7ECAAH83p1GAddMYWpEsjRrsN4hl3likfNfNFB32uY5T1TuPswBAAPu3MTU4KbtRswS~ZAKWXUyilLfrUzsSyK80xWCvGcW-yBwpyom9io0db632~ibmeAnLuw7xmZ77KlOw4jGQyqw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Alaska State Legislature","date","2025-04-10T00:00:00Z","article","Senate Bill 44, introduced by Sen. Matt Clayman, would require enhanced transparency and parental contact for minors receiving psychiatric hospital care. The committee held a first hearing on April 10.

\"Senate Bill 44 has four main objectives,\" Clayman told the committee. He listed them: at least one hour per week of communication between youth patients and their parent or guardian; twice-yearly unannounced inspections in which 50% of youth patients are interviewed; 24-hour reporting to the Department of Health and to a parent or guardian whenever seclusion or restraint is used; and an annual public report on minors in psychiatric hospitals.

Invited testimony included Ben Malat (identified in transcript as representing the Alaska Federation of Natives), who said tribal communities support the bill because many rural families lack easy access to behavioral health services and long distances can compound trauma when youth are placed far from home. A graduate of an institutional placement, Mateo Jamie described being admitted to a psychiatric facility because no foster homes were available, reported limited therapeutic contact, and said the experience caused lasting trauma.

Committee staff supplied three fiscal notes: Healthcare Facilities Licensing and Certification estimated a FY26 cost of $212,100 in unrestricted general funds and one full-time position; DFCS Probation Services and Juvenile Justice submitted a $0 fiscal note; and DFCS Children's Services Management submitted a $0 fiscal note.

Clayman said the bill builds on the Department of Health's Behavioral Health Roadmap for Alaska youth and the 2022 U.S. Department of Justice findings about overreliance on institutionalization for minors with behavioral health disabilities. The bill was set aside after testimony and fiscal review.

The transcript does not record a committee vote on the bill; committee members did not offer amendments during the hearing and asked for further review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","04/10/2025 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 44 would require weekly parent or guardian contact, semiannual unannounced inspections with youth interviews, 24‑hour reporting of seclusion or restraint, and an annual public report about minors in psychiatric hospitals.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature Alaska, Alaska","taxId",78559,"location","Alaska","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6078843,"Senate hears first testimony on SB 76 to create 'complex care residential homes' for Alaskans with high medical and behavioral needs",1907,3994000,5901000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395&start=3994&end=5901","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395/thumbnail_3994000.jpg","/articles/6078843/Alaska/Senate-hears-first-testimony-on-SB-76-to-create-complex-care-residential-homes-for-Alaskans-with-high-medical-and-behavioral-needs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078843-bc252146dd4b7bcf87a94bd7e0790e02/orig.mp4?Expires=1775277444&Signature=UcA72qHHE5-yVQmmIun-72u~BbtlYeOkVbv6DqAaxxlH8WwfVhiQ1l5hCQubP9CRkfAueNVQ5kMB0hm5wFitUy7VYHNVBhXXsGI802hS9f0F~aBOXXEkH591sfDBdVZBvOC-tDvaNdg4mtJVn11vVc0cWnCVpAmbh4pOOloFQrShcPkpqpE9y4sDjI7qJh~DXibFjWxsTBVa0BGugQzh7gqQA-GcOLt0NCF9sMq3KGAIEhTvVpfSp~KVsbvsf~Mmu2zQB76O9Xn9yXFF3tFdLLTUOEQQ~bdmWOC1Rve1vpuRfiVi2ZoVmoeQat3cjWitdqQZwtDS49k~Cn10~-fg4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Finance Committee held the first hearing on Senate Bill 76 on April 10, a bill that would create a new license type called \"complex care residential homes\" for Alaskans with overlapping behavioral, medical and support needs who do not fit into existing waiver categories.

\"Senate Bill 76 is a proposal to address a critical gap in care that was identified through our complex care initiative,\" Dr. Robert Lawrence, chief medical officer for the Department of Health, told the committee. He described complex care as the combination of behavioral, medical and other co-occurring needs that require multidisciplinary teams and, for a small group, a specialized residential setting.

Deputy Commissioner Emily Ricci, Department of Health, said the homes would be \"home-like settings\" that provide multidisciplinary support and consistent monitoring. She told senators the bill would provide a statutory framework to license and regulate these settings and would specifically allow the department to seek Medicaid approval in the future for services provided there. The draft includes language modeled after the conditional implementation used for adult host homes passed last year.

Panelists described the population the homes would serve: youth returning from out-of-state residential treatment who struggle to transition, adults with severe eating disorders, and elders with dementia whose behaviors exceed the capacity of existing memory-care or assisted-living settings. \"Without access to that particular setting, these individuals are at high risk for cycling through various agencies in our community, like the emergency departments, like the hospitals, like our correctional care settings,\" Dr. Lawrence said.

Multiple providers and health systems testified in support. Michelle Baker, executive vice president of Southcentral Foundation Behavioral Services, gave two hospital discharge examples in which patients remained in acute settings for months while a community placement was sought and recommended removing a patient-census cap in statute to allow regulators to manage program size through rulemaking rather than a fixed statutory bed limit.

David Wilson of Mat-Su Health Foundation and Jared Cosen of the Alaska Hospital and Healthcare Association also testified in favor, urging flexibility on bed counts and stressing the potential to keep patients closer to family and lower costs by moving patients from hospitals to appropriate residential settings.

Committee staff summarized three fiscal notes: the Department of Health Behavioral Health Administration estimated $153,200 and one full-time position in FY26 (funding split between federal receipts and GF match); the Health Facilities Licensing and Certification component showed an initial FY27 cost of $197,100 and one nurse consultant position (split nearly fifty-fifty); and Medicaid Services reported a net-zero fiscal note. Deputy Commissioner Ricci and Dr. Lawrence said they expect work with consultants, stakeholders and federal waiver rules to identify appropriate funding streams and aim for budget neutrality where possible.

The committee received recommendations from providers that statutory limits on facility census be removed or left to regulation. Members questioned the fiscal assumptions and whether federal funding could be temporary; Ricci said the department will identify the most appropriate Medicaid waiver or funding stream for different populations over the next year.

The committee set SB 76 aside for further review after public testimony and fiscal review.","Senate Bill 76 would create a statutory license for 'complex care residential homes' to serve people with overlapping medical, behavioral and other needs who do not qualify for existing waivers; the committee heard agency presentations, provider support, and fiscal notes split between federal receipts and GF match.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6078849,"Senate Finance committee adopts committee substitute for $2.9 billion capital budget as working document",1027,2874000,3901000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395&start=2874&end=3901","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395/thumbnail_2874000.jpg","/articles/6078849/Alaska/Senate-Finance-committee-adopts-committee-substitute-for-29-billion-capital-budget-as-working-document","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078849-c59c772fd962cb1afaf4b84c2457989d/orig.mp4?Expires=1775277444&Signature=CIyKbPYZ90iEYLkDwZGxnyhdNzK9RNolcBh9gFPlPB-FgWZfDvfr53GWrG2hf~gEVxJqXY5hDLW1CYNd6WzFVlf9dueLpIqu~MyHBTW0i-SHYHymfoRvSgQYFkM9WrwSVWYm-Elo48LItirh9Jib730RmipL-co1Oi~XTFRImol70prw0oPypmdv6QONobI2SIIhT63nWoa7xYi67NgfEvvr2eHjPLTbYIeu5-fNnXljOL3KWc2HDDyn23PRTO9VHkiCN6x-mGCLhyyv8ZEYV9jdZD~UUxGYJxDkUfUt41Rm-sKS6vmV2xZQNJTBPDf1kt~4E~D1xgeuZC6jE8aWbw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Finance Committee on April 10 adopted a committee substitute for Senate Bill 57, the capital budget, and set that substitute as the working document while staff and members continue review.

\"This budget adds 26 projects requested by the Governor,\" David Scott, Senate Finance Committee staff, told members after the committee adopted CS 2. He described two tranches of spending: one for projects and another for deferred maintenance.

Scott said the substitute adds approximately $89 million for projects and a $36 million deferred maintenance package, including $19 million for the K–12 major maintenance fund, $5 million for the University of Alaska, $1.4 million for Mt. Edgecumbe High School, $750,000 for the judiciary, and $10 million in a statewide emergent fund. He said the projects include energy, housing, IT, public safety maintenance, port electrification, Dalton Highway maintenance and Alaska Marine Highway vessel maintenance. \"This budget now contains $162,000,000 of UGF. That's $119,000,000 less than the governor's submitted budget,\" Scott said, characterizing total spending including federal funds at about $2,903,000,000.

Scott described funding maneuvers the committee used to reduce general-fund requests: reappropriating old unrestricted general funds from stalled DOT projects (about $47.1 million) and reappropriating old match funds (about $20.9 million), displacing roughly $68 million of UGF. He also said the committee increased an ADA dividend to its statutory cap to capture an additional $12.5 million, and that the combined moves displaced about $80 million of UGF.

Committee members were invited to review attachments provided with the substitute (attachments A–C: statewide totals, comparison to the governor’s amendment, and a list of projects) and to submit amendments by 4 p.m. the same day.

Chair members set the capital budget aside to align timing with the operating budget in the House and to allow further review. The transcript records no roll-call tally for the committee motion authorizing the substitute; the substitute was adopted and will be the committee's working document pending final adjustments.","Committee adopted a committee substitute for Senate Bill 57 that reduces the governor's UGF request by $119 million, adds 26 projects and a deferred maintenance package, and relies on reappropriations and other funding maneuvers.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6078854,"Senate Finance committee advances simplified HB 69 raising base student allocation by $1,000",473,2321000,2794000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395&start=2321&end=2794","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395/thumbnail_2321000.jpg","/articles/6078854/Alaska/Senate-Finance-committee-advances-simplified-HB-69-raising-base-student-allocation-by-1000","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078854-a6fba18c9380f30d89c2c63ed81ec6ad/orig.mp4?Expires=1775277444&Signature=JTRTYGvHPtXfSIR9JYTmz3asZWXglec~QuS6hdiP84PI-MI~BwvnFT3nc2Co2Eo7KtIDwpHh1m2YOyJ3yh8TWctjy1~1Mp~FZmt74CTlxl5j2J-4AoGgx3RxRIiBJfQksAwH9wRqq8JG3jyxke9Exxs2qPJn-wNPqz73MOPf~RHbTiwgAkYLQSBqHHJmuTCJX-ZWzFwXohMDRo3ufbcHtQuo1H-HPPb0d-7vFljgB1bSBj9iOpjfX3ouuGndZfXnUQjHep-xFvDqGkrlqtVO5-X~FQE25Z5FGqd2YEjHKZ7fKMNy4aya42T9xsIDwPkvRPySlztOFj6sBw42NcJ4Nw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Alaska Senate Finance Committee on April 10 adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 69 that retains a $1,000 increase to the Base Student Allocation (BSA) and sets an effective date of July 1.

The substitute removes policy changes the Senate Education Committee had included and reduces the bill to a funding measure. \"The CSB4U, HB69 Work Draft U, backs everything out of the Senate Education Committee substitute, except for the $1,000 increase to the base student allocation, and provides a July 1 effective date,\" Liz Hartbelts, staff to Senator Olson, told the committee.

Lawmakers said the draft is intended to test support for the funding level before pursuing more complex policy changes. \"The path for success, I believe, we need to address the issue,\" the chair said, adding the committee seeks to learn how much support the $1,000 increase can gather in both chambers.

Senator Kaufman voiced concerns about the bill removing policy work done in education committees and questioned whether a funding-only approach will be durable. He described the need for \"a thoughtful compromise that is durable, that hopefully the governor and the other body will accept.\" Kaufman also raised questions about district fund balances, noting Anchorage reported unusually high year-end balances in recent years and asking whether those balances affect actual financing needs.

The committee proceeded after Kaufman withdrew his objection and Senator Stedman moved the substitute from committee. The motion passed with no roll-call tally recorded in the transcript and the substitute will be used as the committee's working document as it continues negotiations.

What the committee adopted is a narrowed bill that focuses on immediate funding to the BSA rather than the suite of policy changes the education committee had considered. Committee staff said the change is intended to surface support for the funding level in both chambers and with the governor's office before pursuing additional policy language.

The committee did not take a final vote on a floor version of the bill; instead, members set the substitute aside as their working document while they continue discussions.

The transcript does not include a roll-call vote on the committee action nor detailed fiscal figures in the committee discussion beyond the $1,000 BSA increase and July 1 effective date.","The Senate Finance Committee adopted a committee substitute for House Bill 69 that keeps a $1,000 increase to the Base Student Allocation and sets a July 1 effective date; members debated removing policy provisions left by the Senate Education Committee and concerns about district fund balances.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6078834,"Committee hears SB 69 to codify sexual-assault exam kit tracking and shorten testing timelines",0,6783000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395&start=6783&end=6783","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2958725-1e37c5c20a391369eded36a7e12f9395/thumbnail_6783000.jpg","/articles/6078834/Alaska/Committee-hears-SB-69-to-codify-sexual-assault-exam-kit-tracking-and-shorten-testing-timelines","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6078834-cad7a10c5c005182a6dba4e9949718dd/orig.mp4?Expires=1775277444&Signature=JIU1kOEIMmqYLse7L7UFdHogGltGYdVniCu8ITZmVuqlMuWF8j~Ap3815BF7EzOXGAG2OUZNsR2wPxxMZEfcpewq839vTUdZ3dFp5Mkcir9WXp0nRvs-XAoJhenq2Pcp1nuAkEcqjCrEsRZ4CB1C-gYeEktB4Q7BQOdmfyczMGTar1gPYyIfaOLw1N-gFQL5XPL8M31G9Sm8l~i80yvDvsh5x3mFAHrE8T-o3fgQozNMwSVSc5r4TJBEtvcsxahrnGe3yCBv3z1slzvBXRd~qVx1yvl7hK9twh246I3-BV2eaHnkIyrPfEtTaO0XgJrsQfEkhvRFr73ALYUgBSKbhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 69 would codify Alaska’s sexual-assault exam kit tracking system, shorten statutory processing timelines and require survivor notifications for tested kits, the Senate Finance Committee heard on April 10.

\"The bill does three main things. Firstly, it codifies the sexual assault kit tracking system,\" Susie Frenzel, director of the Victim Assistance and Forensic Science Division, told the committee. The draft sets a 14-day timeline for medical providers to submit kits to law enforcement, reduces law enforcement turnaround to 20 days, and shortens the crime-lab testing statutory deadline from 180 to 120 days. Survivors who opt in to the tracking system must be notified within 14 days after testing is completed.

David Canaris, chief of the state forensic lab, described backlog and capacity. He said the lab stores a large number of kits spanning many years and handles roughly 500–600 sexual-assault submissions annually. \"This is our kit storage room, I believe we have around 14,000 kits that are in the system over time,\" Canaris said. He said the lab processed kits in an average of 133 days in 2024 and expects to reduce that time.

Committee members asked about minors; Canaris said kits involving minors are entered into the system and prioritized. Senators also asked about replacing a federally grant-funded position with state funding in the bill’s fiscal plan; lab staff said continuing the program without a dedicated funded position would require reallocating thin existing capacity across multiple staff roles, which would reduce efficiency.

The Department of Public Safety’s fiscal note for Laboratory Services shows an FY26 cost of $197,500, of which about $148,000 is for a position and $49,000 for software. The bill specifies that data in the system remain private and that tracking is barcode-based with no personal-identifying information stored in the system.

Sponsors and agency witnesses said codifying the tracking system is intended to ensure continuity across administrations and to provide survivors the option to follow their kits’ status without repeated inquiries to law enforcement.

The committee set the bill aside for further review following testimony and fiscal note review.","Senate Bill 69 would codify a statewide sexual-assault kit (SAK) tracking system, set deadlines for medical providers, law enforcement and the crime lab to move kits, require survivor notifications if they opt in, and allocate funding for a lab position and software.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

SB 44 would require parent contact, unannounced inspections and reporting on seclusion/restraint for minors in psychiatric facilities

Senate hears first testimony on SB 76 to create 'complex care residential homes' for Alaskans with high medical and behavioral needs

Senate Finance committee adopts committee substitute for $2.9 billion capital budget as working document

Senate Finance committee advances simplified HB 69 raising base student allocation by $1,000

Committee hears SB 69 to codify sexual-assault exam kit tracking and shorten testing timelines