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Committee advances bill expanding pharmacists’ authority after wide testimony
Summary
House Bill 195, which would expand pharmacists’ prescriptive authority within their education, training and experience, moved from the House Health and Social Services Committee after an extensive hearing with pharmacists, health systems, pharmacists’ associations and medical groups offering both support and opposition.
House Bill 195 cleared the House Health and Social Services Committee Thursday after a lengthy public hearing that featured clinicians, pharmacy leaders, health systems, students and medical association representatives. The committee moved the bill from committee by voice vote; no roll-call objections were recorded.
The bill would broaden pharmacists’ authority to provide certain patient care services including prescribing and administering some medications within a pharmacist’s scope of education, training and experience, and includes language that requires collaboration or referral when a case exceeds a pharmacist’s competence.
Supporters included pharmacists and employers who said the change would expand access to care amid workforce shortages. Kara Gagnon (director of pharmacy, local behavioral health system) and Amy Young (practicing pharmacist, Anchorage) said pharmacists are underused and can expand vaccination, non‑opioid pain management and other services. Dan Hartman, a physician with South Central Foundation, outlined how pharmacists already operate as integrated members of clinical teams and endorsed HB 195 for improving access in urban and rural sites. Paul Zanto, pharmacy manager for Fred Meyer, and pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists described training pathways and argued the change would modernize state law to national norms.
Opponents included the Alaska State Medical Association, represented by Executive Director Pam Vention, and the Citizens Commission on Human Rights. The medical association opposed HB 195 as written, saying it could allow pharmacists to practice medicine without a medical license and noting existing collaborative practice agreements under Alaska statute title 8. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights urged psychiatric drugs remain only in physicians’ hands and asked for carve‑outs for psychiatric prescribing. Medical oncologist Mary Klix said pharmacists lack the diagnostic training of physicians and recommended collaborative practice agreements for testing and treating complex conditions.
Committee members probed scope‑of‑practice, training and safety. Committee witnesses — including Ashley Schaeffer, chair of the Alaska Board of Pharmacy; Brandy Siggen Martin, executive director of the Alaska Pharmacy Association; and Britney Keener, president of the Alaska Pharmacy Association — described pharmacist education and certification pathways, and said the bill explicitly requires referral when a case is beyond the pharmacist’s scope. The board chair said states such as Idaho and Montana have similar laws with no reported safety issues.
After public testimony, Representative Grama and other committee members expressed support for pharmacists practicing at the top of their license to relieve pressure on primary care and emergency services. The committee moved HB 195 from committee with individual recommendations and an attached fiscal note. The bill now proceeds to its next committee of referral for further consideration and possible amendment.
The hearing produced specific policy follow‑ups: the committee requested clarity on how psychiatric medications would be handled within the bill’s scope and noted existing collaborative practice frameworks under title 8 of Alaska statutes. No final implementation details were adopted in committee.
