Finance Committee advances bill expanding pharmacist authority with safety carve-outs; attempt to ban abortion drugs fails

The House Finance Committee on May 11 adopted several amendments to House Bill 195, a measure that would expand pharmacists' authority to prescribe and administer certain medications, while carving out limits for high-risk drugs and adding an opioid-overdose safety provision.

Co-chair Foster opened the meeting and called up HB 195, noting the bill has been heard multiple times and carries six pending amendments. Representative Shrogy moved the first two technical amendments; the committee adopted Amendment 1 to clarify that the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program requirement applies only to pharmacists who hold a DEA license and prescribe or dispense controlled substances, and adopted Amendment 2 to align statutory schedule references with the federal drug schedule. Representative Shrogy said the change would “recognize[] that not all pharmacists will be required to interface with the PDMP,” and sponsor staff Katie Georgiou confirmed the change was requested by the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing and vetted by stakeholders.

A more substantive change, Amendment 3, was offered by Representative Moore and narrowly defined limits on the bill’s scope. Moore said the amendment was intended to ensure pharmacists would not gain authority over “certain high-risk or specifically restricted drugs,” including opioids and mifepristone, and to exclude drugs that require special certification or federal REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) requirements. Sponsor Representative Genevieve Mina said the amendment responds to stakeholder feedback and keeps the bill focused on expanding basic primary-care access. The committee adopted Amendment 3 on a roll-call vote of 10 yea to 1 nay.

The committee also adopted Amendment 4, introduced by Representative Tomaszewski, which would require that when a prescriber issues an opioid prescription above a threshold (for example, more than a three-day supply or a specified morphine-milligram equivalent), the prescriber also provide a prescription for an opioid-overdose antidote such as naloxone. Tomaszewski said pharmacists he had consulted “said it’s a great idea,” and members discussed insurance coverage and patient education. Sponsor staff said the provision would cover physicians and advanced practice registered nurses who prescribe under the bill’s scope.

A heated contest arose over Amendment 5, which would have added statutory language explicitly prohibiting pharmacists from dispensing abortion-inducing drugs and related agents. Representative Ballard, the amendment sponsor, argued the change would keep accountability with the legislature and prevent later regulatory interpretation. Opponents, including Representative Mina and Representative Moore, said the bill already includes restrictions for high-risk drugs and that federal REMS rules and an attorney general memo limit mifepristone dispensing in Alaska today. Mina told the committee that “there are no Alaska pharmacies that meet the federal requirements to dispense mifepristone,” and cautioned that adding the proposed language could invite litigation or create unintended barriers for medically necessary uses of some drugs. The amendment failed on a roll-call vote, 2 yea to 9 nay.

Representative Tomaszewski then moved Amendment 6, tied to compacts in the Rural Health Transformation program including a nurse-licensure compact; debate on that item began but the committee recessed because of a scheduled floor session and a firm 10:00 a.m. stop. Co-chair Foster adjourned the committee at 10:22 a.m. and said the panel would reconvene at 1:30 p.m. to continue HB 195 along with public testimony on other bills.

Why it matters: HB 195 aims to broaden pharmacists’ role in basic primary care, which proponents say could improve access in underserved areas. Lawmakers who supported the safety carve-outs emphasized limiting pharmacist authority for drugs requiring special certification or REMS; those opposing the abortion-specific language warned of legal and clinical consequences if the statute tried to enumerate drugs with multiple therapeutic uses. The committee advanced the bill with the adopted amendments but left other matters for a later session.

What’s next: The committee recessed with plans to return at 1:30 p.m. The remaining considerations for HB 195 include continued debate on Amendment 6 and any remaining motions; the committee also listed SB 130 (fish production development tax credit) on its agenda but said it was unlikely to reach it during the morning session.