Delegates review session accomplishments

JUNEAU — Four pieces of legislation sponsored by two Valley legislators recently flew from the House of Representatives over to the Senate.

And a fifth piece of legislation that had already cleared the House made it through the Senate.

Rep. Lynn Gattis, R-Wasilla sponsored three of the bills:

• House Bill 161 passed April 10 on a unanimous vote. Six days later it cleared the Senate, also unanimously. It now awaits Gov. Bill Walker’s signature. The bill would allow the state’s Department of Health and Social Services to require a Medicaid recipient to buy used durable medical equipment if the equipment is available, is just as able to meet the patient’s needs as new equipment, and will last for three years. Examples of this kind of medical equipment cited in a press release about the bill’s passage included wheelchairs, crutches and canes.

• House Bill 107 would change the University of Alaska Board of Regents so that some of the seats are assigned based on geography.

“If signed into law, the board would include one resident from the following locations: Fairbanks North Star Borough, Municipality of Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Kenai Peninsula Borough, City and Borough of Juneau, a community not connected by road or rail, one student, and four at-large members. Currently there is one seat reserved for a student regent and 10 at-large regents that must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of Alaska,” reads a press release issued when the bill cleared the House April 14 on a 26-13 vote.

• House Bill 131 would greatly increase the training required to be a licensed nail technician in a beauty salon. Currently, the license requires 12 hours of theory training. The bill passed April 14 on a 37-2 vote would require 250 hours of theory and practical training followed by a state board examination.

Rep. Wes Keller also got resolution passed recently calling on the federal government to turn over lands it had promised Alaska in various pieces of federal legislation like the Alaska Statehood Act and the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act. The resolution cleared the House April 13 by a 37-1 vote.

And, finally, a resolution from Rep. Shelley Hughes, R-Palmer, cleared the Senate April 10, after having been passed by the House unanimously. The resolution commends the Academy of Model Aeronautics for being, “the go-to resource for safety guidelines and education in the hobby flying field.”

Hughes said the group was particularly useful to her as she worked to craft legislation for the state dealing with the use of unmanned drone aircraft. She specifically singled out the help she got from member Steve Colligan, a Mat-Su Borough Assemblyman and avid model aircraft flier.