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HOUSE BILL NO. 70
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
BY REPRESENTATIVE SCHRAGE
Introduced: 1/27/25
Referred: Health and Social Services, Labor and Commerce
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to emergency medical services for operational canines; relating to the 1
powers, duties, and liability of emergency medical technicians and mobile intensive care 2
paramedics; relating to the practice of veterinary medicine; and providing for an 3
effective date." 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 5
* Section 1. AS 08.98.125 is amended to read: 6
Sec. 08.98.125. Exemptions. This chapter does not apply to the following: 7
(1) a veterinary medical officer in the military service in the discharge 8
of official duties or as an employee in the federal or state government performing 9
veterinary medical services within the scope of the person's official duties; 10
(2) a veterinarian who is licensed in another state or country, or a 11
person whose expertise a veterinarian licensed in this state believes would benefit an 12
animal, and who provides only consultation to a veterinarian licensed in this state; in 13
this paragraph, "consultation" means advice or assistance provided in person, 14 34-LS0245\N
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telephonically, electronically, or by any other method of communication from a 1
veterinarian or other person whose expertise, in the opinion of the veterinarian, would 2
benefit the animal; [AND] 3
(3) a veterinarian licensed and residing in another state who provides 4
assistance, as requested by and under the supervision of a veterinarian licensed in this 5
state, for the purpose of providing skills not otherwise available in this state in 6
conducting research or other practice of veterinary medicine on captive or free-ranging 7
wildlife; however, that assistance is limited to not more than three events in a calendar 8
year for not more than a total of 60 days in the year and may not be on a regular or 9
recurring basis, as defined by the board; and 10
(4) an emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 11
paramedic providing emergency medical services to an operational canine as 12
provided under AS 18.08.093. 13
* Sec. 2. AS 18.08.075(a) is amended to read: 14
(a) An emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic who 15
responds to an emergency with an ambulance service or first responder service, who 16
has in the technician's or mobile intensive care paramedic's possession a current 17
emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic identification card, 18
and who provides emergency medical care or other emergency medical service, has 19
the authority to 20
(1) control and direct activities at the accident site or emergency until 21
the arrival of law enforcement personnel; 22
(2) order a person other than the owner to leave a building or place in 23
the vicinity of the accident or other emergency for the purpose of protecting the person 24
from injury; 25
(3) temporarily block a public highway, street, or private right-of-way 26
while at the scene of an accident, illness, or emergency; 27
(4) trespass on [UPON] property at or near the scene of an accident, 28
illness, or emergency at any time of day or night; 29
(5) enter a building, including a private dwelling, or premises where a 30
report of an injury or illness has taken place or where there is a reasonable cause to 31 34-LS0245\N
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believe an individual or operational canine has been injured or is ill to render 1
emergency medical care; and 2
(6) direct the removal or destruction of a motor vehicle or other thing 3
that the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic determines 4
is necessary to prevent further harm to injured or ill individuals or operational 5
canines. 6
* Sec. 3. AS 18.08.086(a) is amended to read: 7
(a) A person certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 who administers 8
emergency medical services to an injured or sick person or who, under AS 18.08.093, 9
administers emergency medical services to an operational canine, a person or 10
public agency that employs, sponsors, directs, or controls the activities of persons 11
certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 who administer emergency medical services 12
to an injured or sick person or who, under AS 18.08.093, administer emergency 13
medical services to an operational canine, or a health care professional or 14
emergency medical dispatcher acting within the scope of the person's certification or 15
licensure who directs or advises a person to administer emergency medical services to 16
an injured or sick person is not liable for civil damages as a result of an act or 17
omission in administering those services or giving that advice or those directions if the 18
administering, advising, and directing are done in good faith and the injured or sick 19
person or operational canine reasonably seems to be in immediate danger of serious 20
harm or death. This subsection does not preclude liability for civil damages that are 21
the proximate result of gross negligence or intentional misconduct, nor preclude 22
imposition of liability on a person or public agency that employs, sponsors, directs, or 23
controls the activities of persons certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 if the act or 24
omission is a proximate result of a breach of duty to act created under this chapter. In 25
this subsection, "gross negligence" means reckless, wilful, or wanton misconduct. 26
* Sec. 4. AS 18.08.087 is amended to read: 27
Sec. 18.08.087. Disclosure of medical records. When requested for the 28
purpose of evaluating the performance of an emergency medical technician, mobile 29
intensive care paramedic, or physician who provided emergency medical care or other 30
assistance to a sick or injured person, a licensed physician, advanced practice 31 34-LS0245\N
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registered nurse, or physician assistant may disclose to an emergency medical 1
technician, [A] mobile intensive care paramedic, or physician the medical or hospital 2
records of a sick or injured person to whom the paramedic, technician, or physician is 3
providing or has rendered emergency medical care or assistance. [HOWEVER, THE 4
DISCLOSING PHYSICIAN, ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE, OR 5
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT SHALL LIMIT DISCLOSURE UNDER THIS SECTION 6
TO THE RECORDS THAT ARE CONSIDERED NECESSARY BY THE 7
DISCLOSER FOR EVALUATION OF THE PARAMEDIC'S, TECHNICIAN'S, OR 8
PHYSICIAN'S PERFORMANCE IN PROVIDING THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL 9
CARE OR ASSISTANCE. A MOBILE INTENSIVE CARE PARAMEDIC, 10
EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE TECHNICIAN, OR PHYSICIAN TO WHOM 11
CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS ARE DISCLOSED UNDER THIS SECTION MAY 12
NOT FURTHER DISCLOSE THE INFORMATION TO A PERSON NOT 13
ENTITLED TO RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION UNDER THIS SECTION OR 14
ANOTHER LAW.] 15
* Sec. 5. AS 18.08.087 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 16
(b) When requested for the purpose of evaluating the performance of an 17
emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic who provided 18
emergency medical care or other assistance to a sick or injured operational canine, a 19
licensed veterinarian may disclose to an emergency medical technician or mobile 20
intensive care paramedic the medical or hospital records of a sick or injured 21
operational canine to whom the technician or paramedic is providing or has rendered 22
emergency medical care or assistance. 23
(c) An individual making a disclosure under this section shall limit the 24
disclosure to the records that are considered necessary by the discloser for evaluation 25
of the technician's, paramedic's, or physician's performance in providing the 26
emergency medical care or assistance. An emergency medical care technician, mobile 27
intensive care paramedic, physician, or veterinarian to whom confidential records are 28
disclosed under this section may not further disclose the information to a person not 29
entitled to receive that information under this section or another law. 30
* Sec. 6. AS 18.08 is amended by adding a new section to read: 31 34-LS0245\N
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Sec. 18.08.093. Emergency medical services for operational canines. (a) If a 1
veterinarian is unavailable to provide emergency medical services to an operational 2
canine in a reasonable amount of time, an emergency medical technician or mobile 3
intensive care paramedic may provide emergency medical services to the operational 4
canine as long as the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 5
paramedic 6
(1) has received training on providing emergency medical services to 7
operational canines; 8
(2) is trained to provide comparable medical services to a human; 9
(3) is authorized to provide the comparable medical service to a human 10
under the scope of the emergency medical technician's or mobile intensive care 11
paramedic's certification or license; and 12
(4) meets at least one of the following requirements: 13
(A) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 14
paramedic has obtained informed consent from the owner of the operational 15
canine or a person authorized to make medical decisions about the operational 16
canine; 17
(B) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 18
paramedic is employed by the governmental agency that owns or has authority 19
to make medical decisions about the operational canine; or 20
(C) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 21
paramedic provides the emergency medical service in accordance with a 22
written protocol developed and approved by a veterinarian. 23
(b) An emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic who 24
provides an emergency medical service to an operational canine under (a) of this 25
section shall 26
(1) transfer the operational canine to a licensed veterinarian at the 27
earliest practicable opportunity; and 28
(2) comply with all laws governing the administration of drugs or 29
biologics to a human when administering a drug or biologic to an operational canine. 30
* Sec. 7. AS 18.08.100(b) is amended to read: 31 34-LS0245\N
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(b) If an individual certified or licensed under this chapter determines in the 1
course of a telehealth encounter with a patient that some or all of the encounter will 2
extend beyond the individual's authorized scope of practice, the individual shall advise 3
the patient that the individual is not authorized to provide some or all of the services to 4
the patient, recommend that the patient contact an appropriate provider for the services 5
the individual is not authorized to provide, and limit the encounter to only those 6
services the individual is authorized to provide. If the patient is an operational 7
canine, the individual shall provide the advice and recommendation to the person 8
who owns or is authorized to make medical decisions about the operational 9
canine. The individual certified or licensed under this chapter may not charge for any 10
portion of an encounter that extends beyond the individual's authorized scope of 11
practice. 12
* Sec. 8. AS 18.08.200 is amended by adding new paragraphs to read: 13
(15) "operational canine" means a dog used 14
(A) by law enforcement or other government agencies; or 15
(B) in search and rescue operations; 16
(16) "veterinarian" means a veterinarian licensed under AS 08.98. 17
* Sec. 9. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026. 18