Alaska 2025-2026 Regular Session

Alaska House Bill HB70 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
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2	2	HB0070a -1- HB 70
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5	5	34-LS0245\N
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10	10
11	11	HOUSE BILL NO. 70
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13	13	IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
14	14
15	15	THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
16	16
17	17	BY REPRESENTATIVE SCHRAGE
18	18
19	19	Introduced: 1/27/25
20	20	Referred: Health and Social Services, Labor and Commerce
21	21
22	22
23	23	A BILL
24	24
25	25	FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
26	26
27	27	"An Act relating to emergency medical services for operational canines; relating to the 1
28	28	powers, duties, and liability of emergency medical technicians and mobile intensive care 2
29	29	paramedics; relating to the practice of veterinary medicine; and providing for an 3
30	30	effective date." 4
31	31	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 5
32	32	* Section 1. AS 08.98.125 is amended to read: 6
33	33	Sec. 08.98.125. Exemptions. This chapter does not apply to the following: 7
34	34	(1) a veterinary medical officer in the military service in the discharge 8
35	35	of official duties or as an employee in the federal or state government performing 9
36	36	veterinary medical services within the scope of the person's official duties; 10
37	37	(2) a veterinarian who is licensed in another state or country, or a 11
38	38	person whose expertise a veterinarian licensed in this state believes would benefit an 12
39	39	animal, and who provides only consultation to a veterinarian licensed in this state; in 13
40	40	this paragraph, "consultation" means advice or assistance provided in person, 14 34-LS0245\N
41	41	HB 70 -2- HB0070a
42	42	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
43	43
44	44	telephonically, electronically, or by any other method of communication from a 1
45	45	veterinarian or other person whose expertise, in the opinion of the veterinarian, would 2
46	46	benefit the animal; [AND] 3
47	47	(3) a veterinarian licensed and residing in another state who provides 4
48	48	assistance, as requested by and under the supervision of a veterinarian licensed in this 5
49	49	state, for the purpose of providing skills not otherwise available in this state in 6
50	50	conducting research or other practice of veterinary medicine on captive or free-ranging 7
51	51	wildlife; however, that assistance is limited to not more than three events in a calendar 8
52	52	year for not more than a total of 60 days in the year and may not be on a regular or 9
53	53	recurring basis, as defined by the board; and 10
54	54	(4) an emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 11
55	55	paramedic providing emergency medical services to an operational canine as 12
56	56	provided under AS 18.08.093. 13
57	57	* Sec. 2. AS 18.08.075(a) is amended to read: 14
58	58	(a) An emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic who 15
59	59	responds to an emergency with an ambulance service or first responder service, who 16
60	60	has in the technician's or mobile intensive care paramedic's possession a current 17
61	61	emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic identification card, 18
62	62	and who provides emergency medical care or other emergency medical service, has 19
63	63	the authority to 20
64	64	(1) control and direct activities at the accident site or emergency until 21
65	65	the arrival of law enforcement personnel; 22
66	66	(2) order a person other than the owner to leave a building or place in 23
67	67	the vicinity of the accident or other emergency for the purpose of protecting the person 24
68	68	from injury; 25
69	69	(3) temporarily block a public highway, street, or private right-of-way 26
70	70	while at the scene of an accident, illness, or emergency; 27
71	71	(4) trespass on [UPON] property at or near the scene of an accident, 28
72	72	illness, or emergency at any time of day or night; 29
73	73	(5) enter a building, including a private dwelling, or premises where a 30
74	74	report of an injury or illness has taken place or where there is a reasonable cause to 31 34-LS0245\N
75	75	HB0070a -3- HB 70
76	76	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
77	77
78	78	believe an individual or operational canine has been injured or is ill to render 1
79	79	emergency medical care; and 2
80	80	(6) direct the removal or destruction of a motor vehicle or other thing 3
81	81	that the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic determines 4
82	82	is necessary to prevent further harm to injured or ill individuals or operational 5
83	83	canines. 6
84	84	* Sec. 3. AS 18.08.086(a) is amended to read: 7
85	85	(a) A person certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 who administers 8
86	86	emergency medical services to an injured or sick person or who, under AS 18.08.093, 9
87	87	administers emergency medical services to an operational canine, a person or 10
88	88	public agency that employs, sponsors, directs, or controls the activities of persons 11
89	89	certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 who administer emergency medical services 12
90	90	to an injured or sick person or who, under AS 18.08.093, administer emergency 13
91	91	medical services to an operational canine, or a health care professional or 14
92	92	emergency medical dispatcher acting within the scope of the person's certification or 15
93	93	licensure who directs or advises a person to administer emergency medical services to 16
94	94	an injured or sick person is not liable for civil damages as a result of an act or 17
95	95	omission in administering those services or giving that advice or those directions if the 18
96	96	administering, advising, and directing are done in good faith and the injured or sick 19
97	97	person or operational canine reasonably seems to be in immediate danger of serious 20
98	98	harm or death. This subsection does not preclude liability for civil damages that are 21
99	99	the proximate result of gross negligence or intentional misconduct, nor preclude 22
100	100	imposition of liability on a person or public agency that employs, sponsors, directs, or 23
101	101	controls the activities of persons certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 if the act or 24
102	102	omission is a proximate result of a breach of duty to act created under this chapter. In 25
103	103	this subsection, "gross negligence" means reckless, wilful, or wanton misconduct. 26
104	104	* Sec. 4. AS 18.08.087 is amended to read: 27
105	105	Sec. 18.08.087. Disclosure of medical records. When requested for the 28
106	106	purpose of evaluating the performance of an emergency medical technician, mobile 29
107	107	intensive care paramedic, or physician who provided emergency medical care or other 30
108	108	assistance to a sick or injured person, a licensed physician, advanced practice 31 34-LS0245\N
109	109	HB 70 -4- HB0070a
110	110	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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112	112	registered nurse, or physician assistant may disclose to an emergency medical 1
113	113	technician, [A] mobile intensive care paramedic, or physician the medical or hospital 2
114	114	records of a sick or injured person to whom the paramedic, technician, or physician is 3
115	115	providing or has rendered emergency medical care or assistance. [HOWEVER, THE 4
116	116	DISCLOSING PHYSICIAN, ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE, OR 5
117	117	PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT SHALL LIMIT DISCLOSURE UNDER THIS SECTION 6
118	118	TO THE RECORDS THAT ARE CONSIDERED NECESSARY BY THE 7
119	119	DISCLOSER FOR EVALUATION OF THE PARAMEDIC'S, TECHNICIAN'S, OR 8
120	120	PHYSICIAN'S PERFORMANCE IN PROVIDING THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL 9
121	121	CARE OR ASSISTANCE. A MOBILE INTENSIVE CARE PARAMEDIC, 10
122	122	EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE TECHNICIAN, OR PHYSICIAN TO WHOM 11
123	123	CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS ARE DISCLOSED UNDER THIS SECTION MAY 12
124	124	NOT FURTHER DISCLOSE THE INFORMATION TO A PERSON NOT 13
125	125	ENTITLED TO RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION UNDER THIS SECTION OR 14
126	126	ANOTHER LAW.] 15
127	127	* Sec. 5. AS 18.08.087 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 16
128	128	(b) When requested for the purpose of evaluating the performance of an 17
129	129	emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic who provided 18
130	130	emergency medical care or other assistance to a sick or injured operational canine, a 19
131	131	licensed veterinarian may disclose to an emergency medical technician or mobile 20
132	132	intensive care paramedic the medical or hospital records of a sick or injured 21
133	133	operational canine to whom the technician or paramedic is providing or has rendered 22
134	134	emergency medical care or assistance. 23
135	135	(c) An individual making a disclosure under this section shall limit the 24
136	136	disclosure to the records that are considered necessary by the discloser for evaluation 25
137	137	of the technician's, paramedic's, or physician's performance in providing the 26
138	138	emergency medical care or assistance. An emergency medical care technician, mobile 27
139	139	intensive care paramedic, physician, or veterinarian to whom confidential records are 28
140	140	disclosed under this section may not further disclose the information to a person not 29
141	141	entitled to receive that information under this section or another law. 30
142	142	* Sec. 6. AS 18.08 is amended by adding a new section to read: 31 34-LS0245\N
143	143	HB0070a -5- HB 70
144	144	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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146	146	Sec. 18.08.093. Emergency medical services for operational canines. (a) If a 1
147	147	veterinarian is unavailable to provide emergency medical services to an operational 2
148	148	canine in a reasonable amount of time, an emergency medical technician or mobile 3
149	149	intensive care paramedic may provide emergency medical services to the operational 4
150	150	canine as long as the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 5
151	151	paramedic 6
152	152	(1) has received training on providing emergency medical services to 7
153	153	operational canines; 8
154	154	(2) is trained to provide comparable medical services to a human; 9
155	155	(3) is authorized to provide the comparable medical service to a human 10
156	156	under the scope of the emergency medical technician's or mobile intensive care 11
157	157	paramedic's certification or license; and 12
158	158	(4) meets at least one of the following requirements: 13
159	159	(A) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 14
160	160	paramedic has obtained informed consent from the owner of the operational 15
161	161	canine or a person authorized to make medical decisions about the operational 16
162	162	canine; 17
163	163	(B) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 18
164	164	paramedic is employed by the governmental agency that owns or has authority 19
165	165	to make medical decisions about the operational canine; or 20
166	166	(C) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 21
167	167	paramedic provides the emergency medical service in accordance with a 22
168	168	written protocol developed and approved by a veterinarian. 23
169	169	(b) An emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic who 24
170	170	provides an emergency medical service to an operational canine under (a) of this 25
171	171	section shall 26
172	172	(1) transfer the operational canine to a licensed veterinarian at the 27
173	173	earliest practicable opportunity; and 28
174	174	(2) comply with all laws governing the administration of drugs or 29
175	175	biologics to a human when administering a drug or biologic to an operational canine. 30
176	176	* Sec. 7. AS 18.08.100(b) is amended to read: 31 34-LS0245\N
177	177	HB 70 -6- HB0070a
178	178	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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180	180	(b) If an individual certified or licensed under this chapter determines in the 1
181	181	course of a telehealth encounter with a patient that some or all of the encounter will 2
182	182	extend beyond the individual's authorized scope of practice, the individual shall advise 3
183	183	the patient that the individual is not authorized to provide some or all of the services to 4
184	184	the patient, recommend that the patient contact an appropriate provider for the services 5
185	185	the individual is not authorized to provide, and limit the encounter to only those 6
186	186	services the individual is authorized to provide. If the patient is an operational 7
187	187	canine, the individual shall provide the advice and recommendation to the person 8
188	188	who owns or is authorized to make medical decisions about the operational 9
189	189	canine. The individual certified or licensed under this chapter may not charge for any 10
190	190	portion of an encounter that extends beyond the individual's authorized scope of 11
191	191	practice. 12
192	192	* Sec. 8. AS 18.08.200 is amended by adding new paragraphs to read: 13
193	193	(15) "operational canine" means a dog used 14
194	194	(A) by law enforcement or other government agencies; or 15
195	195	(B) in search and rescue operations; 16
196	196	(16) "veterinarian" means a veterinarian licensed under AS 08.98. 17
197	197	* Sec. 9. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026. 18