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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 16
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
BY SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON
Introduced: 4/2/25
Referred: Health and Social Services
A RESOLUTION
Urging the United States Congress to pass the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act; and urging 1
lawmakers to advocate for policies that guarantee equitable access to vital healthcare. 2
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
WHEREAS the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act seeks to ensure that individuals born 4
with congenital anomalies, including cleft lip and cleft palate, have access to the medically 5
necessary treatment and care the individuals need throughout the individuals' lives; and 6
WHEREAS the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act aims to require private health insurance 7
plans to cover all medically necessary treatment, including surgery, therapy, and associated 8
care, for congenital anomalies, without imposing a lifetime or annual limit on that coverage; 9
and 10
WHEREAS an individual born with congenital anomalies often faces a lifetime of 11
surgeries, speech therapy, dental care, and other medical needs, making access to 12
comprehensive health care essential for the individual's well-being and quality of life; and 13
WHEREAS many families struggle to afford the high cost of necessary medical 14
treatments, especially if a family's insurance plan limits coverage for congenital anomaly care 15
or does not cover specific procedures, resulting in financial hardship and delayed or 16 34-LS0788\A
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inadequate care; and 1
WHEREAS the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act would provide critical protections for 2
families by ensuring that private health insurance plans cover medically necessary treatments 3
and services for congenital anomalies and prevent arbitrary limits on the duration of care; and 4
WHEREAS the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act was brought to the attention of the 5
Anchorage Assembly by Emily Brubaker, who was an eighth grade student at Romig Middle 6
School at the time, when she was honored by the Anchorage Assembly for her significant 7
achievement as winner of the National Civics Bee contest; and 8
WHEREAS Emily Brubaker was born with a rare congenital anomaly called 9
hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, which affects the development of skin, hair, teeth, nails, 10
and sweat glands; and 11
WHEREAS dental work for Emily Brubaker's condition is likely to cost her family 12
more than $100,000; and 13
WHEREAS, at the age of six, Emily Brubaker began taking trips to Washington, D.C. 14
with her family to share her story with members of the United States Congress, encouraging 15
members to pass the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act, which would require private health 16
insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment of congenital anomalies and birth defects for 17
which some insurance companies deny coverage as dental care; and 18
WHEREAS the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act was last introduced in the 117th United 19
States Congress as H.R.1916 and S.754 and is currently being rewritten; and 20
WHEREAS, while the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act does not currently have a primary 21
sponsor in the United States House of Representatives, the Act may be introduced in the 22
119th United States Congress by Senators Joni Ernst and Tammy Baldwin; 23
BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Alaska Congressional 24
Delegation to support the passage of the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act to ensure 25
comprehensive, affordable, and uninterrupted medical care for state residents with congenital 26
anomalies; and be it 27
FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges lawmakers to 28
continue advocating for policies that guarantee equitable access to vital healthcare for all 29
individuals.
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COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President 31 34-LS0788\A
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of the United States; the Honorable JD Vance, Vice President of the United States and 1
President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of 2
Representatives; the Honorable Chuck Grassley, President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate; the 3
Honorable John Thune, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Lisa Murkowski 4
and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. 5
Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress; and all other members of the 6
119th United States Congress. 7