Committee adopts substitute to HJR 32 on rural health transformation

Chair Representative Mina opened the March 5 hearing of the House Health and Social Services Committee and presented a committee substitute (version I) for House Joint Resolution 32 on the rural health transformation program. Lori Wing Hyer, the legislature's health care liaison, summarized the redline changes and said the new language affirms the Alaska State Legislature's commitment to the program and "supports flexibility in the rural health transformation grant criteria and timeline to maximize investment in health care facility infrastructure and workforce development."

The committee discussed the edits briefly and Chair Mina removed her objection to adopting the committee substitute. Seeing no further objections, the committee adopted the substitute and later moved HJR 32 from committee with individual recommendations and an attached fiscal note of zero. The chair briefly recessed to sign the committee report before continuing the agenda.

The committee did not take public testimony on HJR 32 at this meeting and no formal roll-call vote was recorded for adoption of the CS; the action was completed by voice and unanimous consent during the session. The resolution will proceed with the committee's recommendations to the next step in the process.