The Alaska House of Representatives voted unanimously Thursday to require certified nursing aides to receive training in dementia care and behavioral health, addressing what supporters called a critical gap in caregiver preparation as the state's senior population grows.

House Bill 244 passed 39-0 and now moves to the Senate. The measure directs state regulators to ensure CNA training programs cover communication with patients experiencing cognitive decline, recognizing behavioral changes, supporting dignity and independence, and caring for people with dementia and other cognitive conditions.

Representative Jubilee Underwood, who sponsored the bill, said Alaska faces mounting demand for specialized elder care.

"Alaska is aging fast. We have one of the fastest growing senior populations in the country, and more families than ever are trying to care for their loved ones dealing with memory loss and behavioral health challenges," Underwood said during floor debate.

Current state law requires CNA training but does not specify what must be included, particularly for dementia care, communication, and behavioral health. The bill fills that gap through regulatory updates rather than creating new licenses or state costs.

"Right now we require CNA training, but statute does not clearly direct what needs to be included in their training, especially when it comes to dementia care, communications, and behavioral health. HB 244 fixes just that," Underwood said.

The bill adds no new bureaucracy or fiscal impact to the state, according to a zero-impact fiscal note prepared by the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. It aligns training requirements with the realities CNAs face on the job.

Representatives Costello, Fields, Freer, and Tomaszewski joined as cosponsors. The House Health and Social Services Committee held a hearing on the bill March 19, with teleconferenced testimony by invitation only. Supporting documents included a fact sheet on dementia training for direct care workers and data on Alaska Alzheimer's risk factors. The committee advanced the bill in early April with five members voting do pass: Representatives Prax, Gray, Mears, Schwanke, and Mina. The House Labor and Commerce Committee followed later that month with six do pass votes from Representatives Freer, Coulombe, Saddler, D. Nelson, Hall, and Fields.

CNAs provide hands-on care for seniors, people recovering from injury, and Alaskans living with Alzheimer's, dementia, and other cognitive conditions. Families increasingly depend on these caregivers as Alaska's population ages faster than most states.

The Senate will take up the measure next. If signed into law, the training updates would take effect through regulation.