The Alaska House voted 37-0 Tuesday to pass legislation requiring psychiatric hospitals to strengthen protections for minors after years of documented abuse and federal investigation.

House Bill 52 responds to a 2022 Department of Justice investigation and reports of sexual abuse at facilities treating Alaska children. The bill requires psychiatric hospitals to allow minors at least two hours weekly of confidential communication with parents or guardians, mandates unannounced inspections at least twice yearly, and requires 72-hour notification to parents and the Department of Health when seclusion or restraint is used on minors.

The House Finance Committee advanced HB 52 on March 24, 2025, after sponsor Rep. Maxine Dibert presented it. The bill addresses longstanding concerns about treatment of minors in psychiatric facilities. A 2022 Department of Justice investigation found problems in Alaska's behavioral health system for children. The Alaska Disability Law Center documented issues dating back to 2004. News articles documented cases of sexual abuse at facilities, including North Star psychiatric hospital.

The legislation drew broad bipartisan support, with cosponsors including Fields, Foster, Burke, Jimmie, Galvin, Hannan, Josephson, Story, Schrage, Mina, and Costello. Fiscal notes from relevant departments indicated zero financial impact.

"In the documents along with this bill were some news articles about some separate cases of two young boys who were sexually abused while in the facilities," said Rep. Sarah Vance, a Homer Republican. "And I tell you what, that hit me right in the heart, Mr. Speaker, because they were the same ages as my boys."

Vance estimated that approximately 800 Alaska minors annually are placed in psychiatric hospitals. Many Alaska Native children are sent hundreds of miles from their communities for treatment.

The bill establishes three core requirements. First, it guarantees minors access to confidential communication with a parent or guardian for at least two cumulative hours per week. Second, it requires the Department of Health to publish an annual report to the legislature including data on the use of seclusion and restraints, whether mechanical, physical, or chemical, as well as findings from facility inspections. Third, it strengthens oversight by requiring unannounced inspections at least twice a year, including interviews with at least half of the minor patients without staff present unless necessary for safety.

When seclusion or restraint is used on a minor, both the department and the minor's parent or legal guardian must be notified within 72 hours.

"I would like to highlight the requirement of unannounced visits," said Rep. Andrew Gray, an Anchorage Democrat. "I think that having unannounced visits is maybe the most important part of the bill."