Senate Dept. of Health, 4/17/26, 12pm

Good afternoon, everybody. I'd like to go ahead and call the Senate Budget Subcommittee to order from the Department of Health. Time is 4 minutes after noon, April 17th, 2026. Today joining me is Senator Dunbar, Senator Giesel, Senator Gray Jackson. I think she's online.

Senator Kaufman, myself, Steadman. This is the final meeting of the subcommittee. And if we could, do we have any amendments or anything or any discussions? We can have our Trustee Aide come forward.

And seeing no amendments or anything, Senator Dunbar, would you like to make a motion dealing with the BA sheet, please? I move the attached budget action and wordage report from from the Senate Budget Subcommittee for the Department of Health. I further move that the subcommittee authorize legislative legal and legislative legal to make any technical or conforming changes as necessary. Okay, and I'll object for explanation. Ms. Foley, can you walk through the BA sheet and brief the staff, please, or brief the senators, please?

Staff, too. Thank you, Mr. Chair. For the record, Rose Foley, staff to Senator Steadman. The Senate Budget Subcommittee for the Department of Health submits the following numbers section recommendations for the fiscal year '27 budget.

A total budget of $4,247,760,400. Of this total, $1,124,395,800 is unrestricted general funds. $50,846,700 Are designated general funds. And $110,910,400 are other funds, which include Mental Health Authority Authorized Receipts, or MTAR funds. And finally, federal funds account for $2,961,607,500.

Okay. I will go ahead and remove my objection. Do we have any further objection on the BA report?

Senator Dunbar. Yes, I apologize. I guess I object for purposes of discussion. We have an objection. Senator Dunbar.

Yes, I apologize. Are we going to walk through this sheet as well? If you would like, Senator, I have some other highlights I could mention for the subcommittee. Sure, go ahead. The subcommittee reviewed the governor's amended request and approved all requested items with the exception of an $8 million request for ongoing contractual operations of the virtual call center.

Notable items approved in the governor's request include the implementation of the IT and community care licensing specialist class studies, incremental funding of $21,041,900 for the operation and maintenance of IT systems, and a $377,298,200 increase to Medicaid to support rate increases to Medicaid providers. Changes and additions were also authorized by the subcommittee. These include the adoption of carryforward language for 4 funds related to substance use, education, reduction, and treatment. The subcommittee made an addition of $2 million for Alaska food banks and pantries and just under $6 million to support the Infant Learning Program. With an inflation adjustment to existing funding and additional increment to allow for the expansion of the program's eligibility.

Finally, the subcommittee directed the department to increase the rates for private duty nurses to align with the guidehouse recommendations.

That is the further detail. Does that suffice? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I remove my objection. Okay.

We have the objection withdrawn. Do we have further objection for discussion? Discussion otherwise? Seeing none, then we have adopted— seeing no further objections, we have adopted the BA report. So that concludes this meeting this morning.

I would like to thank Valerie Rose, Ledge Finance, for all her work keeping everybody on track and getting through this. We are adjourned. Mr. Chair, could we just clarify that we are also adopting the Wordage report, please? Yes, we are adopting the wordage report.

Thank you.

So that would conclude the meeting. It is 8 minutes after 12 noon. We are adjourned.