On May 15, five days before the constitutional session limit, the Senate Finance Committee held a five minute hearing to deal with four House bills.

One of those bills was House Bill 52, a bill from Representative Maxine Dibert (D – Fairbanks) aimed at increasing transparency and parental oversight of Alaskan children who are placed in psychiatric hospitals. 

Dibert introduced the bill in January 2025. After eight hearings in House committees (five in the House Health and Social Services Committee and three in the House Finance Committee) between March 25, 2025 and March 24, 2026, the House passed the bill 37-0 on April 22, 2026. 

Before the bill passed, the House adopted an amendment from Representative Sarah Vance (R – Homer) by unanimous consent. Here is the language of the amendment:

The interview must include a standardized age-appropriate wellness check on the minor with questions designed to identify signs of abuse, including physical injury or neglect, mental injury, or sexual abuse or exploitation. When there is reasonable cause to suspect abuse or neglect has occurred, the designated agent or employee of the Department of Health shall ensure that the matter is documented and immediately referred to the office in the Department of Family and Community Services with responsibility for child protection, law enforcement, and other investigative authorities with jurisdiction. The Department of Health shall, consistent with applicable confidentiality and safety requirements, provide timely notification to the minor’s parent or legal guardian of the interview and any concerns noted in the interview.

When the bill reached the Senate, it was referred only to the Senate Finance Committee. The bill had two brief hearings in the committee – one on May 6 that lasted ten minutes and one on May 15 that lasted one minute thirty-five seconds.

In the first hearing, Dibert explained the bill. Then Ben Mallott, president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, testified in favor of the bill. Mallott was invited to speak. During public testimony, no one spoke. 

In the second hearing on May 15, a legislative staffer for Senator Donny Olson (D – Golovin) briefly explained the changes in the committee substitute, which included totally stripping out the language from the amendment adopted unanimously by the full House aimed at identifying abused children. 

In the hearing the staffer said, “First, it removes added language about generating a report in notification practices that, in consulting with the Department of Health and the bill sponsor, could potentially be contradictory to confidentially requirements already established. Additionally, it updates the definition of chemical restraint and updates the effective date to July 1, 2027.”

No questions were asked by committee members. The bill was then moved out of committee. It passed the Senate 20-0 two days later on May 17. It was sent to the House and taken up for concurrence the same day.

Representative Vance spoke in strong opposition to the Senate’s decision to remove the language from her amendment. She referred to news reports about kids being sexually abused in these hospitals. “I find it disturbing that we are not going to put this into law,” Vance said. 

The House ultimately concurred with the Senate’s version 26-14. 

Representative Dibert told the Landmine that during meetings with the Department of Health, it was their idea to remove the language from the bill.

When asked why they wanted the language removed from the bill, a spokesperson for the Department of Health told the Landmine:

The Department of Health recommended removing the amendment language because of concerns related to confidentiality, legal liability, and the integrity of child protection investigations. Specifically, the department raised concerns that publicly disclosing summaries of abuse or neglect reports resulting from required wellness checks could conflict with confidentiality protections under Alaska law, including AS 47.17.040. The department also noted that disclosure of unsubstantiated reports could increase liability risks and potentially interfere with ongoing investigations or hearings conducted under the authority of the Department of Family and Community Services.

In addition, the department expressed concerns about provisions requiring notification to a parent or legal guardian regarding interviews and concerns identified during wellness checks, noting the need to ensure any notifications are handled in a manner consistent with applicable confidentiality and safety requirements.

As the legislative session nears completion, lots of bills move quickly and are often stuffed into other bills at the last minute. It’s hard for experienced people in the Capitol to follow it all, let alone the public.