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Enrolled HB 70
LAWS OF ALASKA
2025
Source Chapter No.
SCS CSHB 70(HSS) _______
AN ACT
Relating to emergency medical services for operational canines; relating to the powers, duties,
and liability of emergency medical technicians and mobile inten sive care paramedics; relating
to the practice of veterinary medicine; relating to civil liabi lity of veterinarians; and providing
for an effective date.
_______________
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
THE ACT FOLLOWS ON PAGE 1
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AN ACT
Relating to emergency medical services for operational canines; relating to the powers, duties, 1
and liability of emergency medical technicians and mobile inten sive care paramedics; relating 2
to the practice of veterinary medicine; relating to civil liabi lity of veterinarians; and providing 3
for an effective date. 4
_______________ 5
* Section 1. AS 08.98.120(a) is amended to read: 6
(a) A person may not practice veterinary medicine, surgery, or dentistry unless 7
the person is licensed as a veterinarian under this chapter or has a temporary permit 8
issued under AS 08.98.186, except that a person may perform [FU NCTIONS 9
AUTHORIZED BY] 10
(1) functions authorized by regulation of the board if the person is 11
licensed as a veterinary technician; [OR] 12
(2) functions authorized by a permit issued under AS 08.02.050 if the 13
person is employed by an agency that has a permit issued under AS 08.02.050; or 14
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(3) emergency medical services on an operational canine under 1
AS 18.08.093 if the person is certifi ed as an emergency medical t e c h n i c i a n o r 2
licensed as a mobile intensive care paramedic. 3
* Sec. 2. AS 09.65.097 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 4
(c) A veterinarian licensed in this jurisdiction who in good f aith receives the 5
transfer of an operational canine under AS 18.08.093(b) is not liable for civil damages 6
a s a r e s u l t o f a n a c t o r o m i s s i o n o f t h e e m e r g e n c y m e d i c a l t e c hnician or mobile 7
intensive care paramedic who transferred the operational canine to the veterinarian. 8
* Sec. 3. AS 18.08.075(a) is amended to read: 9
(a) An emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care p aramedic who 10
responds to an emergency with an ambulance service or first res ponder service, who 11
has in the technician's or mobile intensive care paramedic's po ssession a current 12
emergency medical technician or m obile intensive care paramedic identification card, 13
and who provides emergency medical care or other emergency medi cal service, has 14
the authority to 15
(1) control and direct activities at the accident site or emer gency until 16
the arrival of law enforcement personnel; 17
(2) order a person other than the owner to leave a building or place in 18
the vicinity of the accident or other emergency for the purpose of protecting the person 19
from injury; 20
(3) temporarily block a public highway, street, or private rig ht-of-way 21
while at the scene of an accident, illness, or emergency; 22
(4) trespass on [UPON] property at or near the scene of an accident, 23
illness, or emergency at any time of day or night; 24
(5) enter a building, including a private dwelling, or premise s where a 25
report of an injury or illness ha s taken place or where there i s a reasonable cause to 26
believe an individual or operational canine h a s b e e n i n j u r e d o r i s i l l t o r e n d e r 27
emergency medical care; and 28
(6) direct the removal or destruction of a motor vehicle or ot her thing 29
that the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care paramedic determines 30
is necessary to prevent further harm to injured or ill individu als or operational 31
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canines. 1
* Sec. 4. AS 18.08.082(a) is amended to read: 2
(a) The department shall prescri be by regulation a course of t raining or other 3
requirements prerequisite to the issuance of certificates or licenses that provide for the 4
following: 5
(1) certification of a person who meets the training and other 6
requirements as an emergency me dical technician, emergency medi cal technician 7
instructor, or emergency medical dispatcher; 8
(2) authorization for an emergency medical technician certifie d under 9
this chapter to provide under the written or oral direction of a physician the advanced 10
life support services enumerated on the certificate or enumerat ed on a written 11
document filed with the department by the technician's medical director and approved 12
by the department under its regulations; 13
(3) certification that a person, organization, or government agency that 14
provides an emergency medical service, conducts a training cour s e f o r a m o b i l e 15
intensive care paramedic, or represents itself as a trauma cent er meets the minimum 16
standards prescribed by the department for that service, course, or designation; 17
(4) authorization for an emergency medical service certified u nder this 18
chapter to provide under the wr itten or oral direction of a phy sician the advanced life 19
support services enumerated on th e certificate or enumerated on a written document 20
filed with the department by the medical director for the emerg ency medical service 21
and approved by the department under its regulations; [AND] 22
(5) licensure of a mobile intensive care paramedic and the med ical 23
services that a mobile intensive care paramedic may perform, including the 24
(A) educational and other qualifications, which may include 25
education in pain management and opioid use and addiction; 26
(B) application and licensing procedures; 27
(C) scope of activities authorized; and 28
(D) responsibilities of a supervising or training physician; and 29
(6) authorization for an emergency medical technician certifie d 30
under this chapter or mobile intensive care paramedic licensed under this 31
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chapter to provide to operational canines the emergency medical services 1
enumerated on a written document filed with the department by t he medical 2
director and approved by the department in regulation. 3
* Sec. 5. AS 18.08.086(a) is amended to read: 4
(a) A person certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 who admi nisters 5
emergency medical services to an injured or sick person or who, under AS 18.08.093, 6
administers emergency medical services to an operational canine , a person or 7
public agency that employs, sponsors, directs, or controls the activities of persons 8
certified or licensed under A S 18.08.082 who administer emergen cy medical services 9
to an injured or sick person or who, under AS 18.08.093, ad minister emergency 10
medical services to an operational canine , or a health care professional or 11
emergency medical dispatcher acting within the scope of the per son's certification or 12
licensure who directs or advises a person to administer emergen cy medical services to 13
an injured or sick person is not liable for civil damages as a r e s u l t o f a n a c t o r 14
omission in administering those services or giving that advice or those directions if the 15
administering, advising, and di recting are done in good faith a nd the injured or sick 16
person or operational canine reasonably seems to be in immediate danger of serious 17
harm or death. This subsection does not preclude liability for civil damages that are 18
the proximate result of gross negligence or intentional miscond uct, nor preclude 19
imposition of liability on a person or public agency that emplo ys, sponsors, directs, or 20
controls the activities of pers ons certified or licensed under AS 18.08.082 if the act or 21
omission is a proximate result of a breach of duty to act creat ed under this chapter. In 22
this subsection, "gross negligence" means reckless, wilful, or wanton misconduct. 23
* Sec. 6. AS 18.08.087 is amended to read: 24
Sec. 18.08.087. Disclosure of medical records. When requested for the 25
purpose of evaluating the performance of an emergency medical t echnician, mobile 26
intensive care paramedic, or physician who provided emergency m edical care or other 27
assistance to a sick or injured person, a licensed physician, a dvanced practice 28
registered nurse, or physician assistant may disclose to an eme rgency medical 29
technician, [A] mobile intensive care paramedic, or physician t he medical or hospital 30
records of a sick or injured per son to whom the paramedic, tech nician, or physician is 31
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providing or has rendered emerge ncy medical care or assistance. [HOWEVER, THE 1
DISCLOSING PHYSICIAN, ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSE, OR 2
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT SHALL LIMIT DISCLOSURE UNDER THIS SECTION 3
TO THE RECORDS THAT ARE CONSIDERED NECESSARY BY THE 4
DISCLOSER FOR EVALUATION OF THE PARAMEDIC'S, TECHNICIAN'S, OR 5
PHYSICIAN'S PERFORMANCE IN PROVIDING THE EMERGENCY MEDICAL 6
CARE OR ASSISTANCE. A MOBILE INTENSIVE CARE PARAMEDIC, 7
EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE TECHNICIAN, OR PHYSICIAN TO WHOM 8
CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS ARE DISCLOSED UNDER THIS SECTION MAY 9
NOT FURTHER DISCLOSE THE INFORMATION TO A PERSON NOT 10
ENTITLED TO RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION UNDER THIS SECTION OR 11
ANOTHER LAW.] 12
* Sec. 7. AS 18.08.087 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 13
(b) When requested for the pur pose of evaluating the performan ce of an 14
emergency medical technician or m obile intensive care paramedic who provided 15
emergency medical care or other assistance to a sick or injured operational canine, a 16
licensed veterinarian may disclose to an emergency medical tech nician or mobile 17
intensive care paramedic the medical or hospital records of a s ick or injured 18
operational canine to whom the t echnician or paramedic is provi ding or has rendered 19
emergency medical care or assistance. 20
(c) An individual making a disclosure under this section shall limit the 21
disclosure to the records that are considered necessary by the discloser for evaluation 22
of the technician's, paramedic's, or physician's performance in providing the 23
emergency medical care or assistance. An emergency medical care technician, mobile 24
intensive care paramedic, physician, or veterinarian to whom co nfidential records are 25
disclosed under this section may not further disclose the infor mation to a person not 26
entitled to receive that information under this section or another law. 27
* Sec. 8. AS 18.08 is amended by adding a new section to read: 28
Sec. 18.08.093. Emergency medical services for operational canines. (a) An 29
emergency medical technician or m obile intensive care paramedic may provide 30
emergency medical services to an operational canine if the emer gency medical 31
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technician or mobile intensive care paramedic 1
(1) reasonably determines that there is an immediate danger of serious 2
harm to or death of the operati onal canine and that a veterinar ian is unavailable to 3
provide emergency medical services to the operational canine so on enough to address 4
the danger; 5
(2) is authorized to provide the emergency medical services to a n 6
operational canine under AS 18.08.082(a)(6); and 7
(3) meets at least one of the following requirements: 8
(A) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 9
paramedic has obtained informed consent from the owner of the o perational 10
canine or a person authorized to make medical decisions about t he operational 11
canine; 12
(B) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 13
paramedic is employed by the gov ernmental agency that owns or h as authority 14
to make medical decisions about the operational canine; or 15
(C) the emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care 16
paramedic provides the emergency medical service in accordance with a 17
written protocol developed and approved by a veterinarian. 18
(b) An emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care p aramedic who 19
provides an emergency medical ser vice to an operational canine under (a) of this 20
section shall transfer the operational canine to a licensed vet erinarian at the earliest 21
practicable opportunity. 22
(c) An emergency medical technician or mobile intensive care p aramedic may 23
not provide emergency medical s ervices to an operational canine under (a) of this 24
section if a person requires emergency medical services from th e emergency medical 25
technician or mobile intensive care paramedic. 26
* Sec. 9. AS 18.08.200 is amended by adding new paragraphs to read: 27
(15) "operational canine" means a dog used 28
(A) by law enforcement or other government agencies; or 29
(B) in search and rescue operations; 30
(16) "veterinarian" means a veterinarian licensed under AS 08.98. 31
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* Sec. 10. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026. 1