CNA TRAINING

Plain English Breakdown

The bill specifies an effective date of January 1, 2026, but does not explicitly state whether current aides must retrain or if the rules apply only to new students.

New Training Standards for Certified Nurse Aides in Alaska

This law updates training standards for certified nurse aide programs to ensure they teach skills for safe care, communication with clients who have cognitive or mental health needs, and respect for client rights.

What This Bill Does

• Requires regulations for training programs to be conducted in a way that ensures clients receive safe and competent care.
• Mandates training on forming relationships and communicating competently with clients.
• Requires trainees to demonstrate sensitivity to the emotional, social, and mental health needs of clients through skillful interactions.
• Adds rules for teaching aides how to assist clients in reaching and maintaining independence while supporting their rights.
• Requires training on observing client conditions during care and reporting those observations to help assess a client's health and well-being.
• Mandates that trainees learn problem-solving approaches when providing care.
• Requires techniques that preserve the respect, values, choices, and dignity of clients.
• Includes instruction on communicating with clients who have psychosocial needs or conditions like Alzheimer's disease, dementia, mental illness, intellectual disability, or other cognitive impairments.
• Defines 'activities of daily living' within these standards as eating, dressing, grooming, bathing, and toileting.

Who It Names or Affects

• Certified nurse aide training programs in Alaska
• People taking certified nurse aide courses to become aides

Terms To Know

Activities of Daily Living

In this law, basic self-care tasks defined as eating, dressing, grooming, bathing, and toileting.

Limits and Unknowns

• The text lists required skills but does not specify the exact number of hours needed for each topic.
• It is unclear if existing aides must take new classes or only those starting after January 1, 2026.

Official Summary Text

CNA TRAINING
An Act relating to certified nurse aide training; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

SB0103A -1- SB 103
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0559\A

SENATE BILL NO. 103

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY SENATORS GRAY-JACKSON, Giessel, Claman, Dunbar

Introduced: 2/19/25
Referred: Labor and Commerce, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to certified nurse aide training; and providing for an effective date." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 08.68.331 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 3
(c) Regulations adopted under (a )(1) of this section establish ing standards for 4
a certified nurse aide training program must require that the program 5
(1) be conducted in a manner to ensure that clients receive sa fe and 6
competent care; and 7
(2) train a certified nurse aide to 8
(A) form a relationship, communicate, and interact competently 9
with a client; 10
(B) demonstrate sensitivity to the emotional, social, and ment al 11
health needs of a client through skillful and directed interactions; 12
(C) assist a client in reaching and maintaining independence; 13
(D) support and promote the rights of a client; 14
(E) demonstrate the skills of observing and monitoring a clien t 15
34-LS0559\A
SB 103 -2- SB0103A
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

during caregiving, as well as reporting those observations to e nable the 1
assessment of the health, physical condition, and well-being of a client; 2
(F) demonstrate knowledge of the abilities and care needs of a 3
client; 4
(G) use a problem-solving approach when providing care; 5
(H) use techniques that ensure a nd preserve the respect, values, 6
choices, and dignity of a client; 7
(I) demonstrate knowledge of client assessment and care 8
planning best practices; 9
(J) use effective communication skills, including while 10
communicating with a client with psychosocial needs or Alzheime r's disease, 11
dementia, a mental illness, an intellectual disability, or anot her cognitive 12
disability or impairment; 13
(K) provide care to a client who is cognitively impaired or ha s 14
a decline in cognitive function related to dementia; and 15
(L) demonstrate basic knowledge of Alzheimer's disease, 16
dementia, dementia-related behaviors, and the activities of dai ly living; in this 17
subparagraph, "activities of dai ly living" means eating, dressi ng, grooming, 18
bathing, and toileting. 19
* Sec. 2. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026. 20