---
type: "Bill"
title: "An Act relating to the prescription of drugs by a physician assistant without physical examination; relating to prescription drugs under the medical assistance program; and providing for an effective date."
description: "An Act relating to the prescription of drugs by a physician assistant without physical examination; relating to prescription drugs under the medical assistance program; and providing for an effective date."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ak"
legislature: "Alaska Legislature"
session: "31"
identifier: "SB 44"
citation: "Alaska SB 44 (31)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["BOARDS & COMMISSIONS", "COMMUNICATIONS", "DRUGS", "INTERNET", "MEDICAL CARE", "OCCUPATIONS & PROFESSIONS", "PHYSICIANS"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["GIESSEL"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 69
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2019-02-04"
last_action: "2019-10-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/04a8e488-16b3-4a2a-982b-9e97794f1e6e"
source_url: "https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/31?Root=SB44"
source_hash: "11d7bc584123cc916fd4859f34541d1b282d61d14d2e47c303be71db7677d9fb"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ak"]
---

# Alaska SB 44 (31) — An Act relating to the prescription of drugs by a physician assistant without physical examination; relating to prescription drugs under the medical assistance program; and providing for an effective date.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **SB0044A** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/31?Hsid=SB0044A)
2. **SB0044B** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/31?Hsid=SB0044B)
3. **SB0044C** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/31?Hsid=SB0044C)
4. **SB0044D** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/31?Hsid=SB0044D)
5. **SB0044Z** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/31?Hsid=SB0044Z)

## Votes

- (H) PASSED Y35 N1 E2 A2 #1075 — **35–1** (pass) · lower
- (S) PASSED Y20 N- #1066 — **20–0** (pass) · upper
- (S) CONCUR AM OF (H) Y19 N- A1 #1208 — **19–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- GIESSEL — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-02-04** (S) Read the first time - REFERRALS `introduction, reading-1`
- **2019-02-04** (S) L&C
- **2019-03-14** (S) LABOR & COMMERCE at 01:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
- **2019-03-14** (S) Heard & Held
- **2019-03-14** (S) Minutes (SL&C)
- **2019-03-26** (S) LABOR & COMMERCE at 01:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
- **2019-03-26** (S) Moved CSSB 44(L&C) Out of Committee
- **2019-03-26** (S) Minutes (SL&C)
- **2019-03-29** (S) L&C RPT CS 4DP NEW TITLE
- **2019-03-29** (S) DP: REINBOLD, BISHOP, BIRCH, COSTELLO
- **2019-03-29** (S) FN1: (CED)
- **2019-03-29** (S) FN2: ZERO(ADM)
- **2019-03-29** (S) FIN REFERRAL ADDED AFTER L&C
- **2019-04-09** (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
- **2019-04-09** (S) Heard & Held
- **2019-04-09** (S) Minutes (SFIN)
- **2019-04-15** (S) FIN RPT CS 7DP 1NR NEW TITLE
- **2019-04-15** (S) DP: STEDMAN, VON IMHOF, MICCICHE, HOFFMAN, OLSON, WILSON, BISHOP
- **2019-04-15** (S) NR: SHOWER
- **2019-04-15** (S) FN1: (CED)
- **2019-04-15** (S) FN2: ZERO(ADM)
- **2019-04-15** (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
- **2019-04-15** (S) Moved CSSB 44(FIN) Out of Committee
- **2019-04-15** (S) Minutes (SFIN)
- **2019-05-08** (S) RULES TO CALENDAR 5/8/2019
- **2019-05-08** (S) Read the second time `reading-2`
- **2019-05-08** (S) FIN CS ADOPTED UC
- **2019-05-08** (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UC
- **2019-05-08** (S) Read the third time CSSB 44(FIN) `reading-3`
- **2019-05-08** (S) PASSED Y20 N-
- **2019-05-08** (S) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) SAME AS PASSAGE
- **2019-05-08** (S) ENGROSSED
- **2019-05-09** (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) `passage`
- **2019-05-09** (S) VERSION: CSSB 44(FIN)
- **2019-05-09** (H) Read the first time - REFERRALS `introduction, reading-1`
- **2019-05-09** (H) FIN
- **2019-05-09** (H) FINANCE at 01:30 PM ADAMS ROOM 519
- **2019-05-09** (H) Heard & Held
- **2019-05-09** (H) Minutes (HFIN)
- **2019-05-13** (H) FINANCE at 09:00 AM ADAMS ROOM 519
- **2019-05-13** (H) Scheduled but Not Heard -- Recessed to a Call of the Chair --
- **2019-05-13** (H) Minutes (HFIN)
- **2019-05-13** (H) FINANCE at 02:30 PM ADAMS ROOM 519
- **2019-05-13** (H) Moved HCS CSSB 44(FIN) Out of Committee -- Recessed to 4:10 pm --
- **2019-05-13** (H) Minutes (HFIN)
- **2019-05-14** (H) FIN RPT HCS(FIN) NT 5DP 5NR
- **2019-05-14** (H) PENDING TITLE CHANGE HCR
- **2019-05-14** (H) DP: JOHNSTON, TILTON, LEBON, MERRICK, WILSON
- **2019-05-14** (H) NR: CARPENTER, KNOPP, JOSEPHSON, SULLIVAN-LEONARD, ORTIZ
- **2019-05-14** (H) FN1: (CED)
- **2019-05-14** (H) FN3: (DHS)
- **2019-05-14** (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 5/14/2019
- **2019-05-14** (H) Read the second time `reading-2`
- **2019-05-14** (H) FIN HCS ADOPTED UC
- **2019-05-14** (H) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 5/15 CALENDAR
- **2019-05-15** (H) Read the third time HCS CSSB 44(FIN) `reading-3`
- **2019-05-15** (H) PASSED Y35 N1 E2 A2
- **2019-05-15** (H) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) SAME AS PASSAGE
- **2019-05-15** (H) TITLE CHANGE: HCR 9
- **2019-05-15** (H) CROSS SPONSOR(S): TARR, SPOHNHOLZ
- **2019-05-15** (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) AS AMENDED `passage`
- **2019-05-15** (H) VERSION: HCS CSSB 44(FIN)
- **2019-05-15** (S) CONCUR MESSAGE READ AND TAKEN UP
- **2019-05-15** (S) CONCUR AM OF (H) Y19 N- A1
- **2019-05-15** (S) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) SAME AS PASSAGE
- **2019-10-23** (S) 9:51 A.M. 8/6/19 Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2019-10-23** (S) MANIFEST ERROR(S)
- **2019-10-23** (S) Signed into law 8/8 CHAPTER 18 SLA 19 `executive-signature`
- **2019-10-23** (S) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) OF LAW SEE CHAPTER

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/04a8e488-16b3-4a2a-982b-9e97794f1e6e`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Alaska legislature records).