---
type: "Bill"
title: "An Act relating to the elements of a claim for medical malpractice; and relating to the definition of a health care provider-patient relationship."
description: "An Act relating to the elements of a claim for medical malpractice; and relating to the definition of a health care provider-patient relationship."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ak"
legislature: "Alaska Legislature"
session: "32"
identifier: "SB 65"
citation: "Alaska SB 65 (32)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["CIVIL PROCEDURE", "CLAIMS", "DENTISTS", "LIABILITY", "MEDICAL CARE", "NURSES", "OCCUPATIONS & PROFESSIONS", "OPTOMETRISTS", "PHARMACISTS", "PHYSICIANS"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["KIEHL"]
version_count: 6
action_count: 75
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2021-02-03"
last_action: "2021-08-19"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/9d7dc64d-50f0-4c57-9cd5-ee2c812caf99"
source_url: "https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/32?Root=SB65"
source_hash: "861020c8daf63a4173c14fb0f9502422fb145e20c7ce24b6b8b46db739138071"
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 65 (32) — An Act relating to the elements of a claim for medical malpractice; and relating to the definition of a health care provider-patient relationship.

## Version chain

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

1. **CSSB 65(HSS)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/32?Hsid=SB0065B)
2. **CSSB 65(JUD)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/32?Hsid=SB0065C)
3. **Enrolled SB 65** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/32?Hsid=SB0065Z)
4. **HCS CSSB 65(HSS)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/32?Hsid=SB0065D)
5. **HCS CSSB 65(JUD)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/32?Hsid=SB0065E)
6. **SB 65** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/32?Hsid=SB0065A)

## Votes

- (H) PASSED Y40 #1158 — **40–0** (pass) · lower
- (S) CONCUR AM OF (H) Y20 N- #1142 — **20–0** (pass) · upper
- (S) PASSED Y20 N- #689 — **20–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- KIEHL — primary (person)
- Begich — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-02-03** (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS `reading-1`
- **2021-02-03** (S) HSS, JUD
- **2021-02-12** (S) COSPONSOR(S): BEGICH
- **2021-02-16** (S) HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES at 01:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
- **2021-02-16** (S) Heard & Held
- **2021-02-16** (S) Minutes (SHSS)
- **2021-02-18** (S) HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES at 01:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
- **2021-02-18** (S) Moved CSSB 65(HSS) Out of Committee
- **2021-02-18** (S) Minutes (SHSS)
- **2021-02-19** (S) HSS RPT CS 3DP 1NR NEW TITLE
- **2021-02-19** (S) DP: WILSON, BEGICH, HUGHES
- **2021-02-19** (S) NR: REINBOLD
- **2021-02-19** (S) FN1: ZERO(LAW)
- **2021-03-05** (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
- **2021-03-05** (S) -- MEETING CANCELED --
- **2021-03-08** (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
- **2021-03-08** (S) Heard & Held
- **2021-03-08** (S) Minutes (SJUD)
- **2021-03-12** (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
- **2021-03-12** (S) Heard & Held
- **2021-03-12** (S) Minutes (SJUD)
- **2021-03-31** (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BUTROVICH 205
- **2021-03-31** (S) Moved CSSB 65(JUD) Out of Committee
- **2021-03-31** (S) Minutes (SJUD)
- **2021-04-03** (S) JUD RPT CS 3DP 2NR NEW TITLE
- **2021-04-03** (S) DP: KIEHL, HUGHES, MYERS
- **2021-04-03** (S) NR: REINBOLD, SHOWER
- **2021-04-03** (S) FN1: ZERO(LAW)
- **2021-04-12** (S) RULES TO CALENDAR 4/12/2021
- **2021-04-12** (S) READ THE SECOND TIME `reading-2`
- **2021-04-12** (S) JUD CS ADOPTED UC
- **2021-04-12** (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UC `reading-3`
- **2021-04-12** (S) READ THE THIRD TIME CSSB 65(JUD) `reading-3`
- **2021-04-12** (S) PASSED Y20 N- `passage`
- **2021-04-12** (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) `passage`
- **2021-04-12** (S) VERSION: CSSB 65(JUD)
- **2021-04-14** (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS `reading-1`
- **2021-04-14** (H) HSS, JUD
- **2021-04-27** (H) HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES at 03:00 PM DAVIS 106
- **2021-04-27** (H) Heard & Held
- **2021-04-27** (H) Minutes (HHSS)
- **2021-04-29** (H) HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES at 03:00 PM DAVIS 106
- **2021-04-29** (H) -- Invited & Public Testimony -- -- MEETING CANCELED --
- **2021-05-04** (H) HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES at 03:00 PM DAVIS 106
- **2021-05-04** (H) Moved HCS CSSB 65(HSS) Out of Committee
- **2021-05-04** (H) Minutes (HHSS)
- **2021-05-05** (H) HSS RPT HCS(HSS) NEW TITLE 4DP 2NR
- **2021-05-05** (H) PENDING TITLE CHANGE HCR
- **2021-05-05** (H) DP: MCCARTY, SPOHNHOLZ, SNYDER, ZULKOSKY
- **2021-05-05** (H) NR: PRAX, KURKA
- **2021-05-05** (H) FN1: ZERO(LAW)
- **2021-05-05** (H) JUDICIARY at 01:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
- **2021-05-05** (H) Heard & Held
- **2021-05-05** (H) Minutes (HJUD)
- **2021-05-17** (H) JUDICIARY at 01:00 PM GRUENBERG 120
- **2021-05-17** (H) Moved HCS CSSB 65(JUD) Out of Committee -- Recessed to 6:15 pm --
- **2021-05-17** (H) Minutes (HJUD)
- **2021-05-18** (H) JUD RPT HCS(JUD) NEW TITLE 4DP 2NR
- **2021-05-18** (H) TITLE CHANGE: HCR 5
- **2021-05-18** (H) DP: SNYDER, DRUMMOND, KREISS-TOMKINS, CLAMAN
- **2021-05-18** (H) NR: EASTMAN, KURKA
- **2021-05-18** (H) FN1: ZERO(LAW)
- **2021-05-18** (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 5/18/2021
- **2021-05-18** (H) READ THE SECOND TIME `reading-2`
- **2021-05-18** (H) JUD HCS ADOPTED UC
- **2021-05-18** (H) TITLE CHANGE: HCR 5
- **2021-05-18** (H) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UC `reading-3`
- **2021-05-18** (H) READ THE THIRD TIME HCS CSSB 65(JUD) `reading-3`
- **2021-05-18** (H) PASSED Y40 `passage`
- **2021-05-18** (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) AS AMENDED `passage`
- **2021-05-18** (H) VERSION: HCS CSSB 65(JUD)
- **2021-05-19** (S) CONCUR AM OF (H) Y20 N-
- **2021-08-16** (S) 3:00 P.M. 8/13/21 Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-08-19** (S) Signed into law 8/16 CHAPTER 24 SLA 21 `executive-signature`
- **2021-08-19** (S) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) OF LAW 11/14/21 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/9d7dc64d-50f0-4c57-9cd5-ee2c812caf99`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Alaska legislature records).