republic-os/legislation/us/states/ak/33/hb-126.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "An Act relating to the Board of Professional Counselors; relating to licensing of associate counselors; relating to marital and family therapists; relating to telehealth; relating to review organizations and permitting an emergency medical services provider to establish a review organization; relating to patient records; relating to disclosure and reporting of health care services, prices, and fee information; relating to the health care professionals workforce enhancement program; prohibiting unfair discrimination under group health insurance against associate counselors; relating to medical assistance for professional counseling services; relating to mental health professionals; relating to health care provider liability; and providing for an effective date."
description: "An Act relating to the Board of Professional Counselors; relating to licensing of associate counselors; relating to marital and family therapists; relating to telehealth; relating to review organizations and permitting an emergency medical services provider to establish a review organization; relating to patient records; relating to disclosure and reporting of health care services, prices, and fee information; relating to the health care professionals workforce enhancement program; prohibiting unfair discrimination under group health insurance against associate counselors; relating to medical assistance for professional counseling services; relating to mental health professionals; relating to health care provider liability; and providing for an effective date."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ak"
legislature: "Alaska Legislature"
session: "33"
identifier: "HB 126"
citation: "Alaska HB 126 (33)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["BOARDS & COMMISSIONS", "BUSINESS", "CLAIMS", "FAMILIES", "INSURANCE", "LIABILITY", "LICENSING", "MARRIAGE", "MEDICAL CARE", "MENTAL HEALTH", "OCCUPATIONS & PROFESSIONS"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Wright"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 95
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2023-03-22"
last_action: "2024-10-09"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/0acf2e5c-b3c2-4d37-9bc4-df1fa6b5ee1b"
source_url: "https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/33?Root=HB126"
source_hash: "3afeddecd63d9baa7f7b26a24010ed61e9060c4da7c3c40af61c7254c34ed0cd"
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 HB 126 (33) — An Act relating to the Board of Professional Counselors; relating to licensing of associate counselors; relating to marital and family therapists; relating to telehealth; relating to review organizations and permitting an emergency medical services provider to establish a review organization; relating to patient records; relating to disclosure and reporting of health care services, prices, and fee information; relating to the health care professionals workforce enhancement program; prohibiting unfair discrimination under group health insurance against associate counselors; relating to medical assistance for professional counseling services; relating to mental health professionals; relating to health care provider liability; and providing for an effective date.

## Version chain

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

1. **Enrolled HB 126** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/33?Hsid=HB0126Z)
2. **HB 126** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/33?Hsid=HB0126A)
3. **SCS HB 126(FIN)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/33?Hsid=HB0126B)
4. **SCS HB 126(FIN) am S** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Text/33?Hsid=HB0126C)

## Votes

- (S) PASSED Y17 N1 A2 #2834 — **17–1** (pass) · upper
- (H) CONCURRED AM OF (S) Y37 N1 A2 #3315 — **37–1** (pass) · lower
- (H) PASSED Y38 N1 E1 #1848 — **38–1** (pass) · lower
- (S) AM NO 1 FAILED Y8 N11 A1 # 2830 — **8–11** (fail) · upper

## Sponsors

- Wright — primary (person)
- Claman — cosponsor (person)
- Dunbar — cosponsor (person)
- Galvin — cosponsor (person)
- Giessel — cosponsor (person)
- Hannan — cosponsor (person)
- Hughes — cosponsor (person)
- Kaufman — cosponsor (person)
- Kawasaki — cosponsor (person)
- Merrick — cosponsor (person)
- Prax — cosponsor (person)
- Ruffridge — cosponsor (person)
- Saddler — cosponsor (person)
- Story — cosponsor (person)
- Wilson — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-03-22** (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS `reading-1`
- **2023-03-22** (H) L&C
- **2023-03-29** (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124
- **2023-03-29** (H) Heard & Held
- **2023-03-29** (H) Minutes (HL&C)
- **2023-04-19** (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124
- **2023-04-19** (H) -- Public Testimony <Three Minute Time Limit> -- -- MEETING CANCELED --
- **2023-04-21** (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124
- **2023-04-21** (H) Heard & Held
- **2023-04-21** (H) Minutes (HL&C)
- **2023-05-01** (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124
- **2023-05-01** (H) Moved HB 126 Out of Committee
- **2023-05-01** (H) Minutes (HL&C)
- **2023-05-03** (H) L&C RPT 4DP 3NR
- **2023-05-03** (H) DP: WRIGHT, RUFFRIDGE, PRAX, SUMNER
- **2023-05-03** (H) NR: FIELDS, CARRICK, SADDLER
- **2023-05-03** (H) FN1: ZERO(DOH)
- **2023-05-03** (H) FN2: ZERO(DOH)
- **2023-05-03** (H) FN3: (CED)
- **2023-05-03** (H) FIN REFERRAL ADDED AFTER L&C
- **2024-01-16** (H) COSPONSOR(S): STORY
- **2024-02-06** (H) FINANCE at 10:00 AM ADAMS 519
- **2024-02-06** (H) Heard & Held -- Please Note Time Change --
- **2024-02-06** (H) Minutes (HFIN)
- **2024-02-19** (H) FINANCE at 08:30 AM ADAMS 519
- **2024-02-19** (H) Heard & Held -- Recessed to a Call of the Chair --
- **2024-02-19** (H) Minutes (HFIN)
- **2024-03-05** (H) FINANCE at 09:00 AM ADAMS 519
- **2024-03-05** (H) Moved HB 126 Out of Committee -- Please Note Time Change --
- **2024-03-06** (H) FIN RPT 6DP 3NR
- **2024-03-06** (H) DP: COULOMBE, HANNAN, GALVIN, STAPP, D.JOHNSON, FOSTER
- **2024-03-06** (H) NR: CRONK, ORTIZ, JOSEPHSON
- **2024-03-06** (H) FN4: ZERO(DOH)
- **2024-03-06** (H) FN5: ZERO(DOH)
- **2024-03-06** (H) FN6: ZERO(DOH)
- **2024-03-06** (H) FN7: (CED)
- **2024-03-06** (H) COSPONSOR(S): HANNAN
- **2024-03-14** (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 3/14/2024
- **2024-03-14** (H) READ THE SECOND TIME `reading-2`
- **2024-03-14** (H) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 3/18 CALENDAR `reading-3`
- **2024-03-14** (H) COSPONSOR(S): RUFFRIDGE
- **2024-03-18** (H) READ THE THIRD TIME HB 126 `reading-3`
- **2024-03-18** (H) PASSED Y38 N1 E1 `passage`
- **2024-03-18** (H) COSPONSOR(S): GALVIN, PRAX
- **2024-03-18** (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) `passage`
- **2024-03-18** (H) VERSION: HB 126
- **2024-03-20** (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS `reading-1`
- **2024-03-20** (S) FIN
- **2024-04-29** (S) FINANCE at 01:30 PM SENATE FINANCE 532
- **2024-04-29** (S) Heard & Held -- Please Note Time Change --
- **2024-04-29** (S) Minutes (SFIN)
- **2024-05-08** (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
- **2024-05-08** (S) Scheduled but Not Heard
- **2024-05-08** (S) Minutes (SFIN)
- **2024-05-09** (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532
- **2024-05-09** (S) Moved SCS HB 126(FIN) Out of Committee
- **2024-05-09** (S) Minutes (SFIN)
- **2024-05-09** (S) FINANCE at 01:30 PM SENATE FINANCE 532
- **2024-05-09** (S) <Above Item Removed from Agenda> -- Please Note Time Change --
- **2024-05-09** (S) Minutes (SFIN)
- **2024-05-10** (S) FIN RPT SCS 4DP 2NR NEW TITLE
- **2024-05-10** (S) TITLE CHANGE: SCR 19
- **2024-05-10** (S) DP: HOFFMAN, OLSON, WILSON, BISHOP
- **2024-05-10** (S) NR: STEDMAN, MERRICK
- **2024-05-10** (S) FN4: ZERO(DOH)
- **2024-05-10** (S) FN5: ZERO(DOH)
- **2024-05-10** (S) FN6: ZERO(DOH)
- **2024-05-10** (S) FN7: (CED)
- **2024-05-13** (S) RULES TO FIRST SUP CALENDAR 5/13/2024
- **2024-05-13** (S) READ THE SECOND TIME `reading-2`
- **2024-05-13** (S) FIN SCS ADOPTED UC
- **2024-05-13** (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 5/14 CAL `reading-3`
- **2024-05-14** (S) MOVED TO BOTTOM OF CALENDAR
- **2024-05-14** (S) NOT TAKEN UP 5/14 - ON 5/15 CAL
- **2024-05-15** (S) READ THE THIRD TIME SCS HB 126(FIN) `reading-3`
- **2024-05-15** (S) RETURN TO SECOND FOR AMS UC
- **2024-05-15** (S) AM NO 1 FAILED Y8 N11 A1 `amendment-failure`
- **2024-05-15** (S) AM NO 2 ADOPTED UC `amendment-passage`
- **2024-05-15** (S) ...CHANGES TITLE OF LEGISLATION
- **2024-05-15** (S) AUTOMATICALLY IN THIRD READING `reading-3`
- **2024-05-15** (S) CROSS SPONSOR(S): WILSON, KAUFMAN, GIESSEL, DUNBAR, MERRICK, CLAMAN,
- **2024-05-15** (S) KAWASAKI, HUGHES
- **2024-05-15** (S) PASSED Y17 N1 A2 `passage`
- **2024-05-15** (S) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) SAME AS PASSAGE
- **2024-05-15** (S) TRANSMITTED TO (H) AS AMENDED `passage`
- **2024-05-15** (S) VERSION: SCS HB 126(FIN) AM S
- **2024-05-15** (H) CONCUR READ AND TAKEN UP
- **2024-05-15** (H) TITLE CHANGE: SCR 19
- **2024-05-15** (H) CONCURRED AM OF (S) Y37 N1 A2
- **2024-05-15** (H) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) SAME AS PASSAGE
- **2024-05-15** (H) COSPONSOR(S): SADDLER
- **2024-10-09** (H) 2:30 P.M. 8/26/24 Transmitted to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2024-10-09** (H) MANIFEST ERROR(S)
- **2024-10-09** (H) Signed into law 8/30 CHAPTER 44 SLA 24 `executive-signature`
- **2024-10-09** (H) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) OF LAW SEE CHAPTER `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/0acf2e5c-b3c2-4d37-9bc4-df1fa6b5ee1b`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Alaska legislature records).