A bill that passed the state legislature with near unanimous support, and would have required more state oversight of children in psychiatric facilities, won’t become law. Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed the bill June 18 and lawmakers didn’t have the votes to override his decision.
State House Representative Maxine Dibert, a Democrat from Fairbanks who introduced the bill, said she was saddened by Dunleavy’s veto.
"It's a very good bill to protect our youth, especially our most vulnerable youth, and to give some oversight to family—family who care about these children," Dibert said. "They're away from home. No one likes that. You want to know what's going on, and you also want to communicate."
The bill would have required psychiatric institutions like North Star Behavioral Health System and Alaska Psychiatric Institute to report to the state when they use chemical or physical restraints on minors. Kids also would have been allowed private video calls with family members for up to two hours per week. Dibert says right now, kids only get ten minutes on the phone per week, with staff present.
She says the bill was inspired by a 2022 Department of Justice report that faulted Alaska for violating federal law, partly because the state relied too much on institutionalizing kids. North Star has faced allegations of abuse of patients, understaffing and dangerous conditions.
In explaining his veto, Dunleavy wrote that the bill would have duplicated existing oversight, but Dibert said that reasoning doesn't hold.
"If he read that DOJ report, he should be able to read that there needs to be a lot of things that need to be addressed at these institutions to make sure our youth are safe," she said. "And that has to do with letting families know, 'your child was secluded, your child was chemically restrained,' that transparency."
A spokesperson for the governor declined to comment for this story. Dibert said she plans to reintroduce the bill next session.
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