Alaska lawmakers weigh whether to keep boards licensing dentists and barbers

Alaska's Legislature is deciding whether to keep the state boards that license dentists, chiropractors, barbers and hairdressers — and a key step in that process is now done. A legislative committee has released the final audits of those boards, along with one for the state's Suicide Prevention Council, that lawmakers will use to decide whether each board continues and for how long.

The reviews are called "sunset audits," because state boards are set to automatically expire — to "sunset" — unless the Legislature votes to extend them. Before that decision, the Legislature's own auditors examine each board: whether it is doing its job, serving the public, and meeting the requirements set in law. The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee released this batch of final reports at its meeting Thursday in Anchorage.

Historically, the state's auditors have found these licensing boards worth keeping, while often recommending they be renewed for less than the eight-year maximum the law allows. In its 2021 review of the chiropractic board, for example, the Division of Legislative Audit found the board "served the public's interest," but also flagged that one member didn't meet the legal requirements for the seat and recommended a shorter, five-year extension. The board later appointed a qualified member to fix that.

The committee is still working through others on the same track. It voted Thursday to send preliminary audits of the Board of Marine Pilots and the Marijuana Control Board to those agencies for their response — an earlier step that comes before a report is finalized.

The committee also addressed a change at the top of the audit division itself: Legislative Auditor Chris Curtis is retiring effective Aug. 30 after more than 34 years, and a three-person subcommittee is reviewing applicants to recommend a successor, who would then face House and Senate confirmation.