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Lawmakers take their first look Friday at a bill changing the Alaska State Council on the Arts from an agency to a public corporation.

The council distributes funds to artists and art organizations around the state.

Executive Director Andrea Noble-Pelant said it would allow for more partnerships and funding opportunities.

“Our choice is we can stay the same and watch our organization dwindle, or be less effective,” she said. “Or we can take a step to become more efficient.”

Senate Bill 66 and House Bill 137 call for the change.

The switch to a public corporation would result in a number of operational adjustments.

One would remove the council from requirements of the state procurement code.

Juneau’s Ben Brown, who chairs the arts council’s board, said it’s a necessary change.

“The procurement code is something to make sure that state agencies operate in a certain matter,” he said. “We’re a little bit different than some other state agencies in some of the programs and services we are trying to provide.”

“We’re certainly different in having funding available to us from private foundation partners,” Brown said.

The council’s budget for this year is about $2.8 million. About a quarter comes from the state, a quarter from the federal government and the rest from foundations and other private donors.

The legislation was proposed by the council after an extensive operational review, Brown said.

It will have its first hearing at 8 a.m. Friday before the Senate Education Committee. The identical House version is not yet scheduled.

Both versions were authored by their chamber’s Education Committees, which reflects broader support than a measure sponsored by individual legislators.

Another section would exempt artists’ submissions to the council from public records laws.

Noble-Pelant said information about accepted art commissions would remain public. The bill removes those from artists whose proposals are not accepted.

“Artists are business people and they are part of that creative economy,” she said. “They are often sole proprietors and when they apply for a commission, it’s much like someone who’s applying for a job.”

The bills would keep the state arts council within the Department of Education.

The legislation changes board member requirements, from having interest in the arts to having expertise. Brown said that’s important.

“Hopefully, all Alaskans have interest in the arts. That’s one of the reasons the council exists,” Brown said. “But I don’t know that it’s fair to say that as many Alaskans have expertise in the arts. And to be a member of the council, it’s appropriate that people have more than just a passing interest, but have some level of expertise, whatever that may be.”

The change could expand the pool of applicants to administrators and others who are not necessarily artists themselves, Noble-Pelant said.

Under the bills, the board’s 11 members would automatically become trustees for the new corporation. Members would continue to be appointed by the governor.

Some Alaskans have another chance to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

A special enrollment period is being offered to those who were in a plan from Moda Health last year.

That company has since dropped out of the program, though it provides other coverage in the state.

Jon Zasada of the Alaska Primary Care Association said some Moda customers didn’t know they could sign up for a plan from Premera, the state’s only ACA provider.

“If they were effectively covered at the end of the year and lost their insurance due to the fact that Moda was no longer in the market, they are eligible for a special enrollment period through March 1st of 2017 for the 2017 coverage year,” he said.

Details are available through the website getcoveredalaska.org.

Enrollment for most other Alaskans had to be completed by the end of January. But those with significant life events, such as marriage or having a child, are allowed to sign up at other times.

The Trump administration and Congress have vowed to repeal or significantly change the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

But Zasada said those enrolled will likely have coverage through the end of this year.

“No official action has been taken yet that changes the current law,” he said. “If folks are interested in gaining coverage and learning about their options, given the current set of rules or under any changes that might be coming up, we are available to help.”

Some 27,000 Alaskans have coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Alaska has another tool in the fight against opioids.

Public health officials are distributing thousands of disposal bags that chemically react to and leave no trace of the drugs.

The bags are sealable pouches containing active carbon. You add drugs and water, seal and shake it, and wait for 30 seconds. The carbon neutralizes the drugs, so they have no effect. The biodegradable bags can be thrown out with the trash.

Michelle Overstreet is executive director of My House, a Wasilla-based organization that helps homeless teenagers. She told those at an Alaska Municipal League meeting in Juneau that it’s important to dispose of drugs safely at any time, not just official drop-off days.

“We’ve had parents coming in to get those, we’ve had grandparents coming in to get those,” she said. “People are excited about having a way to get rid of those that isn’t throwing them in the garbage or down their septic system, which then can leach into their well.”

Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, which makes opioid pain-killers, is contributing 25,000 disposal bags to the state.

Alaska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jay Butler said his agency is sending 1,000 bags to its clinics.

“I recognize that some of our public health centers don’t have full-time staffing anymore. But that is one of the ways we want to get these into the communities. Or if we can provide some directly to you, we’d be happy to do that also,” he told municipal leaders at the forum.

Public health official Andy Jones said distribution began a few weeks ago.

They’re going to hospitals, recovery centers, homeless shelters, tribal governments and others who can get them to all parts of Alaska.

“There’s a lot of communities that don’t have public health centers,” Jones said. “So we’ll also be looking at the clinics and community health aides.”

“We do have a lot of itinerant nurses within public health nursing that travel go out to the communities quite often,” he said. “So they’re going to be equipped with these pouches and they can hand these out as they travel across the state.”

Jones said the bags are an easy way to dispose of unused prescription painkillers, which are frequently stolen or sold to addicts.

“The targeted audience may not be the individual who’s using, especially,” he said. “More or less, (it’s) the individual who’s coming into recovery.

“When you go into those recovery centers or those homes, they can’t be carrying pills or prescriptions,” Jones said. “These bags give them that way to dispose of those medications in the right manner.”

Gov. Bill Walker recently declared the opioid epidemic a state emergency. Other efforts include distributing 5,000 naloxone kits, which can stop opioid overdoses.

Alaska’s largest tribal government is revamping its constitution with an eye toward greater efficiency and cultural context.

The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska will hold a constitutional convention at this spring’s tribal assembly.

Delegates representing the Central Council’s more than 30,000 tribal members will meet April 19-21 at Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, Juneau.

Will Micklin, council second vice president, chairs the committee preparing for the convention.

“(We’re) trying to imbue what began as very utilitarian documents that are very brief and speak only to broad authority and try to imbue that with an expression of our culture and our ways of life,” he said.

Like other federally funded organizations, the council expects challenges maintaining its programs. Micklin said inflation also is driving up costs. He hopes constitutional changes can encourage efficiencies.

He said the changes should also help increase involvement.

“We’re looking to put actionable information in the hands of our assembly members for longer periods prior to the opening of our tribal assembly so that they can review, consult with their communities and have a more deliberative period before we actually have to take action,” he said.

The constitutional convention was called at last year’s tribal assembly by Central Council President Richard Peterson.

The council lists 21 registered communities. Most are in Southeast, but they include Anchorage, San Francisco and Seattle.

The ferry Matanuska will take 10 days longer than expected to return from repairs.

The ship, which sails Southeast waters, was scheduled to resume service Feb. 10. Instead, it will return to its route Feb. 20.

The Matanuska has been out of service since Jan. 4 for its annual overhaul. Officials say engineers found more damaged steel than expected.

The Matanuska sails from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, to Haines, with stops in most Southeast port cities.

The ferry was built in 1963, making it one of the Alaska Marine Highway System’s three oldest ships. It can carry up to 450 passengers and about 80 cars or trucks. It has about 100 staterooms.

The Alaska Marine Highway wants to know whether any other government agencies want the ferry Taku.

It’s another step toward selling or scrapping the 350-foot-long ship, which has been tied up for about a year and a half.

Spokeswoman Meadow Bailey said the new owner would have to keep carrying passengers.

“The great example that I was given is, if you want to take the ferry and use it as a public ferry, that’s fine,” she said. “But if you wanted to use it as a private floating hotel that generated revenue, that would not fit the requirements for this step in the process.”

Municipalities and other government agencies have until Feb. 21 to declare their interest.

The state will put the Taku up for sale if no one responds.

Bailey said officials have not yet decided when or how it would be sold. There’s also no sale price yet.

She said it’s in good shape. But a new owner would need to pay for certificates and inspections to run it as a ferry.

“If somebody wanted to use it for something other than a fare-generating service carrying passengers, those certificates and inspections might not be need to be completed,” she said.

The 54-year-old Taku is in long-term storage at Ketchikan’s Ward Cove.

The marine highway has already taken one necessary step toward its sale: that’s getting permission to sell the ship from the Federal Highway Administration, a funding source.

The Taku used to sail Southeast waters, connecting the region’s communities with Prince Rupert, British Columbia. It carries up to 370 passengers and around 70 vehicles.