00HOUSE BILL NO. 221                                                                                                      
01 "An Act relating to workers' compensation for volunteer ambulance attendants,                                           
02 police officers, and fire fighters; and providing for an effective date."                                               
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1.  AS 23.30.220(a) is amended to read:                                                                    
05  (a)  The spendable weekly wage of an injured employee at the time of an injury                                        
06 is the basis for computing compensation.  It is the employee's gross weekly earnings                                    
07 minus payroll tax deductions.  The gross weekly earnings shall be calculated as                                         
08 follows:                                                                                                                
09   (1)  the gross weekly earnings are computed by dividing by 100 the                                                   
10 gross earnings of the employee in the two calendar years immediately preceding the                                      
11 injury;                                                                                                                 
12   (2)  if the employee was absent from the labor market for 18 months                                                  
13 or more of the two calendar years preceding the injury, the board shall determine the                                   
14 employee's gross weekly earnings for calculating compensation by considering the                                        

01 nature of the employee's work and work history, but compensation may not exceed the                                     
02 employee's gross weekly earnings at the time of injury;                                                                 
03   (3)  if an employee when injured is a minor, an apprentice, or a trainee                                             
04 in a formal training program, as determined by the board, whose wages under normal                                      
05 conditions would increase during the period of disability, the projected increase may                                   
06 be considered by the board in computing the gross weekly earnings of the employee;                                      
07   (4)  if the employee is injured while performing duties as a volunteer                                               
08 ambulance attendant, police officer, or fire fighter, the gross weekly earnings for                                     
09 calculating compensation shall be the minimum gross weekly earnings paid a full-time                                    
10 ambulance attendant, police officer, or fire fighter employed in the political subdivision                              
11 where the injury occurred, or the employee's weekly earnings as calculated under                                       
12 (1) of this subsection, whichever is higher [, IF THE POLITICAL SUBDIVISION                                            
13 HAS NO FULL-TIME AMBULANCE ATTENDANTS, POLICE OFFICERS, OR                                                              
14 FIRE FIGHTERS, AT A REASONABLE FIGURE PREVIOUSLY SET BY THE                                                             
15 POLITICAL SUBDIVISION TO MAKE THIS DETERMINATION BUT IN NO                                                              
16 CASE MAY THE GROSS WEEKLY EARNINGS FOR CALCULATING                                                                      
17 COMPENSATION BE LESS THAN THE MINIMUM WAGE COMPUTED ON THE                                                              
18 BASIS OF 40 HOURS WORK PER WEEK].                                                                                       
19    * Sec. 2.  AS 23.30 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                      
20  Sec. 23.30.238.  VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE ATTENDANTS, POLICE                                                               
21 OFFICERS, AND FIRE FIGHTERS AS EMPLOYEES.  A person who suffers an                                                      
22 injury while providing service as a volunteer ambulance attendant, police officer, or                                   
23 fire fighter is for purposes of this chapter an employee of the municipality in which                                   
24 the person provides the volunteer service if the person is not otherwise covered for that                               
25 injury by an employer's workers' compensation insurance policy or self-insurance                                        
26 certificate.                                                                                                            
27    * Sec. 3.  AS 23.30.092 is repealed.                                                                                 
28    * Sec. 4.  This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).