00                            HOUSE BILL NO. 320                                                                          
01 "An Act relating to certification of search and rescue personnel and organizations;                                     
02 requiring certain search and rescue personnel to be considered state employees for                                      
03 purposes of workers' compensation coverage; and allowing municipalities to elect to                                     
04 provide workers' compensation insurance coverage for search and rescue personnel."                                      
05 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
06    * Section 1. AS 18.60 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                  
07            Sec. 18.60.135. Search and rescue individual and team certification and                                    
08       registration. (a) The Department of Public Safety shall, by regulation,                                         
09                 (1)  establish qualifications required to certify volunteer search and                                  
10       rescue personnel and search and rescue organizations, including search and rescue                                 
11       groups, teams, associations, or similar organizations;                                                            
12                 (2)  certify qualified search and rescue personnel and organizations;                                   
13       and                                                                                                               
14                 (3)  maintain a register of certified search and rescue personnel and                                   

01       organizations.                                                                                                    
02    * Sec. 2. AS 23.30.092 is amended to read:                                                                         
03            Sec. 23.30.092. Volunteer ambulance attendants', police officers', [AND]                                   
04       fire fighters', and search and rescue personnel's insurance. A political subdivision                          
05       may elect to provide benefits and compensation to its volunteer ambulance attendants,                             
06       police officers, [OR] fire fighters, or search and rescue personnel by obtaining                              
07       insurance that would provide its volunteer ambulance attendants, police officers, [OR]                            
08       fire fighters, or search and rescue personnel with benefits and compensation at least                         
09       equivalent to those conferred upon volunteer ambulance attendants, police officers,                               
10       [OR] fire fighters, or search and rescue personnel by this chapter, and the election                          
11       shall be considered compliance with the coverage and insurance provisions of this                                 
12       chapter. The election shall be made by filing copies of the insurance policy or policies                          
13       with the commissioner.                                                                                            
14    * Sec. 3. AS 23.30.238(b) is amended to read:                                                                      
15            (b)  The gross weekly earnings for a person receiving benefits under this                                    
16       section shall be the minimum gross weekly earnings paid a full-time emergency                                     
17       medical technician or a person engaged in search and rescue services, as                                      
18       applicable, employed in the city or borough nearest to the place where the injury                             
19       occurred, or, if the nearest city or borough has no full-time emergency medical                                   
20       technician or person engaged in search and rescue services, as applicable, at a                               
21       reasonable figure previously set by the nearest city or borough to make this                                      
22       determination, but in no case may the gross weekly earnings for calculating                                       
23       compensation be less than the minimum wage computed on the basis of 40 hours of                                   
24       work a week.                                                                                                      
25    * Sec. 4. AS 23.30.238 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
26            (c)  A person who is injured during the course and within the scope of                                       
27       providing a volunteer search and rescue service is an employee of the state for                                   
28       purposes of this chapter if the individual                                                                        
29                 (1)  is certified by the state and is registered with the Department of                                 
30       Public Safety or is an active roster member of a certified search and rescue                                      
31       organization under AS 18.60.135;                                                                                  

01                 (2)  provides search and rescue services outside an incorporated city or                                
02       borough; and                                                                                                      
03                 (3)  is not otherwise covered for that injury by an employer's workers'                                 
04       compensation insurance policy or self-insurance certificate.