00 HOUSE BILL NO. 25 01 "An Act relating to eligibility for the permanent fund dividend; and providing for an 02 effective date." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04  * Section 1. AS 43.23.008(a) is amended to read: 05 (a) Subject to (b) and (d) of this section, an otherwise eligible individual who 06 is absent from the state during the qualifying year remains eligible for a current year 07 permanent fund dividend if the individual was absent 08 (1) receiving secondary or postsecondary education on a full-time 09 basis; 10 (2) receiving vocational, professional, or other specific education on a 11 full-time basis for which, as determined by the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary 12 Education, a comparable program is not reasonably available in the state; 13 (3) serving on active duty as a member of the uniformed services 14 [ARMED FORCES] of the United States or accompanying, as that individual's 01 spouse, minor dependent, or disabled dependent, an individual who is 02 (A) serving on active duty as a member of the uniformed  03 services [ARMED FORCES] of the United States; and 04 (B) eligible for a current year dividend; 05 (4) serving under foreign or coastal articles of employment aboard an 06 oceangoing vessel of the United States merchant marine; 07 (5) receiving continuous medical treatment recommended by a 08 licensed physician or convalescing as recommended by the physician who treated the 09 illness if the treatment or convalescence is not based on a need for climatic change; 10 (6) providing care for a parent, spouse, sibling, child, or stepchild with 11 a critical life-threatening illness whose treatment plan, as recommended by the 12 attending physician, requires travel outside the state for treatment at a medical 13 specialty complex; 14 (7) providing care for the individual's terminally ill family member; 15 (8) settling the estate of the individual's deceased parent, spouse, 16 sibling, child, or stepchild, provided the absence does not exceed 220 cumulative days; 17 (9) serving as a member of the United States Congress; 18 (10) serving on the staff of a member from this state of the United 19 States Congress; 20 (11) serving as an employee of the state in a field office or other 21 location; 22 (12) accompanying a minor who is absent under (5) of this subsection; 23 (13) accompanying another eligible resident who is absent for a reason 24 permitted under (1), (2), (5) - (12), (16), or (17) of this subsection as the spouse, minor 25 dependent, or disabled dependent of the eligible resident; 26 (14) serving as a volunteer in the federal peace corps program; 27 (15) because of training or competing as a member of the United States 28 Olympic Team or a United States national team for an Olympic sport; 29 (16) participating for educational purposes in a student fellowship 30 sponsored by the United States Department of Education or by the United States 31 Department of State; 01 (17) for any reason consistent with the individual's intent to remain a 02 state resident, provided the absence or cumulative absences do not exceed 03 (A) 180 days in addition to any absence or cumulative absences 04 claimed under (3) of this subsection if the individual is not claiming an absence 05 under (1), (2), or (4) - (16) of this subsection; 06 (B) 120 days in addition to any absence or cumulative absences 07 claimed under (1) - (3) of this subsection if the individual is not claiming an 08 absence under (4) - (16) of this subsection but is claiming an absence under (1) 09 or (2) of this subsection; or 10 (C) 45 days in addition to any absence or cumulative absences 11 claimed under (1) - (16) of this subsection if the individual is claiming an 12 absence under (4) - (16) of this subsection. 13  * Sec. 2. AS 43.23.008(f) is amended to read: 14 (f) In [FOR PURPOSES OF (a)(7) OF] this section, 15 (1) "family member" means a person who is 16 (A) [(1)] legally related to the individual through marriage or 17 guardianship; or 18 (B) [(2)] the individual's sibling, parent, grandparent, son, 19 daughter, grandson, granddaughter, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, or first cousin;  20 (2) "uniformed service" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine  21 Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, and the Commissioned Corps of the National  22 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Public Health Services. 23  * Sec. 3. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 24 read: 25 APPLICABILITY. AS 43.23.008(a), as amended by sec. 1 of this Act, and 26 AS 43.23.008(f), as amended by sec. 2 of this Act, apply to the permanent fund dividend 2024 27 qualifying year for the 2025 dividend year and thereafter. 28  * Sec. 4. This Act takes effect January 1, 2024.