00                      CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 27(CRA)                                                                     
01 "An Act relating to an optional exemption from municipal property taxes on certain                                      
02 residences of law enforcement officers."                                                                                
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1.  AS 29.45.050 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                          
05            (s)  A municipality may by ordinance designate an area within its boundaries                                 
06       that is an eligible area and exempt from taxation an amount not to exceed $150,000 of                             
07       the assessed value of real property within the area that is owned and occupied as the                             
08       primary permanent place of abode by a law enforcement officer.  If two or more                                    
09       individuals are eligible for an exemption for the same property under this subsection,                            
10       not more than two exemptions may be granted.  A municipality that adopts an                                       
11       ordinance under this subsection may not request state funds to cover any loss of                                  
12       revenue to the municipality caused by the ordinance.  The ordinance must include a                                
13       definition of "law enforcement officer."  The ordinance must also define "eligible                                
14       area" to mean an area                                                                                             

01                 (1)  that meets the eligibility requirements under a federal program of                                 
02       special assistance for urban development, neighborhood revitalization, or law                                     
03       enforcement, without regard to whether an application for the federal assistance on                               
04       behalf of the area has been made or whether the area has actually received or is                                  
05       receiving the federal assistance;                                                                                 
06                 (2)  with a statistically higher occurrence of crime than the municipality                              
07       as a whole; or                                                                                                    
08                 (3)  that meets the requirements of (1) and (2) of this subsection.