00                            HOUSE BILL NO. 473                                                                          
01 "An Act requiring certain businesses to recognize postmark dates as the date of                                         
02 payment."                                                                                                               
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1. AS 45.45 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                  
05            Sec. 45.45.940. Date of payment. (a) Unless otherwise required by federal law                              
06       and notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, when a purchaser of                               
07       services pays for the services by mail or when a person who uses a credit card makes a                            
08       payment on the credit card account by mail, the provider of the services or the issuer                            
09       of the credit card may not use a date later than the postmark date on the mailed                                  
10       payment as the date when the provider considers that the payment was made.                                        
11            (b)  In this section,                                                                                        
12                 (1)  "provider" means a person, including a public utility, who engages                                 
13       in the business of providing services to another person for payment; in this paragraph,                           
14       "public utility" has the meaning given in AS 42.05.990;                                                           

01                 (2)  "services" includes electrical services and telephone services.                                    
02    * Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to                          
03 read:                                                                                                                   
04       APPLICABILITY. AS 45.45.940, added by sec. 1 of this Act, does not apply to a                                     
05 contract for services or for the issuance of a credit card that is entered into before the effective                    
06 date of this Act if the contract contains a provision that conflicts with AS 45.45.940.