00                            HOUSE BILL NO. 393                                                                          
01 "An Act requiring the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to purchase a                                        
02 group insurance policy that provides a death benefit for qualified state residents who                                  
03 are active duty members of a uniformed service; and providing for an effective date."                                   
04 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
05    * Section 1. AS 26.05 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                  
06            Sec. 26.05.264. Supplemental death benefit insurance. (a) The Department                                   
07       of Military and Veterans' Affairs shall purchase and maintain in effect an insurance                              
08       policy, from a life insurance company authorized to conduct life insurance business in                            
09       the state, insuring residents who are members of a uniformed service on active duty                               
10       against death.                                                                                                    
11            (b)  To qualify for the benefit of the insurance policy purchased under (a) of                               
12       this section, a member must qualify for the death benefit for a member under 38                                   
13       U.S.C. 1965 - 1980 (Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Program).                                                
14            (c)  The amount of the benefit payable to an individual under the insurance                                  

01       policy purchased under (a) of this section is $600,000.                                                           
02            (d)  The department shall establish by regulation the form of application and                                
03       the method of proving a member's qualification for the benefit.                                                   
04            (e)  In this section, "resident" means a person who                                                          
05                 (1)  at the time of entry into the service was a resident of the state, who                             
06       had been a resident for not less than one year immediately before entry into the                                  
07       uniformed service, and who returned to the state within one year after discharge as a                             
08       resident with the intention of remaining in the state; or                                                         
09                 (2)  was a resident of the state for not less than one year immediately                                 
10       preceding the time of the person's death.                                                                         
11    * Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to                          
12 read:                                                                                                                   
13       APPLICABILITY. The benefit provided by AS 26.05.264, enacted by sec. 1 of this                                    
14 Act, applies only to qualified members of a uniformed service on active duty who die after the                          
15 insurance policy authorized in AS 26.05.264, enacted by sec. 1 of this Act, takes effect.                               
16    * Sec. 3. This Act takes effect January 1, 2009.