SB 55: "An Act authorizing the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to establish and maintain Alaska veterans' cemeteries, establishing the Alaska veterans' cemetery fund in the general fund, and authorizing appropriation of income from fees for special request plates commemorating Alaska veterans to that cemetery fund."
00 SENATE BILL NO. 55 01 "An Act authorizing the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to establish and 02 maintain Alaska veterans' cemeteries, establishing the Alaska veterans' cemetery fund 03 in the general fund, and authorizing appropriation of income from fees for special 04 request plates commemorating Alaska veterans to that cemetery fund." 05 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 * Section 1. AS 28.10.421(d)(16) is amended to read: 07 (16) special request plates commemorating Alaska veterans ...... $100 08 plus a fee of $35 and the fee required for that vehicle under (b), (c), (h), or (i) of this 09 section; the $100 fee required by this paragraph shall be collected only on the first 10 issuance of and the replacement of the commemorative veterans' plates; the $35 fee 11 required by this paragraph shall be collected biennially in the same manner as the fee 12 required under (b), (c), (h), or (i) of this section; the commissioner of administration 13 shall separately account for the fees received under this paragraph that the department 14 deposits in the general fund; notwithstanding (g) of this section, the annual estimated
01 balance in the account that is in excess of the cost of issuing special request plates may 02 be appropriated by the legislature to the Alaska veterans' cemetery fund created 03 under AS 37.05.600 and for the support of programs benefiting Alaska veterans. 04 * Sec. 2. AS 37.05.146(c) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 05 (85) gifts, donations, and grants received by the Department of 06 Military and Veterans' Affairs for the purpose of establishing and maintaining Alaska 07 veterans' cemeteries under AS 26.10.030 and AS 44.35.035(b). 08 * Sec. 3. AS 37.05 is amended by adding a new section to article 6 to read: 09 Sec. 37.05.600. Alaska veterans' cemetery fund. (a) There is created as a 10 special account in the general fund the Alaska veterans' cemetery fund into which 11 shall be deposited appropriations to the Alaska veterans' cemetery fund. 12 (b) Beginning with the appropriations for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 13 2009, on an annual basis and under AS 37.07 (Executive Budget Act), the legislature 14 may appropriate amounts from the Alaska veterans' cemetery fund to the Department 15 of Military and Veterans' Affairs for the construction, operation, and maintenance of 16 the Alaska veterans' cemeteries established under AS 44.35.035. 17 (c) Appropriations to the Alaska veterans' cemetery fund are not one-year 18 appropriations and do not lapse under AS 37.25.010. 19 (d) The unexpended and unobligated balance of an appropriation from the 20 Alaska veterans' cemetery fund lapses into the Alaska veterans' cemetery fund at the 21 end of the fiscal year for which it was appropriated. 22 (e) Nothing in this section exempts money deposited into the Alaska veterans' 23 cemetery fund from the requirements of AS 37.07 (Executive Budget Act) or dedicates 24 that money for a specific purpose. 25 * Sec. 4. AS 44.35 is amended by adding a new section to read: 26 Sec. 44.35.035. Alaska veterans' cemeteries. (a) The department may 27 establish and maintain Alaska veterans' cemeteries in the state to serve state veterans 28 and spouses and eligible dependents of state veterans. 29 (b) The department may accept gifts, donations, and grants, including land, 30 under AS 26.10.030 for the purpose of establishing and maintaining Alaska veterans' 31 cemeteries. Land received by the department for an Alaska veterans' cemetery shall be
01 owned by the state. 02 (c) The department shall, in consultation with the Alaska Veterans' Advisory 03 Council established under AS 44.35.105, 04 (1) adopt regulations for determining individuals eligible for burial in 05 an Alaska veterans' cemetery; 06 (2) receive the plot or interment allowance on behalf of the state under 07 38 U.S.C. 2303; 08 (3) comply with all requirements for a state veterans' cemetery grant 09 established by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs under 38 U.S.C. 10 2408; and 11 (4) apply to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for state 12 veterans' cemetery grants under 38 U.S.C. 2408. 13 (d) The department may 14 (1) adopt regulations necessary to administer Alaska veterans' 15 cemeteries; 16 (2) enter into agreements for the maintenance and operation of Alaska 17 veterans' cemeteries with political subdivisions of the state and other persons; and 18 (3) solicit gifts, donations, and grants in addition to a state veterans' 19 cemetery grant in (c) of this section that may be designated for the establishment and 20 maintenance of an Alaska veterans' cemetery and received by the department under 21 AS 26.10.030. 22 (e) In this section, "department" means the Department of Military and 23 Veterans' Affairs.