00                            HOUSE BILL NO. 154                                                                          
01 "An Act relating to grants to disaster victims."                                                                        
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
03    * Section 1. AS 26.23.090(b) is amended to read:                                                                   
04 (b)  The governor is authorized to make financial grants to an individual or                                            
05 family to meet disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs of individuals or                                   
06 families adversely affected by the disaster that cannot otherwise adequately be met                                     
07 from other means of assistance. The governor may make a grant to an individual and                                      
08       family under this subsection as follows:                                                                          
09                 (1)  when the President declares a major disaster, the governor may                                     
10 make a grant of an amount whose total of federal and state shares does not exceed one                               
11 and one-half times the maximum amount authorized by 42 U.S.C. 5174(h) for grants                                    
12 payable to individuals and families, except that the state share may not exceed the                                 
13 maximum amount authorized by 42 U.S.C. 5174(h) for grants payable to                                                
14       individuals and families;                                                                                     
15                 (2)  when the President does not declare a major disaster but the                                       

01 governor declares a disaster emergency, the governor may make a grant of an amount                                      
02 not to exceed the maximum amount authorized by 42 U.S.C. 5174(h) for grants                                         
03 payable to individuals and families [ONE-HALF OF THE MAXIMUM GRANT                                                  
04       AMOUNT ESTABLISHED UNDER (1) OF THIS SUBSECTION].                                                                 
05    * Sec. 2. AS 26.23.090 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
06 (d)  If the disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs of an individual                                       
07 or family adversely affected by the disaster exceed the total amount available to the                                   
08 individual or family from other means of assistance, the conditions of a grant under (b)                                
09 of this section may not require an individual or family to apply for all other means of                                 
10       assistance before applying for a grant under (b) of this section.