02/21/2023 03:00 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

            HB 25-PFD ELIGIBILITY UNIFORMED SERVICES                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:25:45 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR SHAW  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE  BILL NO.  25,  "An  Act relating  to  eligibility for  the                                                               
permanent fund dividend; and providing for an effective date."                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
3:26:03 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER  moved to  adopt the  proposed committee                                                               
substitute (CS) for HB 25,  Version 32-LS0265\S, Nauman, 2/20/23,                                                               
as  the  working  document.    [There  being  no  objection,  the                                                               
proposed  CS for  HB  25, Version  S was  treated  as before  the                                                               
committee.]                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
3:26:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JOSH  WALTON, Staff,  Representative  Laddie  Shaw, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature,  on  behalf  of  Representative  Shaw,  provided  an                                                               
explanation of changes  in the proposed CS for HB  25, Version S,                                                               
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     The House State Affairs  Committee Substitute for House                                                                    
     Bill  25   retains  the  provisions  of   the  original                                                                    
     introduced  version,  while   including  the  following                                                                    
     additional provisions:                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     • To AS  43.23.008(a), on page 2, lines  12-19: Adds an                                                                    
     allowable absence  for an  eligible individual  if they                                                                    
     are absent  from the state  during the  qualifying year                                                                    
     for  the purposes  of  attending  a vocational  program                                                                    
     approved  by the  US Coast  Guard that  trains students                                                                    
     for a career in the US merchant marine.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     •  To AS  43.23.011,  on  page 4,  lines  5-12: Adds  a                                                                    
     hardship  extension  to  the  permanent  fund  dividend                                                                    
     filing  deadline for  an  eligible  individual if  that                                                                    
     individual's  parent,  guardian,  or  other  authorized                                                                    
     representative was  unable to file on  their behalf due                                                                    
     to a medical emergency.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  SHAW  inquired about  the  fiscal  note for  the  proposed                                                               
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR. WALTON confirmed that a  zero fiscal note from the Department                                                               
of Revenue (DOR) accompanied Version S.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
3:29:28 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   CARPENTER   pointed   out  that   the   proposed                                                               
legislation would increase the number  of eligible permanent fund                                                               
dividend (PFD) recipients.   He inquired about the  impact on the                                                               
state dividend  program and asked  why that was not  expressed in                                                               
the fiscal note.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
MR.  WALTON explained  that the  zero fiscal  note reflected  the                                                               
minimal  IT   [information  technology]  coding  impact   to  the                                                               
division.  He suspected that  the impact on the dividend program,                                                               
due   to   the   change    in   eligibility   requirements,   was                                                               
indeterminate.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE C.  JOHNSON concluded  that the  figures requested                                                               
by Representative Carpenter would  be reflected in a hypothetical                                                               
"public fiscal  note," should  one exist.   He  acknowledged that                                                               
more recipients  of the dividend  would result in less  money for                                                               
each  individual;  however, the  changes  proposed  in Version  S                                                               
could  be  implemented at  zero  cost  to  the state,  which  was                                                               
reflected in the fiscal note from DOR.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
3:31:20 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SETH  WHITTEN, Staff,  Representative  Andi  Story, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, on behalf of Representative  Story, prime sponsor of                                                               
HB 25,  estimated that  should the bill  pass, the  difference in                                                               
individual dividend payments would amount to $6.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
3:32:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CARPENTER moved  to report  CSHB 25,  Version 32-                                                               
LS0265\S,  Nauman,  2/20/23,  out of  committee  with  individual                                                               
recommendations and  the accompanying fiscal notes.   There being                                                               
no objection,  CSHB 25(STA) was  reported out of the  House State                                                               
Affairs Standing Committee.