02/27/2025 03:15 PM House STATE AFFAIRS

                   HB  75-PERM FUND; EMPLOYMENT; ELIGIBILITY                                                                
                                                                                                                              
3:49:53     PM                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR     CARRICK     announced       that    the    final     order    of   business       would                               
be   HOUSE      BILL    NO.    75,    "An    Act    relating       to   national       criminal                                 
history     record     checks     for   certain      employees      of   the   Department       of                              
Revenue;       relating      to   allowable       absences       for    eligibility        for    a                             
permanent        fund     dividend;       relating       to    the    confidentiality           of                              
certain       information         provided        on    a    permanent        fund     dividend                                 
application;         relating      to    electronic       notice      of   debt     collection                                  
executed       on   a   permanent        fund    dividend;        and    providing       for    an                              
effective date."                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR    CARRICK      after    ascertaining        that    there    were    no   questions      or                              
comments on HB 75, entertained amendments.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:50:46     PM                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE         STORY     moved    to   adopt     the   Amendment       [Amendment       1]                              
to   HB   75,   labeled      34-LS0475\N.2,         Nauman,      2/25/25,      which    read    as                              
follows:                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
        Page 2, line 30:                                                                                                        
               Delete "armed forces"                                                                                            
               Insert "uniformed services [ARMED FORCES]"                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
        Page 3, line 2:                                                                                                         
               Delete "armed forces"                                                                                            
               Insert "uniformed services [ARMED FORCES]"                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
        Page 4, following line 23:                                                                                              
        Insert a new bill section to read:                                                                                      
           "* Sec. 3. AS 43.23.008(f) is amended to read:                                                                       
               (f)  In [FOR PURPOSES OF (a)(7) OF] this section,                                                              
                       (1)  "family member" means a person who is                                                             
                       (A) [(1)]  legally related to the individual through marriage or                                       
        guardianship; or                                                                                                        
                       (B) [(2)]  the individual's sibling, parent, grandparent, son,                                         
        daughter, grandson, granddaughter, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, or first cousin;                                       
                       (2)  "uniformed service" means the Army, Navy, Air Force,                                              
     Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, and the Commissioned Corps of                                                    
     the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Public Health                                                    
        Services."                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
        Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
3:50:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CARRICK objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
3:51:02 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE           STORY      noted     that      Amendment        N.2     was     drafted                                
because      of   an   experience        from    a   constituent       who    was    denied     an                              
appeal      for    the    permanent       fund     dividend      (PFD)     because       uniform                                
service       members      were     not    included        in    the    allowable        absence                                
statute.         She    specified       that     this     included      uniformed        service                                
members      associated        with     the    National       Oceanic      and    Atmospheric                                   
Administration         (NOAA)     Commissioned         Officer     Corps     and    the   United                                
States     Public     Health     Service      Officer     Corps.       She   said    that    only                               
those     affiliated       with     the    armed     forces     were     currently       allowed                                
for   PFD    qualification.           She   said    that    this    constituent        was   on   a                             
NOAA    boat    doing     research      for    several     months,      and   when     she   went                               
to   the    PFD   office,      she   was    denied     a   PFD.      She   said    that     these                               
positions       are   uniformed,       qualify      for   the    Veterans      Affairs      (VA),                               
can    enroll     in   higher     education       using     the   Government       Issue     (GI)                               
bill,     and   have     other     privileges       like    the    armed     services.         She                              
said     that     when    looking       at    the    amendment,        it    changes      "armed                                
forces"      to   "uniformed        services",       and    she    clarified       that     armed                               
forces were included with uniformed services.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:53:34 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR     CARRICK       asked      if   Peace      Corps     volunteers         were     already                                
included for PFD eligibility.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE         STORY     responded      that     there    are    16   subsections       in                              
statute regarding eligibility and the Peace Corps are eligible.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
3:54:01 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE         HOLLAND      asked    if   the    definition       was    changed     just                               
for    a  section      related     to   training       or   provides      guidance      for    the                              
PFD program in general.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE          STORY     responded       that    it    has    to   do    with    Alaska                                
Statute (AS) 43.23.008.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE           HOLLAND       asked      for    clarification,           and     if    AS                              
43.23.008       was    specifically        related      to   training      exemptions        or   a                             
statute      that    provides      broader      definitions        as   it   relates      to   the                              
PFD.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE         STORY    said    that    her   understanding         is   that    looking                                
at the amendment, it would change uniform service definitions.                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE         HOLLAND      said    that    he   was   surprised       how    important                                 
the    United     States      Public      Health     Service      Officer      Corps     was    in                              
Alaska.       He   asked     if   Representative         Story     could    summarize       where                               
these individuals are found in Alaska.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE          STORY    responded       that     many    of   them     are   in    rural                               
locations       and    serve      the    communities        and    many     go   overseas       to                              
provide medical support during times of need.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
3:57:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE          MOORE     said     that    she     had    a   question       about     the                              
definitions.            She     asked      whether       armed     service       members       get                              
coverage      for   anyone     in   their     family.       She   said    she    was   confused                                 
about the qualifications regarding exemptions.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE          STORY      clarified       that     these      provisions        already                                
existed      in   statute      and    the   amendment       would     add    only    the    bold,                               
[underlined] language of [paragraph] 2.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR     CARRICK     said    that    the    statute      currently      says     that    one   of                              
the    allowable       exemptions       is    providing       care    for    terminally        ill                              
family     members     and    settling      the   estate     of   a  family     member.        She                              
said    that    adding    the    uniformed      service     members      would    add   to   this                               
section.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
3:59:14 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE         STORY     said    that    she   spoke     with    the   prime     sponsor                                
of   HB    75,    Representative         Bynum,      she    offered      her   understanding                                    
that he was supportive of the Amendment [1].                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
3:59:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TREVOR      SHAW,     Staff,     Representative          Jeremy     Bynum,      Alaska      State                               
Legislature,         said    that    they     had   a   good    conversation         with    both                               
Representative          Story     and   district       constituents.           He    said    that                               
the     amendment       was     presented        well,      and    Representative           Bynum                               
supported it.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:00:00 PM                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR     CARRICK      removed      her    objection.          There     being     no    further                                
objection, [Amendment 1] was adopted.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
4:00:38 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE         STORY     moved     to   report     HB   75,   as   amended,       out   of                              
committee       with    individual        recommendations          and    the    accompanying                                   
fiscal     notes    and   to   authorize       Legislative       Legal    Services      to   make                               
any    necessary       technical       or   conforming        changes.      There     being     no                              
objection,        CSHB    75(STA)       was    reported       out    of   the    House      State                               
Affairs Standing Committee.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:01:10 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 4:01 p.m. to 4:03 p.m.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:03:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR CARRICK discussed upcoming committee scheduling and                                                                       
agenda.