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.