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HOUSE BILL NO. 377
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE
Introduced: 2/20/24
Referred: Community and Regional Affairs, State Affairs
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to the village public safety officer program." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 2
* Section 1. AS 18.65.085(c) is amended to read: 3
(c) The Department of Public Safety may establish and administer a reward 4
program, and provide grants to boroughs acting on behalf of a village or a city
5
within the borough, municipalities, established villages, and, at the request of a 6
municipality or established village, to a nonprofit association that administers a village 7
public safety officer program, for reward programs leading to the apprehension and 8
conviction of persons who violate AS 04.09.060, 04.09.800, or AS 04.11.010 by 9
selling, importing, or possessing alcoholic beverages in violation of a local option 10
adopted by a municipality or established village under AS 04.11.491. 11
* Sec. 2. AS 18.65.670(a) is amended to read: 12
(a) The village public safety officer program is created in the department, with 13
funding appropriated to the department, including from gifts or donations received 14
from nonprofit regional corporations, municipalities, and other sources, and 15 33-LS1369\A
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disbursed by the commissioner through grants made under this section. The purpose of 1
the program is to appoint, train, supervise, support, and retain persons to serve as 2
village public safety officers. 3
* Sec. 3. AS 18.65.670(b) is amended to read: 4
(b) With funds appropriated for that purpose, the commissioner shall provide 5
grants to boroughs acting on behalf of a village or a city within the borough, 6
nonprofit regional corporations, and Alaska Native organizations for training and 7
employment of village public safety officers. If a borough acting on behalf of a 8
village, a nonprofit regional corporation for a village, or Alaska Native organization 9
for the village does not exist or declines a grant under this subsection, the 10
commissioner may provide the grant to a municipality with a population of less than 11
10,000 willing to administer the grant for the village. If a borough acting on behalf 12
of a village, a nonprofit regional corporation, or Alaska Native organization declines a 13
grant, the commissioner shall consult with the corporation or organization before 14
awarding the grant to a municipality. 15
* Sec. 4. AS 18.65.670(c) is amended to read: 16
(c) The commissioner shall annually accept applications from entities 17
described in (b) of this section for village public safety officer grants. Grant applicants 18
may apply to employ village public safety officers in a participating village, or in a 19
city if a borough is acting on behalf of a city within the borough, [VILLAGES] 20
located in the applicant's region. An application must include 21
(1) a projected budget, including administrative costs; 22
(2) a list of villages or cities in which the applicant plans to employ 23
village public safety officers; and 24
(3) other information required by the commissioner. 25
* Sec. 5. AS 18.65.670(e) is amended to read: 26
(e) An award of grant funding, depending on the funds awarded, must provide 27
for at least one village public safety officer for each village or city included in a grant 28
agreement entered into under (d) of this section. A grant recipient may assign more 29
than one village public safety officer to a village or city and request additional 30
funding for the additional village public safety officer. The commissioner may 31 33-LS1369\A
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approve the request for additional funding if the grant recipient provides justification 1
reasonably related to the duties of a village public safety officer and other public 2
safety needs. 3
* Sec. 6. AS 18.65.670(h) is amended to read: 4
(h) The commissioner may, in consultation with grant recipients, as provided 5
in (k) of this section, adopt regulations related to village public safety officers, 6
including establishing minimum standards and training, physical fitness requirements, 7
criteria for participation by a borough, a community, a municipality, an Alaska Native 8
organization, or a corporation, and the interaction between the department and village 9
public safety officers. If the commissioner adopts regulations regarding training for 10
village public safety officers, the training must be consistent with the standards in 11
AS 18.65.676 and disability training under AS 18.65.220(3). The commissioner of 12
corrections may, in consultation with grant recipients, adopt regulations related to the 13
functions of village public safety officers providing pretrial, probation, and parole 14
supervision. 15
* Sec. 7. AS 33.30.012(a) is amended to read: 16
(a) Within 30 days before release of a sex offender or child kidnapper with a 17
duty to register under AS 12.63, the commissioner shall complete the registration of 18
the sex offender or child kidnapper if the offender or kidnapper has not previously 19
registered. The commissioner shall take the sex offender's or child kidnapper's 20
photograph, and determine if legible fingerprints of the sex offender or child 21
kidnapper have been previously provided to the Department of Public Safety; if 22
legible fingerprints for the sex offense or child kidnapping have not previously been 23
provided to the Department of Public Safety, the commissioner shall obtain the sex 24
offender's or child kidnapper's fingerprints in the manner required by the Department 25
of Public Safety and shall immediately forward the fingerprints to the department. 26
When completing the registration or taking the photograph under this subsection, the 27
commissioner shall also send written notice of release, parole, community placement, 28
work release placement, or furlough of a sex offender or child kidnapper to 29
(1) the chief of police of the community, if any, in which the inmate 30
will reside; 31 33-LS1369\A
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(2) the Alaska state trooper post located nearest to where the inmate 1
will reside; 2
(3) the village public safety officer of the rural community or city 3
without a municipal police department or Alaska state trooper post in which the 4
inmate will reside; and 5
(4) the central registry of sex offenders and child kidnappers. 6