Alaska 2025-2026 Regular Session

Alaska House Bill HB22 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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2	2	HB0022a -1- HB 22
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5	5	34-LS0246\A
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10	10
11	11	HOUSE BILL NO. 22
12	12
13	13	IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
14	14
15	15	THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
16	16
17	17	BY REPRESENTATIVE STAPP
18	18
19	19	Introduced: 1/10/25
20	20	Referred: Prefiled
21	21
22	22
23	23	A BILL
24	24
25	25	FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
26	26
27	27	"An Act relating to general relief and burial assistance; and providing for an effective 1
28	28	date." 2
29	29	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
30	30	* Section 1. AS 43.23.240(b) is amended to read: 4
31	31	(b) An individual who is denied medical assistance under 42 U.S.C. 1396 - 5
32	32	1396p (Social Security Act, Title XIX) solely because of the receipt of a permanent 6
33	33	fund dividend by the individual or by a member of the individual's household is 7
34	34	eligible for state-funded medical assistance under AS 47.25.120 - 47.25.300 (general 8
35	35	relief and burial assistance program). The individual is entitled to receive, for a
36	36	9
37	37	period not to exceed four months, the same level of medical assistance as the 10
38	38	individual would have received under 42 U.S.C. 1396 - 1396p (Social Security Act, 11
39	39	Title XIX) had there been no permanent fund dividend program. 12
40	40	* Sec. 2. AS 43.23.240(c) is amended to read: 13
41	41	(c) An individual who is denied assistance solely because permanent fund 14 34-LS0246\A
42	42	HB 22 -2- HB0022a
43	43	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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45	45	dividends received by the individual or by a member of the individual's household are 1
46	46	counted as income or resources under federal law or regulation is eligible for cash 2
47	47	assistance under AS 47.25.120 - 47.25.300 (general relief and burial assistance 3
48	48	program). Notwithstanding the limit in AS 47.25.130, the individual is entitled to 4
49	49	receive, for a period not to exceed four months, the same amount as the individual 5
50	50	would have received under other public assistance programs had there been no 6
51	51	permanent fund dividend program. 7
52	52	* Sec. 3. AS 44.29.020(a) is amended to read: 8
53	53	(a) The Department of Health shall administer state programs, including 9
54	54	(1) maternal and child health services; 10
55	55	(2) preventive medical services; 11
56	56	(3) public health nursing services; 12
57	57	(4) nutrition services; 13
58	58	(5) health education; 14
59	59	(6) laboratories; 15
60	60	(7) mental health treatment and diagnosis, except for mental health 16
61	61	treatment and diagnosis under AS 47.30.660 - 47.30.915; 17
62	62	(8) medical facilities; 18
63	63	(9) adult public assistance; 19
64	64	(10) the Alaska temporary assistance program; 20
65	65	(11) general relief and burial assistance; 21
66	66	(12) a comprehensive smoking education, tobacco use prevention, and 22
67	67	tobacco control program; to the maximum extent possible, the department shall 23
68	68	administer the program required under this paragraph by grant to or contract with one 24
69	69	or more organizations in the state; the department's program must include 25
70	70	(A) a community-based tobacco use prevention and cessation 26
71	71	component addressing the needs of youth and adults that includes use of 27
72	72	cessation aids such as a nicotine patch or a nicotine gum tobacco substitute; 28
73	73	(B) youth-based efforts that involve youth in the design and 29
74	74	implementation of tobacco control efforts; 30
75	75	(C) anti-tobacco counter-marketing targeting both youth and 31 34-LS0246\A
76	76	HB0022a -3- HB 22
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79	79	adult populations designed to communicate messages to help prevent youth 1
80	80	initiation of tobacco use, promote cessation among tobacco users, and educate 2
81	81	the public about the lethal effects of exposure to secondhand smoke; 3
82	82	(D) tobacco use surveys of youth and adult populations 4
83	83	concerning knowledge, awareness, attitude, and use of tobacco products; and 5
84	84	(E) an enforcement component; 6
85	85	(13) licensure and regulation of child care facilities; 7
86	86	(14) a comprehensive marijuana use education and treatment program; 8
87	87	to the extent possible, the department shall administer the program required under this 9
88	88	paragraph by grant to or contract with one or more organizations in the state; the 10
89	89	department's program must include 11
90	90	(A) a community-based marijuana misuse prevention 12
91	91	component; the community-based component must provide for a youth 13
92	92	services grant program to 14
93	93	(i) reduce initiation and promote cessation of marijuana 15
94	94	use by youth, reduce youth access to marijuana products, and reduce 16
95	95	exposure of youth to impaired driving dangers related to marijuana use; 17
96	96	(ii) provide recreational, educational, and character-18
97	97	building programs for youth outside school hours; and 19
98	98	(iii) address marijuana use prevention through outcome-20
99	99	based curricula, adult and peer mentoring, and opportunities for 21
100	100	positive, prosocial leisure and recreational activities; 22
101	101	(B) marijuana public education designed to communicate 23
102	102	messages to help prevent youth initiation of marijuana use, educate the public 24
103	103	about the effects of marijuana use, and educate the public about marijuana 25
104	104	laws; 26
105	105	(C) surveys of 27
106	106	(i) youth and adult populations concerning knowledge, 28
107	107	awareness, attitude, and use of marijuana products; 29
108	108	(ii) the need for trained professionals working in 30
109	109	organizations described in this paragraph; 31 34-LS0246\A
110	110	HB 22 -4- HB0022a
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113	113	(D) the development of plans to address the need for trained 1
114	114	professionals and to assist in implementing a training program for those 2
115	115	professionals; 3
116	116	(E) monitoring of population health status related to the 4
117	117	consequences of marijuana use; and 5
118	118	(F) substance abuse screening, brief intervention, and referral 6
119	119	to treatment. 7
120	120	* Sec. 4. AS 47.05.085(a) is amended to read: 8
121	121	(a) The commissioner or the commissioner's designee at the director level may 9
122	122	issue subpoenas to compel the production of books, papers, correspondence, 10
123	123	memoranda, and other records considered necessary as evidence in connection with an 11
124	124	investigation under or the administration of AS 47.07 (medical assistance), AS 47.08 12
125	125	(assistance for catastrophic illnesses and acute or chronic medical conditions), 13
126	126	AS 47.25 (child care assistance, child care grants, general relief and burial 14
127	127	assistance, adult public assistance, and food stamps), and AS 47.27 (Alaska temporary 15
128	128	assistance program). 16
129	129	* Sec. 5. AS 47.25.260 is amended to read: 17
130	130	Sec. 47.25.260. Recovery and disposition of allowances improperly 18
131	131	granted. If the department finds that a general relief and burial assistance allowance 19
132	132	has been improperly granted, it shall investigate, and if it appears from the 20
133	133	investigation that the assistance was improperly granted, the department may cancel 21
134	134	the allowance and notify the recipient of the cancellation. The state then has a claim 22
135	135	against the person who received the improper allowance. The claim may be enforced 23
136	136	by civil action in the name of the state by the attorney general to recover the amount 24
137	137	paid to the person, with interest, together with the necessary costs of the action. 25
138	138	* Sec. 6. AS 47.25.300(1) is amended to read: 26
139	139	(1) "assistance" means financial assistance to or on behalf of a needy 27
140	140	person, for [INCLUDING] subsistence (food, [SHELTER,] fuel, and clothing [, AND 28
141	141	UTILITIES]), [AND] transportation, medical needs, assisted living facility expenses, 29
142	142	funeral and [(INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, HOSPITALIZATION, 30
143	143	NURSING, AND CONVALESCENT CARE),] burial expenses, and other determined 31 34-LS0246\A
144	144	HB0022a -5- HB 22
145	145	New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
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147	147	needs; 1
148	148	* Sec. 7. AS 47.45.122(a) is amended to read: 2
149	149	(a) An individual whose public assistance is denied or reduced solely because 3
150	150	of the receipt of a bonus under AS 47.45.010 - 47.45.160 by the individual or by a 4
151	151	member of the individual's household is eligible for assistance under the general relief 5
152	152	and burial assistance program in AS 47.25.120 - 47.25.300. Notwithstanding the limit 6
153	153	in AS 47.25.130, the individual is entitled to receive the same amount as the individual 7
154	154	would have received under other public assistance programs had the individual not 8
155	155	received a longevity bonus. 9
156	156	* Sec. 8. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026. 10