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HOUSE BILL NO. 22
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION
BY REPRESENTATIVE STAPP
Introduced: 1/10/25
Referred: Prefiled
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to general relief and burial assistance; and providing for an effective 1
date." 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
* Section 1. AS 43.23.240(b) is amended to read: 4
(b) An individual who is denied medical assistance under 42 U.S.C. 1396 - 5
1396p (Social Security Act, Title XIX) solely because of the receipt of a permanent 6
fund dividend by the individual or by a member of the individual's household is 7
eligible for state-funded medical assistance under AS 47.25.120 - 47.25.300 (general 8
relief and burial assistance program). The individual is entitled to receive, for a
9
period not to exceed four months, the same level of medical assistance as the 10
individual would have received under 42 U.S.C. 1396 - 1396p (Social Security Act, 11
Title XIX) had there been no permanent fund dividend program. 12
* Sec. 2. AS 43.23.240(c) is amended to read: 13
(c) An individual who is denied assistance solely because permanent fund 14 34-LS0246\A
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dividends received by the individual or by a member of the individual's household are 1
counted as income or resources under federal law or regulation is eligible for cash 2
assistance under AS 47.25.120 - 47.25.300 (general relief and burial assistance 3
program). Notwithstanding the limit in AS 47.25.130, the individual is entitled to 4
receive, for a period not to exceed four months, the same amount as the individual 5
would have received under other public assistance programs had there been no 6
permanent fund dividend program. 7
* Sec. 3. AS 44.29.020(a) is amended to read: 8
(a) The Department of Health shall administer state programs, including 9
(1) maternal and child health services; 10
(2) preventive medical services; 11
(3) public health nursing services; 12
(4) nutrition services; 13
(5) health education; 14
(6) laboratories; 15
(7) mental health treatment and diagnosis, except for mental health 16
treatment and diagnosis under AS 47.30.660 - 47.30.915; 17
(8) medical facilities; 18
(9) adult public assistance; 19
(10) the Alaska temporary assistance program; 20
(11) general relief and burial assistance; 21
(12) a comprehensive smoking education, tobacco use prevention, and 22
tobacco control program; to the maximum extent possible, the department shall 23
administer the program required under this paragraph by grant to or contract with one 24
or more organizations in the state; the department's program must include 25
(A) a community-based tobacco use prevention and cessation 26
component addressing the needs of youth and adults that includes use of 27
cessation aids such as a nicotine patch or a nicotine gum tobacco substitute; 28
(B) youth-based efforts that involve youth in the design and 29
implementation of tobacco control efforts; 30
(C) anti-tobacco counter-marketing targeting both youth and 31 34-LS0246\A
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adult populations designed to communicate messages to help prevent youth 1
initiation of tobacco use, promote cessation among tobacco users, and educate 2
the public about the lethal effects of exposure to secondhand smoke; 3
(D) tobacco use surveys of youth and adult populations 4
concerning knowledge, awareness, attitude, and use of tobacco products; and 5
(E) an enforcement component; 6
(13) licensure and regulation of child care facilities; 7
(14) a comprehensive marijuana use education and treatment program; 8
to the extent possible, the department shall administer the program required under this 9
paragraph by grant to or contract with one or more organizations in the state; the 10
department's program must include 11
(A) a community-based marijuana misuse prevention 12
component; the community-based component must provide for a youth 13
services grant program to 14
(i) reduce initiation and promote cessation of marijuana 15
use by youth, reduce youth access to marijuana products, and reduce 16
exposure of youth to impaired driving dangers related to marijuana use; 17
(ii) provide recreational, educational, and character-18
building programs for youth outside school hours; and 19
(iii) address marijuana use prevention through outcome-20
based curricula, adult and peer mentoring, and opportunities for 21
positive, prosocial leisure and recreational activities; 22
(B) marijuana public education designed to communicate 23
messages to help prevent youth initiation of marijuana use, educate the public 24
about the effects of marijuana use, and educate the public about marijuana 25
laws; 26
(C) surveys of 27
(i) youth and adult populations concerning knowledge, 28
awareness, attitude, and use of marijuana products; 29
(ii) the need for trained professionals working in 30
organizations described in this paragraph; 31 34-LS0246\A
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(D) the development of plans to address the need for trained 1
professionals and to assist in implementing a training program for those 2
professionals; 3
(E) monitoring of population health status related to the 4
consequences of marijuana use; and 5
(F) substance abuse screening, brief intervention, and referral 6
to treatment. 7
* Sec. 4. AS 47.05.085(a) is amended to read: 8
(a) The commissioner or the commissioner's designee at the director level may 9
issue subpoenas to compel the production of books, papers, correspondence, 10
memoranda, and other records considered necessary as evidence in connection with an 11
investigation under or the administration of AS 47.07 (medical assistance), AS 47.08 12
(assistance for catastrophic illnesses and acute or chronic medical conditions), 13
AS 47.25 (child care assistance, child care grants, general relief and burial 14
assistance, adult public assistance, and food stamps), and AS 47.27 (Alaska temporary 15
assistance program). 16
* Sec. 5. AS 47.25.260 is amended to read: 17
Sec. 47.25.260. Recovery and disposition of allowances improperly 18
granted. If the department finds that a general relief and burial assistance allowance 19
has been improperly granted, it shall investigate, and if it appears from the 20
investigation that the assistance was improperly granted, the department may cancel 21
the allowance and notify the recipient of the cancellation. The state then has a claim 22
against the person who received the improper allowance. The claim may be enforced 23
by civil action in the name of the state by the attorney general to recover the amount 24
paid to the person, with interest, together with the necessary costs of the action. 25
* Sec. 6. AS 47.25.300(1) is amended to read: 26
(1) "assistance" means financial assistance to or on behalf of a needy 27
person, for [INCLUDING] subsistence (food, [SHELTER,] fuel, and clothing [, AND 28
UTILITIES]), [AND] transportation, medical needs, assisted living facility expenses, 29
funeral and [(INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, HOSPITALIZATION, 30
NURSING, AND CONVALESCENT CARE),] burial expenses, and other determined 31 34-LS0246\A
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needs; 1
* Sec. 7. AS 47.45.122(a) is amended to read: 2
(a) An individual whose public assistance is denied or reduced solely because 3
of the receipt of a bonus under AS 47.45.010 - 47.45.160 by the individual or by a 4
member of the individual's household is eligible for assistance under the general relief 5
and burial assistance program in AS 47.25.120 - 47.25.300. Notwithstanding the limit 6
in AS 47.25.130, the individual is entitled to receive the same amount as the individual 7
would have received under other public assistance programs had the individual not 8
received a longevity bonus. 9
* Sec. 8. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026. 10