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HB0012b -1- CSHB 12(EDC)
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CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 12(EDC)
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY THE HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Offered: 4/13/26
Referred: Finance
Sponsor(s): REPRESENTATIVES DIBERT, Burke, Edgmon, Galvin, Himschoot
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to reduced-price meals in public schools; establishing the public school 1
reduced-price meal fund; relating to contributions from permanent fund dividends; and 2
providing for an effective date." 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 4
* Section 1. AS 14.03 is amended by adding a new section to read: 5
Sec. 14.03.128. Public school reduced-price meal fund. (a) A school district 6
that participates in a national school meal program may not charge a fee for a reduced-7
price meal provided to a student who is eligible for the meal under the program. 8
(b) The public school reduced-price meal fund is established as an account in 9
the general fund. The fund consists of money appropriated to the fund by the 10
legislature, including donations and interest earned on money in the fund. 11
(c) The department shall distribute money in the fund to each school district 12
that participates in a national school meal program in an amount equal to the cost the 13
school district incurs through providing reduced-price meals to eligible students in a 14
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fiscal year, minus the amount the school district receives from federal reimbursements 1
or other state aid for providing reduced-price meals for that fiscal year. If insufficient 2
funding is appropriated to the fund to fully compensate each school district for the cost 3
of providing reduced-price meals under this section, the department shall distribute the 4
funding pro rata to the school districts. 5
(d) The department may spend money appropriated to the fund for the 6
purposes of the fund without further appropriation. Money in the fund does not lapse. 7
(e) Nothing in this section creates a dedicated fund. 8
(f) In this section, 9
(1) "national school meal program" means a federal program for free 10
or reduced-price meals under 42 U.S.C. 1751 - 1769j (National School Lunch Act) or 11
42 U.S.C. 1771-1793 (Child Nutrition Act of 1966); 12
(2) "reduced-price meal" means a meal that a school district provides 13
at a reduced price under a national school meal program. 14
* Sec. 2. AS 43.23.130(a) is amended to read: 15
(a) Notwithstanding AS 43.23.200, the Department of Revenue shall prepare 16
the electronic Alaska permanent fund dividend application to allow an applicant who 17
files electronically to direct that money be subtracted from the dividend payment and 18
contributed to the public school reduced-price meal fund (AS 14.03.128), the crime 19
victim compensation fund (AS 18.67.162), the peace officer and firefighter survivors' 20
fund, or one or more of the educational organizations, community foundations, or 21
charitable organizations that appear on the contribution list contained in the 22
application. A contribution to the public school reduced-price meal fund, the crime 23
victim compensation fund, the peace officer and firefighter survivors' fund, or [TO] an 24
organization may be $25, $50, $75, $100, or more, in increments of $50, up to the 25
total amount of the permanent fund dividend that the applicant is entitled to receive. If 26
the total amount of contributions elected by an applicant exceeds the amount of the 27
permanent fund dividend that the applicant is entitled to receive, contributions shall be 28
deducted from the dividend in the order of priority elected by the applicant on the 29
application until the entire amount of the dividend that the applicant is entitled to 30
receive is allocated for contribution. The electronic dividend application form must 31
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include notice that seven percent of the money contributed will be used for 1
administrative costs incurred in implementing this section, and money from the 2
dividend fund will not be used for that purpose. 3
* Sec. 3. AS 43.23.130(b) is amended to read: 4
(b) The department shall list each educational organization, community 5
foundation, or charitable organization eligible under (c) and (d) of this section, each 6
university campus that applies under (l) of this section, the public school reduced-7
price meal fund, the crime victim compensation fund, and the peace officer and 8
firefighter survivors' fund on the contribution list. The department shall maintain an 9
electronic database for the contribution list that is accessible to the public and that 10
permits searches by organization or fund name, geographic location, and type. The 11
department shall provide a statement of the contributions made by an individual that is 12
suitable for federal income tax purposes to each individual who elects to contribute 13
under (a) of this section. 14
* Sec. 4. AS 43.23.130(m) is amended to read: 15
(m) In addition to the application fee in (f) of this section, the department shall 16
withhold a coordination fee from each organization, foundation, or university campus 17
that receives contributions under this section in the immediately preceding dividend 18
year. The coordination fee for an organization, foundation, or university campus that 19
receives contributions under this section shall be seven percent of the amount of 20
contributions reported by the department under (j) of this section for the organization, 21
foundation, or university campus for the immediately preceding dividend year. The 22
coordination fee shall be separately accounted for under AS 37.05.142 and shall be 23
accounted for separately from the application fee collected under (f) of this section. 24
The annual estimated balance in the account maintained under AS 37.05.142 for 25
coordination fees collected under this subsection may be appropriated for costs of 26
administering this section. The department may not withhold a coordination fee for 27
contributions to the public school reduced-price meal fund, the crime victim 28
compensation fund, or the peace officer and firefighter survivors' fund. 29
* Sec. 5. This Act takes effect July 1, 2026. 30