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HB199 • 2026

AK COMMERCIAL FISHING & AG BANK; LOANS

An Act relating to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development; relating to the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank; relating to certain loans made by the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank; and providing for an effective date.

Agriculture
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
HOUSE FISHERIES BY REQUEST OF TASK FORCE EVAL ALASKA SEAFOOD INDUSTRY
Last action
2025-05-07
Official status
(H) RLS
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on what happens if the bank fails to repurchase the shares after 20 years, leaving this as an open question.

Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank Loan Rules

This act sets rules for loans made by the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank, including loan terms and interest rates.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the Department of Commerce to buy shares in the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank to help it make loans.
  • Requires the bank to repurchase these shares after 20 years unless a receiver is appointed if the bank fails to do so.
  • Sets fixed terms and interest rates for loans made by the bank, with limits on how high those rates can go.
  • Requires the bank to provide detailed information about each loan to the Department of Commerce within 120 days.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank
  • People involved in commercial fishing who receive loans from the bank

Terms To Know

Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
A state agency that oversees economic development and related activities.
Preferred shares
Special stock in a company or bank that has priority over common stock for dividends and repayment if the company is liquidated.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act does not specify what happens if the bank fails to repurchase the shares after 20 years.
  • It's unclear how many people will be affected by these loan rules.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-07 1054

    (H) REFERRED TO RULES

  2. 2025-05-07 1054

    (H) FIN REFERRAL REMOVED

  3. 2025-05-07 1038

    (H) FN1: ZERO(CED)

  4. 2025-05-07 1038

    (H) DP: VANCE, KOPP, EDGMON, HIMSCHOOT, ELAM, MCCABE, STUTES

  5. 2025-05-07 1038

    (H) FSH RPT CS(FSH) 7DP

  6. 2025-05-06 Min

    (H) Minutes (HFSH)

  7. 2025-05-06 Text

    (H) Moved CSHB 199(FSH) Out of Committee

  8. 2025-05-06 Text

    (H) FISHERIES at 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120

  9. 2025-04-24 Min

    (H) Minutes (HFSH)

  10. 2025-04-24 Text

    (H) Heard & Held

  11. 2025-04-24 Text

    (H) FISHERIES at 10:00 AM GRUENBERG 120

  12. 2025-04-16 810

    (H) FSH, FIN

  13. 2025-04-16 810

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

AK COMMERCIAL FISHING & AG BANK; LOANS
An Act relating to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development; relating to the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank; relating to certain loans made by the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB0199b -1- CSHB 199(FSH)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0867\N

CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 199(FSH)

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY THE HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES

Offered: 5/7/25
Referred: Rules

Sponsor(s): HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES BY REQUEST OF THE JOINT
LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE EVALUATING ALASKA'S SEAFOOD INDUSTRY
A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic 1
Development; relating to the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agri culture Bank; 2
relating to certain loans made by the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank; 3
and providing for an effective date." 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 5
* Section 1. The uncodified law of the State o f Alaska is amended by adding a new section 6
to read: 7
ALASKA COMMERCIAL FISHING AND AGRICULTURE BANK; LOANS. (a) 8
Subject to legislative appropria tion, the Department of Commerc e, Community, and 9
Economic Development shall purchase nonvoting, preferred shares i s s u e d b y t h e A l a s k a 10
Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank established under AS 44.81.010 for the purpose of 11
enabling the bank to make loans to persons involved in the state's commercial fishing industry 12
under AS 44.81.215. Except as provided in (d) of this section, the bank shall repurchase 13
shares the department purchased under this section 20 years aft er the purchase. If the bank 14
34-LS0867\N
CSHB 199(FSH) -2- HB0199b
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

fails to repurchase the shares 20 years after the purchase by t he department, the commissioner 1
of commerce, community, and ec onomic development may appoint a receiver to direct, 2
manage, and operate the bank until the shares have been repurch ased. Upon voluntary or 3
involuntary liquidation of the b ank, and upon repayment of all legal debts and obligations of 4
the bank, all nonvoting, preferred shares owned by the departme nt have priority for 5
redemption over all other forms and amounts of ownership of the bank. 6
(b) A loan made by the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank using funds 7
provided by the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development's 8
purchase of shares under this section 9
(1) shall have a fixed term of 15 years; 10
(2) shall have a fixed interest rate; 11
(3) may not bear interest 12
(A) exceeding the prime rate, as defined in AS 44.88.599, plus 13
two percentage points; or 14
(B) at a rate of more than 5.25 percent a year. 15
(c) On the effective date of sec. 4, ch. 25, SLA 2024, the Ala ska Commercial Fishing 16
and Agriculture Bank shall provide the division within the Depa rtment of Commerce, 17
Community, and Economic Development that is responsible for ban king and securities a list 18
of each loan originated or refinanced under (b) of this section , with confidential borrower 19
information redacted. The list must include, for each loan, 20
(1) the loan number, principal balance, interest rate, and loan term; 21
(2) a copy of the loan agreement; 22
(3) an amortization schedule, inc luding the comparison made under (4) of this 23
subsection; 24
(4) a comparison of 25
(A) the loan's baseline interest earnings, calculated as the p rojection of 26
the refinanced or originated loan's interest using the principa l and the interest rate in 27
effect for the loan before it wa s refinanced, or the interest r ate and term that the loan 28
would have had if the loan had not been made by the Alaska Comm ercial Fishing and 29
Agriculture Bank under (b) of this section, amortized over a 15 -year term assuming 30
timely loan payments; and 31
34-LS0867\N
HB0199b -3- CSHB 199(FSH)
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

(B) the loan's post-refinance or post-origination interest ear nings, 1
calculated as the loan's projected interest earnings using the loan's principal, the loan's 2
actual interest rate as origina ted or refinanced under (b) of t his section, and a 15-year 3
term assuming timely loan repayments; and 4
(5) any other information that the division may need to complete the review. 5
(d) Within 120 days after the A laska Commercial Fishing and Ag riculture Bank 6
provides the Department of Comme rce, Community, and Economic De velopment the list 7
required under (c) of this section, the department shall conduct a one-time review of the listed 8
information. If the department determines that the difference in projected interest earnings for 9
all loans originated or refinanced under (b) of this section fo r the Alaska Commercial Fishing 10
and Agriculture Bank, as calculated under (c) of this section, is less than the par value of the 11
shares purchased by the department under (a) of this section, t he department shall request that 12
the bank repay the difference to the department by buying back the requisite quantity of 13
shares. 14
(e) If the Department of Comme rce, Community, and Economic Dev elopment 15
requests that the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Ban k buy back the shares under 16
(d) of this section, the bank shall buy back the shares within 30 days. 17
(f) Subject to appropriation, the department shall purchase sh ares issued by the 18
Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank under (a) of thi s section using an amount 19
equal to the amount that was in t he former Alaska capstone avio nics revolving loan fund 20
(former AS 44.33.650 - 44.33.690) and was unobligated on July 1, 2020. 21
* Sec. 2. Section 1 of this Act is repealed July 1, 2027. 22
* Sec. 3. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 23