KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Alaska

HB234 • 2026

PERS: EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS

An Act relating to emergency medical dispatchers; classifying dispatchers in police or fire departments and in state trooper offices as peace officers under the public employees' retirement system; and providing for an effective date.

Healthcare Labor
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
REPRESENTATIVE HALL
Last action
2026-04-29
Official status
(H) L&C
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

HB234: Classifying Emergency Dispatchers as Peace Officers for Retirement

This bill classifies emergency medical dispatchers in police departments, fire departments, and state trooper offices as peace officers under the Public Employees' Retirement System.

What This Bill Does

  • Updates the definition of an 'emergency medical dispatcher' to include training as a public safety telecommunicator with additional emergency medical knowledge for managing communications.
  • Adds dispatchers from police departments, fire departments, and state trooper offices to the list of jobs classified as peace officers or firefighters under retirement rules.
  • Excludes village public safety officers and their dispatchers from this new classification.
  • Sets a start date of July 1, 2026, for these changes.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Emergency medical dispatchers working in police departments
  • Emergency medical dispatchers working in fire departments
  • Dispatchers employed by state trooper offices

Terms To Know

Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS)
The retirement system for public employees that uses job classifications to determine benefits.
Peace Officer
A specific job category in the law that includes police, firefighters, and now certain dispatchers, which affects how their pensions are calculated.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not change rules for village public safety officers or their dispatchers.
  • The text defines who is included but does not list the specific dollar amounts of retirement benefits these workers will receive.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-29 Text

    (H) Heard & Held -- Delayed to 5 min. Following Session --

  2. 2026-04-29 Text

    (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124

  3. 2026-04-22 Text

    (H) <Bill Hearing Canceled>

  4. 2026-04-22 Text

    (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124

  5. 2026-04-17 Text

    (H) <Bill Hearing Canceled>

  6. 2026-04-17 Text

    (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124

  7. 2026-04-15 Text

    (H) Heard & Held -- Meeting Postponed from 3:15 pm 4/13/2026--

  8. 2026-04-15 Text

    (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 08:00 AM BARNES 124

  9. 2026-04-13 Text

    (H) -- Testimony <Invitation Only> -- -- Meeting Postponed to 8:00 am 4/15/2026--

  10. 2026-04-13 Text

    (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124

  11. 2026-04-08 2048

    (H) REFERRED TO LABOR & COMMERCE

  12. 2026-04-08 2048

    (H) FN2: ZERO(ADM)

  13. 2026-04-08 2048

    (H) FN1: ZERO(DPS)

  14. 2026-04-08 2048

    (H) AM: ST. CLAIR

  15. 2026-04-08 2048

    (H) NR: G.NELSON

  16. 2026-04-08 2048

    (H) DP: HOLLAND, PRAX, HALL, MEARS, HIMSCHOOT

  17. 2026-04-08 2048

    (H) CRA RPT 5DP 1NR 1AM

  18. 2026-04-07 Text

    (H) Moved SSHB 234 Out of Committee

  19. 2026-04-07 Text

    (H) COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS at 08:00 AM BARNES 124

  20. 2026-04-02 Text

    (H) Heard & Held

  21. 2026-04-02 Text

    (H) COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS at 08:00 AM BARNES 124

  22. 2026-03-12 Text

    (H) Heard & Held

  23. 2026-03-12 Text

    (H) COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS at 08:00 AM BARNES 124

  24. 2026-02-23 1681

    (H) CRA, L&C

  25. 2026-02-23 1681

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

  26. 2026-02-23 1681

    (H) SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE INTRODUCED

  27. 2026-01-20 1446

    (H) CRA, L&C

  28. 2026-01-20 1446

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

  29. 2026-01-20 1446

    (H) PREFILE RELEASED 1/9/26

Official Summary Text

PERS: EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS
An Act relating to emergency medical dispatchers; classifying dispatchers in police or fire departments and in state trooper offices as peace officers under the public employees' retirement system; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB0234b -1- SSHB 234
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

ctr34-LS0830\N

SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 234

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY REPRESENTATIVE HALL

Introduced: 2/23/26
Referred: Community and Regional Affairs, Labor and Commerce

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to emergency medical dispatchers; classifying dispatchers in police or 1
fire departments and in state trooper offices as peace officers under the public 2
employees' retirement system; and providing for an effective date." 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 4
* Section 1. AS 18.08.200(7) is amended to read: 5
(7) "emergency medical dispatcher" means an initial first responder 6
[A] trained as a public safety telecommunicator with additional training and specific 7
emergency medical knowledge essential for the efficient management of emergency 8
medical communications; 9
* Sec. 2. AS 39.35.680(30) is amended to read: 10
(30) "peace officer" or "firefighter" means an employee occupying a 11
position as a peace officer, chief of police, regional public safety officer, correctional 12
officer, correctional superintendent, firefighter, fire chief, dispatcher in a police or 13
fire department or in a state trooper office, or probation officer, but does not 14
34-LS0830\N
SSHB 234 -2- HB0234b
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

include a village public safety officer or dispatcher employed by a village public 1
safety officer program established under AS 18.65.670; 2
* Sec. 3. AS 39.35.990(20) is amended to read: 3
(20) "peace officer" or "firefighter" means an employee occupying a 4
position as a peace officer, chief of police, regional public safety officer, correctional 5
officer, correctional superintendent, firefighter, fire chief, dispatcher in a police or 6
fire department or in a state trooper office, or probation officer, but does not 7
include a village public safety officer or dispatcher employed by a village public 8
safety officer program established under AS 18.65.670; 9
* Sec. 4. This Act takes effect July 1, 2026. 10