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HB0258b -1- CSHB 258(RES)
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CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 258(RES)
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY THE HOUSE RESOURCES COMMITTEE
Offered: 2/16/26
Referred: Finance
Sponsor(s): REPRESENTATIVES STAPP, Moore, Dibert, Costello
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act establishing a statewide spay and neuter assistance fund; establishing the 1
statewide spay and neuter assistance program; relating to companion animal spay and 2
neuter special request registration plates; relating to contributions from permanent 3
fund dividends; and providing for an effective date." 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 5
* Section 1. AS 03.55 is amended by adding new sections to read: 6
Article 3. Statewide Spay and Neuter Assistance Fund and Program. 7
Sec. 03.55.200. Statewide spay and neuter assistance fund. (a) The 8
statewide spay and neuter assistance fund is established as a separate account in the 9
general fund. The fund consists of 10
(1) program receipts from the special request companion animal spay 11
and neuter plates issued under AS 28.10.421(d)(28); 12
(2) donations to the fund; 13
(3) federal or private funding that may be available to the state to 14
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support spay and neuter services; and 1
(4) interest earned on money in the fund. 2
(b) The department shall administer the fund in accordance with the 3
provisions of AS 03.55.200 - 03.55.240. 4
(c) The legislature may appropriate money from the fund to the department to 5
implement AS 03.55.200 - 03.55.240 and to pay the costs of administering the fund. 6
(d) Nothing in this section creates a dedicated fund. 7
Sec. 03.55.210. Statewide spay and neuter assistance program; eligibility. 8
(a) The statewide spay and neuter assistance program is established in the department. 9
(b) The program shall provide direct reimbursement to a participating 10
veterinarian, veterinary clinic, animal shelter, or nonprofit organization in the state 11
that provides a spay or neuter surgery or presurgical examination or administers 12
required vaccinations without charge or at a reduced rate to a pet belonging to a 13
household in the state with an annual family or household income equal to or less than 14
130 percent of the most recent poverty guidelines for the state set by the United States 15
Department of Health and Human Services. 16
(c) The department shall adopt regulations to carry out the program, including 17
establishing 18
(1) a process for verifying whether a pet owner qualifies as an eligible 19
household under (b)of this section; 20
(2) a fee reimbursement process and standard reimbursement rate 21
schedule of up to 80 percent of the prevailing rates for the services covered by the 22
program. 23
Sec. 03.55.220. Statewide spay and neuter assistance fund and program 24
awareness and education. The department shall promote public awareness of the 25
fund and the program and educate the public about the dangers of uncontrolled 26
breeding of domestic dogs and cats. The department shall publish a list of providers 27
that participate in the program on the department's Internet website. 28
Sec. 03.55.230. Annual report. The department shall submit an annual report 29
to the legislature on or before the first day of each regular session of the legislature 30
that details, for the preceding year, the number and type of services provided under the 31
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program and the program revenue and expenditures. The department shall deliver the 1
report to the senate secretary and the chief clerk of the house of representatives and 2
notify the legislature that the report is available. 3
Sec. 03.55.240. Definitions. In AS 03.55.200 - 03.55.240, 4
(1) "department" means the Department of Environmental 5
Conservation; 6
(2) "fund" means the statewide spay and neuter assistance fund 7
established under AS 03.55.200; 8
(3) "program" means the statewide spay and neuter assistance program 9
established under AS 03.55.210. 10
* Sec. 2. AS 28.10.181 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 11
(pp) Special request companion animal spay and neuter plates. Upon 12
application by the owner of a motor vehicle, the department may design and issue 13
registration plates representing the statewide spay and neuter assistance program 14
established under AS 03.55.210. The department may disapprove the issuance of 15
registration plates under this subsection when the requested plates are a duplication of 16
an existing registration. 17
* Sec. 3. AS 28.10.421(d) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 18
(28) special request companion animal spay and neuter plates 19
registered under AS 28.10.181(pp) ........................................................................ $100 20
plus the fee required for that vehicle under (b), (c), (h), or (i) of this section; the fee 21
required by this paragraph shall be collected only on the first issuance of and the 22
replacement of the special request plates; the commissioner shall separately account 23
for the fees received under this paragraph that the department deposits into the general 24
fund; notwithstanding (g) of this section, the annual estimated balance in the account 25
that is in excess of the cost of issuing special request plates may be appropriated by 26
the legislature into the statewide spay and neuter assistance fund established in 27
AS 03.55.200. 28
* Sec. 4. AS 37.05.146(c) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 29
(88) statewide spay and neuter assistance fund (AS 03.55.200). 30
* Sec. 5. AS 43.23.130(a) is amended to read: 31
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(a) Notwithstanding AS 43.23.200, the Department of Revenue shall prepare 1
the electronic Alaska permanent fund dividend application to allow an applicant who 2
files electronically to direct that money be subtracted from the dividend payment and 3
contributed to the crime victim compensation fund (AS 18.67.162), the peace officer 4
and firefighter survivors' fund, the statewide spay and neuter assistance fund 5
(AS 03.55.200), or one or more of the educational organizations, community 6
foundations, or charitable organizations that appear on the contribution list contained 7
in the application. A contribution to the crime victim compensation fund, the peace 8
officer and firefighter survivors' fund, the statewide spay and neuter assistance 9
fund, or [TO] an organization may be $25, $50, $75, $100, or more, in increments of 10
$50, up to the total amount of the permanent fund dividend that the applicant is 11
entitled to receive. If the total amount of contributions elected by an applicant exceeds 12
the amount of the permanent fund dividend that the applicant is entitled to receive, 13
contributions shall be deducted from the dividend in the order of priority elected by 14
the applicant on the application until the entire amount of the dividend that the 15
applicant is entitled to receive is allocated for contribution. The electronic dividend 16
application form must include notice that seven percent of the money contributed will 17
be used for administrative costs incurred in implementing this section, and money 18
from the dividend fund will not be used for that purpose. 19
* Sec. 6. AS 43.23.130(b) is amended to read: 20
(b) The department shall list each educational organization, community 21
foundation, or charitable organization eligible under (c) and (d) of this section, each 22
university campus that applies under (l) of this section, the crime victim compensation 23
fund, [AND] the peace officer and firefighter survivors' fund, and the statewide spay 24
and neuter assistance fund on the contribution list. The department shall maintain an 25
electronic database for the contribution list that is accessible to the public and that 26
permits searches by organization or fund name, geographic location, and type. The 27
department shall provide a statement of the contributions made by an individual that is 28
suitable for federal income tax purposes to each individual who elects to contribute 29
under (a) of this section. 30
* Sec. 7. AS 43.23.130(m) is amended to read: 31
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(m) In addition to the application fee in (f) of this section, the department shall 1
withhold a coordination fee from each organization, foundation, or university campus 2
that receives contributions under this section in the immediately preceding dividend 3
year. The coordination fee for an organization, foundation, or university campus that 4
receives contributions under this section shall be seven percent of the amount of 5
contributions reported by the department under (j) of this section for the organization, 6
foundation, or university campus for the immediately preceding dividend year. The 7
coordination fee shall be separately accounted for under AS 37.05.142 and shall be 8
accounted for separately from the application fee collected under (f) of this section. 9
The annual estimated balance in the account maintained under AS 37.05.142 for 10
coordination fees collected under this subsection may be appropriated for costs of 11
administering this section. The department may not withhold a coordination fee for 12
contributions to the crime victim compensation fund, [OR] the peace officer and 13
firefighter survivors' fund, or the statewide spay and neuter assistance fund. 14
* Sec. 8. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 15
read: 16
REPORT TO LEGISLATURE. The Department of Environmental Conservation shall 17
submit the first annual report required by AS 03.55.230, enacted by sec. 1 of this Act, on or 18
before January 18, 2028. 19
* Sec. 9. This Act takes effect January 1, 2027. 20