STATE EMPLOYEES: MEALS/TRAVEL EXPENSES

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate statement incorrectly specified the allowance period as 'first 30 days' instead of 'first 10 days'.

Meals and Travel Expenses for State Employees

This act sets rules for how much money state officials and employees can get to pay for meals and other small costs when they are on official travel within the state.

What This Bill Does

• Creates a new rule that says the commissioner of administration must set an allowance for meals and incidental expenses for state workers who are traveling on official business.
• Specifies that this allowance should be at least $82 per day for the first 10 days of travel, and then at least $45 per day after that until the trip is over.
• Requires the commissioner to adjust these allowances every three years based on changes in the Consumer Price Index for urban Alaska.

Who It Names or Affects

• State officials and employees who are traveling on official business within the state of Alaska.

Terms To Know

per diem allowance

Money given to a traveler each day to cover expenses like meals and lodging while they are away from home on official business.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

A measure that looks at how the prices of goods and services change over time, used here to adjust allowances for inflation.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a traveler's expenses exceed the set allowance.
• It is unclear when exactly this act will take effect since an effective date has not been provided in the official text.

Official Summary Text

STATE EMPLOYEES: MEALS/TRAVEL EXPENSES
An Act relating to a meals and incidental expense allowance for state officials and employees; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

HB0300a -1- HB 300
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS1331\I

HOUSE BILL NO. 300

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY REPRESENTATIVE HANNAN

Introduced: 2/11/26
Referred: State Affairs, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to a meals and incidental expense allowance for state officials and 1
employees; and providing for an effective date." 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
* Section 1. AS 39.20.160 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 4
(b) The commissioner of administration shall adopt regulations that set a 5
meals and incidental expense allowance for state officials and employees on official 6
travel in the state, prorated for partial days and by meal period in a manner determined 7
by the commissioner, as follows: 8
(1) at least $82 a day for the first 30 days; and 9
(2) at least $45 a day for the 31st day of travel until the travel is 10
completed. 11
(c) Beginning July 1, 2029, and every three years thereafter, the commissioner 12
of administration shall adjust the meals and incidental expense allowances in (b) of 13
this section by a percentage equal to the average percentage of increase over the 14
34-LS1331\I
HB 300 -2- HB0300a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

preceding three-year period in all items of the Consumer Price Index for all urban 1
consumers for urban Alaska, compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, United States 2
Department of Labor. 3
(d) In this section, "meals and incidental expense allowance" means the 4
allowance provided to a traveler, as a part of the traveler's per diem allowance, to 5
cover the cost of meals and expenses, including discretionary gratuities. 6
* Sec. 2. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 7