Read the full stored bill text
HB0365a -1- HB 365
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
34-LS1065\N
HOUSE BILL NO. 365
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY REPRESENTATIVE BYNUM
Introduced: 2/23/26
Referred: Community and Regional Affairs, Labor and Commerce
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
"An Act relating to the duty of the Department of Commerce, Community, and 1
Economic Development to identify scholarship granting organizations and participate in 2
the federal tax credit program for qualified contributions to a scholarship granting 3
organization." 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 5
* Section 1. AS 44.33.020(a) is amended to read: 6
(a) The Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development 7
shall 8
(1) advise and assist local governments; 9
(2) advise the governor and other commissioners on the delivery of 10
government services to rural areas, including services relating to public safety, justice, 11
economic development, natural resource management, education, and public health; 12
(3) make recommendations to the governor and other commissioners 13
about policy changes that would affect rural governments and rural affairs; 14
34-LS1065\N
HB 365 -2- HB0365a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
(4) serve as staff for the Local Boundary Commission; 1
(5) conduct studies and carry out experimental and pilot projects for 2
the purpose of developing solutions to community and regional problems; 3
(6) promote cooperative solutions to problems affecting more than one 4
community or region, including joint service agreements, regional compacts, and other 5
forms of cooperation; 6
(7) serve as a clearinghouse for information useful in solution of 7
community and regional problems, and channel to the appropriate authority requests 8
for information and services; 9
(8) advise and assist community and regional governments on matters 10
of finance, including but not limited to bond marketing and procurement of federal 11
funds; 12
(9) prepare suggested guidelines relating to the content of notice of 13
bond sale advertisements, prospectuses, and other bonding matters issued by local 14
governments; 15
(10) administer state funds appropriated for the benefit of unorganized 16
regions within the state, allowing for maximum participation by local advisory 17
councils and similar bodies; 18
(11) as assigned through a delegation by the governor, administer and 19
implement the state's role in the federal community development quota program 20
established under 16 U.S.C. 1855(i) or a successor federal program; the department 21
may adopt regulations under a delegation from the governor to implement duties under 22
this paragraph; 23
(12) carry out those administrative functions in the unorganized 24
borough that the legislature may prescribe; 25
(13) study existing and proposed laws and state activities that affect 26
community and regional affairs and submit to the governor recommended changes in 27
those laws and activities; 28
(14) coordinate activities of the state that affect community and 29
regional affairs; 30
(15) assist in the development of new communities and serve as the 31
34-LS1065\N
HB0365a -3- HB 365
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
agent of the state for purposes of participation in federal programs relating to new 1
communities; 2
(16) supervise planning, management, and other activities required for 3
local eligibility for financial aid under those federal and state programs that provide 4
assistance to community and regional governments; 5
(17) advise and assist municipalities on procedures of assessment, 6
valuation, and taxation, and notify municipalities of major errors in those procedures; 7
(18) apply for, receive, and use funds from federal and other sources, 8
public or private, for use in carrying out the powers and duties of the department; 9
(19) request and utilize the resources of other agencies of state 10
government in carrying out the purposes of this chapter to the extent the utilization is 11
more efficient than maintaining departmental staff, reimbursing the other agencies 12
when appropriate; 13
(20) administer state and, as appropriate, federal programs for revenue 14
sharing, community assistance, grants, and other forms of financial assistance to 15
community and regional governments; 16
(21) administer the state programs relating to commerce or community 17
development, enforce the laws relating to these programs, and adopt regulations under 18
these laws; 19
(22) register corporations; 20
(23) collect corporation franchise taxes; 21
(24) enforce state laws regulating public utilities and other public 22
service enterprises, banking and securities, insurance, and other businesses and 23
enterprises touched with a public interest; 24
(25) make veterans' loans; 25
(26) furnish the budgeting, clerical, and administrative services for 26
regulatory agencies and professional and occupational licensing boards not otherwise 27
provided for; 28
(27) conduct studies, enter into contracts and agreements, and make 29
surveys relating to the economic development of the state and, when appropriate, 30
assemble, analyze, and disseminate the findings obtained; 31
34-LS1065\N
HB 365 -4- HB0365a
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
(28) provide factual information and technical assistance for potential 1
industrial and commercial investors; 2
(29) receive gifts, grants, and other aid that facilitate the powers and 3
duties of the department from agencies and instrumentalities of the United States or 4
other public or private sources; 5
(30) establish and activate programs to achieve balanced economic 6
development in the state and advise the governor on economic development policy 7
matters; 8
(31) formulate a continuing program for basic economic development 9
and for the necessary promotion, planning, and research that will advance the 10
economic development of the state; 11
(32) cooperate with private, governmental, and other public institutions 12
and agencies in the execution of economic development programs; 13
(33) review the programs and annual reports of other departments and 14
agencies as they are related to economic development and prepare an annual report on 15
the economic growth of the state; 16
(34) administer the economic development programs of the state; 17
(35) perform all other duties and powers necessary or proper in 18
relation to economic development and planning for the state; 19
(36) request tourism-related businesses in the state to provide data 20
regarding occupancy levels, traffic flow, and gross receipts and to participate in visitor 21
surveys conducted by the department; data collected under this paragraph that 22
discloses the particulars of an individual business is not a matter of public record and 23
shall be kept confidential; however, this restriction does not prevent the department 24
from using the data to formulate tourism economic impact information including 25
expenditure patterns, tax receipts and fees, employment and income attributable to 26
tourism, and other information considered relevant to the planning, evaluation, and 27
policy direction of tourism in the state; 28
(37) provide administrative and budgetary services to the Real Estate 29
Commission under AS 08.88 as requested by the commission; 30
(38) sell at cost, to the extent possible, publications and promotional 31
34-LS1065\N
HB0365a -5- HB 365
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]
materials developed by the department; 1
(39) as delegated by the governor, administer under 16 U.S.C. 1856 2
the internal waters foreign processing permit procedures and collect related fees; 3
(40) administer state laws relating to the issuance of business licenses; 4
(41) comply with AS 15.07.055 to serve as a voter registration agency 5
to the extent required by state and federal law, including 42 U.S.C. 1973gg (National 6
Voter Registration Act of 1993); 7
(42) carry out other functions and duties, consistent with law, 8
necessary or appropriate to accomplish the purpose of this chapter; 9
(43) oversee the administration of outstanding loans and financial 10
assistance under the Alaska BIDCO assistance program under former AS 37.17.500 - 11
37.17.690; 12
(44) supply necessary clerical and administrative services for the 13
Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and the Marijuana Control Board; 14
(45) cooperate with the federal government and do all things 15
necessary to participate in the federal tax credit program established under 26 16
U.S.C. 25F for qualified contributions to a scholarship granting organization, 17
including identifying scholarship granting organizations in the state in 18
accordance with 26 U.S.C. 25F(g). 19