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HB48 • 2026

CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES FUND

An Act relating to appropriations to the civil legal services fund.

Budget
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
REPRESENTATIVES HANNAN, Fields, Eischeid, Schrage, Jimmie, Story, Galvin, Gray, Josephson, Frier, Mina SENATORS Gray-Jackson, Kawasaki, Tobin, Claman
Last action
2026-06-04
Official status
CHAPTER 5 SLA 26
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The source confirms the change from 10% to 25%, but does not specify if this is an immediate increase or subject to future legislative action beyond the effective date.

HB 48: Civil Legal Services Fund Appropriations

This law changes how much money from court filing fees can be put into the civil legal services fund to help low-income people get lawyers.

What This Bill Does

  • Increases the amount of Alaska Court System filing fees that may go into the fund from 10 percent to 25 percent.
  • Allows the legislature to take this money only after it is deposited in the state general fund.
  • Permits spending from the fund for organizations that give civil legal services to low-income individuals.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Alaska Legislature
  • Organizations providing civil legal services
  • Low-income individuals in Alaska

Terms To Know

Civil Legal Services Fund
A special account in the general fund that holds money for giving legal help to people who cannot afford it.
Appropriations
Money officially set aside by the legislature for a specific purpose.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law states that this section does not create a dedicated fund.
  • The text does not say exactly how much total money will be in the fund each year, only the percentage of fees allowed.
  • The effective date listed is August 23, 2026.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-04 3034

    (H) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) OF LAW 8/23/2026

  2. 2026-06-04 3034

    (H) LAW W/O GOV SIGNATURE 5/20 CHAPTER 5 SLA 26

  3. 2026-05-07 2446

    (H) 3:45 P.M. 5/7/26 TRANSMITTED TO GOVERNOR

  4. 2026-05-06 2492

    (S) VERSION: HB 48

  5. 2026-05-06 2492

    (S) RETURN TO (H), TRANSMIT TO GOV NEXT

  6. 2026-05-06 2492

    (S) PASSED Y17 N3

  7. 2026-05-06 2491

    (S) READ THE THIRD TIME HB 48

  8. 2026-05-04 2466

    (S) CROSS SPONSOR(S): CLAMAN

  9. 2026-05-04 2466

    (S) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 5/6 CAL

  10. 2026-05-04 2466

    (S) READ THE SECOND TIME

  11. 2026-05-04 2466

    (S) RULES TO CALENDAR 5/4/2026

  12. 2026-05-01 2436

    (S) FN4: (CED)(SUBMITTED BY RULES)

  13. 2026-05-01 2436

    (S) FN3: ZERO(AJS)(SUBMITTED BY RULES)

  14. 2026-05-01 2435

    (S) NR: STEDMAN, KAUFMAN, CRONK, MERRICK

  15. 2026-05-01 2435

    (S) DP: OLSON, HOFFMAN, KIEHL

  16. 2026-05-01 2435

    (S) FIN RPT 3DP 4NR

  17. 2026-04-30 Text

    (S) Moved HB 48 Out of Committee

  18. 2026-04-30 Text

    (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532

  19. 2026-04-28 Text

    (S) -- Testimony <Invitation Only> -- -- MEETING CANCELED --

  20. 2026-04-28 Text

    (S) FINANCE at 01:30 PM SENATE FINANCE 532

  21. 2026-04-14 Min

    (S) Minutes (SFIN)

  22. 2026-04-14 Text

    (S) Heard & Held

  23. 2026-04-14 Text

    (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532

  24. 2026-03-02 1809

    (S) JUD REFERRAL REMOVED

  25. 2026-02-27 1790

    (S) CROSS SPONSOR(S): GRAY-JACKSON, KAWASAKI, TOBIN

  26. 2026-02-27 1788

    (S) JUD, FIN

  27. 2026-02-27 1788

    (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

  28. 2026-02-25 1740

    (H) VERSION: HB 48

  29. 2026-02-25 1740

    (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S)

  30. 2026-02-25 1738

    (H) COSPONSOR(S): FRIER, MINA

  31. 2026-02-25 1721

    (H) PASSED Y27 N13

  32. 2026-02-25 1721

    (H) READ THE THIRD TIME HB 48

  33. 2026-02-23 1701

    (H) COSPONSOR(S): GALVIN, GRAY, JOSEPHSON

  34. 2026-02-23 1696

    (H) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING 2/25 CALENDAR

  35. 2026-02-23 1696

    (H) FN4: (CED)(SUBMITTED BY RULES)

  36. 2026-02-23 1696

    (H) FN3: ZERO(AJS)(SUBMITTED BY RULES)

  37. 2026-02-23 1696

    (H) READ THE SECOND TIME

  38. 2026-02-23 1696

    (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 2/23/2026

  39. 2026-02-04 1560

    (H) COSPONSOR(S): STORY

  40. 2025-04-09 636

    (H) FN2: (CED)

  41. 2025-04-09 636

    (H) FN1: ZERO(AJS)

  42. 2025-04-09 636

    (H) NR: BYNUM, TOMASZEWSKI

  43. 2025-04-09 636

    (H) DNP: ALLARD, STAPP

  44. 2025-04-09 636

    (H) DP: HANNAN, GALVIN, JIMMIE, FOSTER, JOSEPHSON, SCHRAGE

  45. 2025-04-09 636

    (H) FIN RPT 6DP 2DNP 2NR

  46. 2025-04-07 Min

    (H) Minutes (HFIN)

  47. 2025-04-07 Text

    (H) Moved HB 48 Out of Committee

  48. 2025-04-07 Text

    (H) FINANCE at 01:30 PM ADAMS 519

  49. 2025-03-21 513

    (H) COSPONSOR(S): JIMMIE

  50. 2025-03-19 Min

    (H) Minutes (HFIN)

  51. 2025-03-19 Text

    (H) Heard & Held

  52. 2025-03-19 Text

    (H) FINANCE at 01:30 PM ADAMS 519

  53. 2025-02-19 216

    (H) COSPONSOR(S): SCHRAGE

  54. 2025-02-10 154

    (H) FN2: (CED)

  55. 2025-02-10 154

    (H) FN1: ZERO(AJS)

  56. 2025-02-10 154

    (H) NR: COSTELLO, UNDERWOOD

  57. 2025-02-10 154

    (H) DP: MINA, EISCHEID, KOPP, GRAY

  58. 2025-02-10 154

    (H) JUD RPT 4DP 2NR

  59. 2025-02-07 Min

    (H) Minutes (HJUD)

  60. 2025-02-07 Text

    (H) Moved HB 48 Out of Committee

  61. 2025-02-07 Text

    (H) JUDICIARY at 01:00 PM GRUENBERG 120

  62. 2025-02-06 131

    (H) COSPONSOR(S): EISCHEID

  63. 2025-01-31 Min

    (H) Minutes (HJUD)

  64. 2025-01-31 Text

    (H) Heard & Held -- Please Note Time Change --

  65. 2025-01-31 Text

    (H) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM GRUENBERG 120

  66. 2025-01-27 92

    (H) COSPONSOR(S): FIELDS

  67. 2025-01-22 43

    (H) JUD, FIN

  68. 2025-01-22 43

    (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES FUND
An Act relating to appropriations to the civil legal services fund.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Enrolled HB 48
LAWS OF ALASKA

2026

Source Chapter No.
HB 48 _______

AN ACT

Relating to appropriations to the civil legal services fund.

_______________

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:

THE ACT FOLLOWS ON PAGE 1

-1- Enrolled HB 48

AN ACT

Relating to appropriations to the civil legal services fund. 1
_______________ 2
* Section 1. AS 37.05.590 is amended to read: 3
Sec. 37.05.590. Civil legal services fund. The civil legal services fund is 4
established as a special account in the general fund. The fund consists of 5
appropriations to it. Annually, the legislature may appropriate to the fund only from 6
amounts deposited into the general fund of the state under AS 09.17.020(j) and an 7
amount from the general fund that is up to 25 [10] percent of the filing fees received 8
by the Alaska Court System during the previous closed fiscal year. The legislature 9
may make appropriations from the fund to organizations that provide civil legal 10
services to low-income individuals. Nothing in this section creates a dedicated fund. In 11
this section, "low-income individual" means an individual with an income equal to or 12
less than 125 percent of the most recent federal poverty guidelines for Alaska set by 13
the United States Department of Health and Human Services. 14