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SB1 • 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
SENATORS DUNBAR, Tobin, Claman, Gray-Jackson
Last action
2025-01-28
Official status
(S) FIN
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is unknown based on the provided metadata.

SB1: Civil Legal Services Fund Appropriations

This bill changes the law to allow up to 25 percent of court filing fees, instead of 10 percent, to be used for a fund that pays organizations providing legal help to low-income people in Alaska.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the maximum amount of money from court filing fees that can go into the civil legal services fund from 10 percent to 25 percent.
  • Allows the legislature to give money from this specific source and other general funds to groups offering civil legal aid.
  • Defines a low-income individual as someone earning at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for Alaska set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Clarifies that this law does not create a dedicated fund.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The State Legislature when deciding on budget amounts.
  • Organizations that provide civil legal services to low-income individuals in Alaska.
  • Low-income individuals who need help with non-criminal legal issues.
  • The Alaska Court System regarding the use of filing fees.

Terms To Know

Appropriation
An official act by the legislature to set aside money for a specific purpose.
Civil legal services
Legal help provided to low-income individuals, as defined in this bill.
Federal poverty guidelines
Income levels set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services used to determine who qualifies as a low-income individual for this fund.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not say exactly how much money will be given out, only that it can come from up to 25 percent of filing fees plus other general funds.
  • It is unclear if the fund has enough current deposits to support new appropriations immediately.

Bill History

  1. 2025-01-28 111

    (S) REFERRED TO FINANCE

  2. 2025-01-28 111

    (S) FN1: (CED)

  3. 2025-01-28 111

    (S) NR: MYERS

  4. 2025-01-28 111

    (S) DP: CLAMAN, TOBIN, STEVENS, KIEHL

  5. 2025-01-28 111

    (S) JUD RPT 4DP 1NR

  6. 2025-01-27 Min

    (S) Minutes (SJUD)

  7. 2025-01-27 Text

    (S) Moved SB 1 Out of Committee

  8. 2025-01-27 Text

    (S) JUDICIARY at 01:30 PM BUTROVICH 205

  9. 2025-01-27 98

    (S) COSPONSOR(S): TOBIN, CLAMAN, GRAY-JACKSON

  10. 2025-01-22 25

    (S) JUD, FIN

  11. 2025-01-22 25

    (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

  12. 2025-01-22 25

    (S) PREFILE RELEASED 1/10/25

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 
SB0001A -1- SB 1
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0004\A

SENATE BILL NO. 1

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY SENATORS DUNBAR, Tobin, Claman, Gray-Jackson

Introduced: 1/22/25
Referred: Judiciary, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to appropriations to the civil legal services fund." 1
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 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