KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

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SB144 • 2026

PEACE OFFICERS/FIREFIGHTERS: DISABILITY

An Act relating to occupational disability benefits for peace officers and firefighters; and providing for an effective date.

Labor Taxes
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
SENATOR YUNDT
Last action
2025-03-26
Official status
(S) L&C
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date is listed as immediate under AS 01.10.070(c), but the exact calendar day depends on when the bill was signed or enrolled, which is not in the provided text.

SB 144: Disability Benefits for Peace Officers and Firefighters

This bill changes the rules to increase disability payments for peace officers and firefighters after they have received benefits for one year.

What This Bill Does

  • Sets the monthly disability benefit at 40 percent of an employee's gross pay when their job ends due to injury or illness.
  • Increases that monthly payment to 75 percent of gross pay starting in month 13 if the person is a peace officer or firefighter.
  • Makes employer contributions fully owned by the member immediately upon appointment to disability status.
  • Requires employers to keep making money into the employee's individual account while they receive disability benefits.
  • Stops employees from taking money out of their own contribution accounts while they are getting these disability payments.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Peace officers in Alaska
  • Firefighters in Alaska

Terms To Know

Occupational disability benefit
Money paid to an employee whose job ended because of a work-related injury or illness.
Gross monthly compensation
The total amount of pay an employee earns in one month before taxes are taken out.
Vested
Fully owned by the worker, meaning they cannot lose these funds even if they leave their job or stop working.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not explain how a person proves their injury is work-related.
  • The text does not state what happens to benefits after the employee reaches retirement age.
  • The source material does not list specific dollar amounts for these payments.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-26 620

    (S) REFERRED TO LABOR & COMMERCE

  2. 2025-03-26 620

    (S) L&C, FIN

  3. 2025-03-26 620

    (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

PEACE OFFICERS/FIREFIGHTERS: DISABILITY
An Act relating to occupational disability benefits for peace officers and firefighters; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SB0144A -1- SB 144
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

34-LS0485\A

SENATE BILL NO. 144

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY SENATOR YUNDT

Introduced: 3/26/25
Referred: Labor and Commerce, Finance

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to occupational disability benefits for peace officers and firefighters; 1
and providing for an effective date." 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
* Section 1. AS 39.35.410(d) is amended to read: 4
(d) The monthly amount of an occupational disability benefit i s 40 percent of 5
the disabled employee's gross monthly compensation at the time of termination due to 6
disability. For each month of eligibility after the first 12 months, the mo nthly 7
benefit amount payable to an employee who is a peace officer or firefighter at the 8
time of termination is increased to 75 percent of the employee' s gross monthly 9
compensation at the time of termination. 10
* Sec. 2. AS 39.35.890(d) is amended to read: 11
(d) The monthly amount of an occupational disability benefit i s 40 percent of 12
the disabled employee's gross monthly compensation at the time of termination due to 13
disability. For each month of eligibility after the first 12 months, the mo nthly 14
34-LS0485\A
SB 144 -2- SB0144A
New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED]

benefit amount payable to an employee who is a peace officer or firefighter at the 1
time of termination is increased to 75 percent of the employee' s gross monthly 2
compensation at the time of termination. Notwithstanding AS 39.35.790(b), at the 3
time a member is appointed to disability, the member becomes fu lly vested in the 4
employer contributions made under AS 39.35.750(a). A disabled m ember is fully 5
vested in the contributions to the member's individual account made under this 6
subsection. An employee is not entitled to elect distributions from the employee's 7
individual contribution acc ount under AS 39.35.810 while the em ployee is receiving 8
disability benefits under this section. While an employee is re ceiving disability 9
benefits, based on the disabled e mployee's gross monthly compen sation at the time of 10
termination due to disability, the employer shall make contributions 11
(1) to the employee's individual account under AS 39.35.730 on behalf 12
of the employee, without deduction from the employee's disability payments; and 13
(2) on behalf of the employee under AS 39.35.750. 14
* Sec. 3. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 15