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SB242 • 2026

DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY & MUNI CONTRACTS

An Act relating to contracts to provide law enforcement services between the Department of Public Safety and municipalities; relating to the powers and duties of state troopers; relating to the general powers of municipalities; and providing for an effective date.

Labor
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
SENATOR MERRICK
Last action
2026-02-11
Official status
(S) STA
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill specifies reimbursement percentages based on population ranges, but the actual payment depends on legislative appropriation as noted in Section 5(d).

State Police Contracts with Towns

This law allows the Department of Public Safety to sign written contracts with municipalities to provide police services and sets rules for state reimbursement based on population.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows the Department of Public Safety to contract with municipalities for routine patrol, emergency response, major case investigations, and administrative support.
  • Lets state troopers enforce local town laws if their specific contract says they can do so.
  • Sets a rule that only Department of Public Safety employees may supervise state troopers working under these contracts.
  • Requires the state to pay back part of the cost based on how many people live in the municipality or borough, with higher percentages for smaller populations.
  • Limits each contract to 20 years and requires two years' notice if either side wants to end it early.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Department of Public Safety
  • Municipalities (cities, towns, and boroughs)
  • State troopers working under these contracts

Terms To Know

Department of Public Safety
The state agency that manages law enforcement services.
Municipality
A local government unit like a city, town, or borough.
Reimbursement
Money the state pays back to cover part of the cost for services provided based on population size.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The money paid by the state depends on whether there is enough funding approved by the legislature.
  • Contracts cannot last longer than 20 years and must be in writing.
  • Ending a contract requires giving written notice at least two years before July 1.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-11 1661

    (S) REFERRED TO STATE AFFAIRS

  2. 2026-02-11 1661

    (S) STA, CRA

  3. 2026-02-11 1661

    (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS

Official Summary Text

DEPT. OF PUBLIC SAFETY & MUNI CONTRACTS
An Act relating to contracts to provide law enforcement services between the Department of Public Safety and municipalities; relating to the powers and duties of state troopers; relating to the general powers of municipalities; and providing for an effective date.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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SENATE BILL NO. 242

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY SENATOR MERRICK

Introduced: 2/11/26
Referred: State Affairs, Community & Regional Affairs

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to contracts to provide law enforcement services between the 1
Department of Public Safety and municipalities; relating to the powers and duties of 2
state troopers; relating to the general powers of municipalities; and providing for an 3
effective date." 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 5
* Section 1. AS 18.65.080 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 6
(c) A member of the state troopers operating under a contract between the 7
Department of Public Safety and a municipality under AS 44.41.075 may enforce a 8
municipal criminal ordinance if the contract between the Department of Public Safety 9
and the municipality authorizes state troopers to enforce municipal criminal 10
ordinances. 11
* Sec. 2. AS 29.35.010 is amended to read: 12
Sec. 29.35.010. General powers. All municipalities have the following 13
general powers, subject to other provisions of law: 14
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(1) to establish and prescribe a salary for an elected or appointed 1
municipal official or employee; 2
(2) to combine two or more appointive or administrative offices; 3
(3) to establish and prescribe the functions of a municipal department, 4
office, or agency; 5
(4) to require periodic and special reports from a municipal department 6
to be submitted through the mayor; 7
(5) to investigate an affair of the municipality and make inquiries into 8
the conduct of a municipal department; 9
(6) to levy a tax or special assessment, and impose a lien for its 10
enforcement; 11
(7) to enforce an ordinance and to prescribe a penalty for violation of 12
an ordinance; 13
(8) to acquire, manage, control, use, and dispose of real and personal 14
property, whether the property is situated inside or outside the municipal boundaries; 15
this power includes the power of a borough to expend, for any purpose authorized by 16
law, money received from the disposal of land in a service area established under 17
AS 29.35.450; 18
(9) to expend money for a community purpose, facility, or service for 19
the good of the municipality to the extent the municipality is otherwise authorized by 20
law to exercise the power necessary to accomplish the purpose or provide the facility 21
or service; 22
(10) to regulate the operation and use of a municipal right-of-way, 23
facility, or service; 24
(11) to borrow money and issue evidences of indebtedness; 25
(12) to acquire membership in an organization that promotes 26
legislation for the good of the municipality; 27
(13) to enter into an agreement, including an agreement for 28
cooperative or joint administration of any function or power with a municipality, the 29
state, or the United States; 30
(14) to sue and be sued; 31
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(15) to provide facilities or services for the confinement and care of 1
prisoners and enter into agreements with the state, another municipality, or any person 2
relating to the confinement and care of prisoners; 3
(16) to receive grants from and contract with the Department of Public 4
Safety under AS 18.65.670 and AS 44.41.075; 5
(17) to provide by ordinance for the creation, recording, and notice of a 6
lien on real or personal property to secure payment of past due utility fees, costs 7
incurred by the municipality in the abatement of an unsafe or dangerous building, and 8
other fees and charges provided for by ordinance; except as otherwise provided by 9
state law, when recorded, a municipal lien under this paragraph has priority over all 10
other liens except 11
(A) liens for property taxes, special assessments, and sales and 12
use taxes; 13
(B) liens that were perfected before the recording of the lien 14
under this paragraph; 15
(C) liens that, under state law, are prior, paramount, and 16
superior to all other liens; and 17
(D) mechanics' and materialmen's liens for which claims of lien 18
under AS 34.35.070 or notices of right to lien under AS 34.35.064 have been 19
recorded before the recording of the lien under this paragraph. 20
* Sec. 3. AS 37.05.146(c) is amended by adding a new paragraph to read: 21
(87) fees collected by the Department of Public Safety under 22
AS 44.41.075. 23
* Sec. 4. AS 44.41.020 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 24
(l) The Department of Public Safety may enter into a contract with a 25
municipality to provide law enforcement services under AS 44.41.075. 26
* Sec. 5. AS 44.41 is amended by adding a new section to read: 27
Sec. 44.41.075. Contracts with municipalities. (a) The Department of Public 28
Safety may contract with a municipality to provide routine patrol, emergency 29
response, major case investigation, and administrative support to the municipality. The 30
Department of Public Safety may charge a municipality reasonable fees to cover the 31
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costs of providing services under a contract under this section. A contract under this 1
section must be in writing and must require that a state trooper may be supervised only 2
by an employee of the Department of Public Safety. A contract under this section may 3
not be longer than 20 years in duration. A municipality or the Department of Public 4
Safety may terminate a contract under this section on July 1 of any year by providing 5
written notice to the other party 24 months before the termination date. 6
(b) The state shall reimburse a municipality that enters into a contract under 7
this section a percentage of the total cost of the contract according to the population of 8
the municipality, as follows: 9
(1) 100 percent if the population is less than 2,000; 10
(2) 50 percent if the population is 2,000 - 4,999; 11
(3) 30 percent if the population is 5,000 - 14,999; 12
(4) 10 percent if the population is 15,000 - 49,999; or 13
(5) zero percent if the population is 50,000 or greater. 14
(c) Notwithstanding (b) of this section, the state shall reimburse a second class 15
borough that enters into a contract under this section an amount equal to 50 percent of 16
the total cost of the contract. 17
(d) The reimbursement program established in this section is subject to 18
legislative appropriation and available funding. 19
(e) The commissioner of public safety shall prepare and publish an annual 20
report on activities conducted under this section in the previous calendar year. The 21
report must detail the number of active contracts with a municipality, costs associated 22
with each contract, staffing and deployment statistics, performance outcomes, and 23
implementation issues. The commissioner of public safety shall submit the report to 24
the senate secretary and chief clerk of the house of representatives on or before the 25
first day of each regular session of the legislature and shall notify the legislature that 26
the report is available. 27
* Sec. 6. This Act takes effect July 1, 2026. 28