ALCOHOL: OFFENSES AND CIVIL LIABILITY

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

SB284: Rules for Serving Alcohol and Liability

This bill changes Alaska law by removing a criminal negligence requirement for serving alcohol to drunk people and limits when an intoxicated person can sue others.

What This Bill Does

• Removes the rule that says serving alcohol to a drunken person must be done with criminal negligence.
• Prohibits licensees, agents, or employees from knowingly selling, giving, or bartering alcoholic beverages to a drunken person.
• Stops licensed businesses from allowing another person to sell, give, or barter an alcoholic beverage to a drunken person on their property.
• Prevents licensed businesses from letting a drunken person enter and stay inside or drink alcohol there.
• Prohibits licensees, agents, or employees from permitting a drunken person to sell or serve alcoholic beverages.
• States that in certain lawsuits, an intoxicated person cannot recover damages for injuries caused by their own intoxication.

Who It Names or Affects

• Licensees, agents, and employees of businesses selling alcohol
• People who are drunk on licensed premises
• Business owners allowing others to serve or sell drinks

Terms To Know

Licensed premises

A place where a license is held to sell alcoholic beverages.

Drunken person

An individual who is intoxicated by alcohol, as referenced in the bill text.

Limits and Unknowns

• The specific effective date of this law has not been set yet.
• These new rules only apply to offenses committed on or after the effective date of the Act.

Official Summary Text

ALCOHOL: OFFENSES AND CIVIL LIABILITY
An Act relating to prohibited conduct relating to drunken persons; and relating to civil liability of persons providing alcoholic beverages.

Current Bill Text

SB0284A -1- SB 284
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SENATE BILL NO. 284

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION

BY THE SENATE LABOR AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE

Introduced: 4/15/26
Referred: Labor and Commerce, Judiciary

A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to prohibited conduct relating to drunken persons; and relating to civil 1
liability of persons providing alcoholic beverages." 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 3
* Section 1. AS 04.16.030(a) is amended to read: 4
(a) A licensee, an agent, or employee may not knowingly [WITH CRIMINAL 5
NEGLIGENCE] 6
(1) sell, give, or barter alcoholic beverages to a drunken person; 7
(2) allow another person to sell, give, or barter an alcoholic beverage 8
to a drunken person within licensed premises; 9
(3) allow a drunken person to enter and remain within licensed 10
premises or to consume an alcoholic beverage within licensed premises; 11
(4) permit a drunken person to sell or serve alcoholic beverages. 12
* Sec. 2. AS 04.21.020 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 13
(f) In an action under (a) of this section, the intoxicated person has no right of 14
34-LS1274\I
SB 284 -2- SB0284A
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recovery and is primarily liable for any injury resulting from their intoxication. 1
* Sec. 3. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 2
read: 3
APPLICABILITY. AS 04.16.030(a), as amended by sec. 1 of this Act, applies to 4
offenses committed on or after the effective date of this Act. 5