Bill > HB189

This bill addresses the eligibility of individuals whose criminal convictions have been vacated, reversed, or dismissed to receive past Permanent Fund Dividends (PFDs) in Alaska. Specifically, the bill allows individuals who were previously ineligible to receive a PFD due to a criminal conviction to apply for dividends for each year they were ineligible, if their conviction is later vacated or reversed and either the charges are dismissed or they are retried and found not guilty. Applicants must submit their PFD application within one year of the dismissal or not guilty finding. The bill also modifies the calculation of the annual PFD value to include these potentially eligible recipients. For individuals whose dismissal or not guilty finding occurred before the bill's effective date, they will have one year from that date to apply for past PFDs. This legislation provides a mechanism for individuals who have been wrongly convicted to retroactively receive the state's annual dividend payments, acknowledging potential past injustices in the criminal justice system and offering a form of financial restitution.

Government Affairs

https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/34?Root=HB189