HB 199 Alaska House · 34th Legislature (2025-2026)

An Act relating to the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development; relating to the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank; relating to certain loans made by the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank; and providing for an effective date.

HB 199 enables the Alaska Department of Commerce to purchase preferred shares in the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank, allowing it to provide low-interest loans to commercial fishing businesses. The bill requires loans to have fixed 15-year terms with interest rates capped at either the prime rate plus 2% or 5.25% annually. It mandates the bank to submit loan data for department audits, ensuring projected interest earnings from these loans cover the department's share purchase costs. The funding comes from unobligated funds in a former revolving loan program, and the measure expires July 1, 2027.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Apr 16, 2025 Last action May 7, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB 199 → CSHB 199(FSH) · 5 edits
MODERATE
This bill was updated from a House Bill (HB 199) to a Committee Substitute (CSHB 199) with significant changes to how the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank operates. The main changes involve stricter loan terms, more detailed reporting requirements, and updated procedures for the state to recover funds if the bank's loans don't generate enough interest to cover the state's investment.
Scope change
The bill's scope remains focused on the Alaska Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank, but the operational requirements and oversight mechanisms have been expanded and clarified.
REQUIREMENT

Loan terms were changed from having a fixed 15-year term with no interest exceeding certain limits to requiring a fixed interest rate in addition to the existing interest rate caps.

New detailed reporting requirements were added, requiring the bank to provide loan numbers, principal balances, interest rates, loan terms, loan agreements, amortization schedules, and other information to the Department of Commerce.

ENFORCEMENT

The process for recovering funds was updated. If loans don't generate enough interest to cover the state's investment, the bank must buy back shares rather than just repaying a cash difference.

The department's review process was changed from an audit to a one-time review, and the timeline for bank response was clarified to 30 days for share buybacks.

TECHNICAL

The bill's header information was updated to reflect its status as a Committee Substitute (CSHB) with new sponsor attribution and different filing dates.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
1
Committee
3
May 7, 2025
Committee
(H) REFERRED TO RULES
lower
May 7, 2025
Committee
(H) FIN REFERRAL REMOVED
lower
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
(H) Moved CSHB 199(FSH) Out of Committee
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.