Criminal Justice in Alaska

in committee · Alaska · House Apr 8, 2026

HB 242: An Act relating to sexual assault.

HB 242 amends Alaska's criminal statutes to clarify and strengthen definitions of sexual assault. It updates first-degree sexual assault (Section 1) to explicitly include offenses involving victims who are mentally incapable, incapacitated, or unaware of the act - particularly when the victim is under the offender's care (e.g., in licensed facilities) or when a health care worker exploits a patient during treatment. Second-degree sexual assault (Section 2) similarly expands definitions to cover assaults involving mentally incapable victims in care settings, incapacitation, or health care worker misconduct. The bill directly affects vulnerable individuals in care environments and health care settings by tightening legal standards for prosecuting these specific offenses. The bill is currently pending in the Health & Social Services committee and has not yet been enacted.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Violent Crime

in committee · Alaska · House Apr 1, 2026

HB 64: An Act relating to the surrender of infants; and providing for an effective date.

HB 64 in Alaska creates a legal process for parents to safely surrender newborns without facing criminal charges or future parental obligations. It allows parents to hand infants to authorized personnel (like hospital staff, police, or emergency medical workers) or place them in designated infant safety devices at approved locations (such as hospitals, fire stations, or clinics). Facilities receiving surrendered infants must immediately notify child welfare services, and parents lose all legal duty to support the child after a safe surrender. The bill also protects facilities from liability if they follow these procedures, and requires safety devices to be visible, climate-controlled, and clearly marked.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Policing

passed · Alaska · House Apr 13, 2026

HB 47: An Act relating to distribution of a forged digital likeness; relating to crime and criminal procedure; relating to distribution of a generated sexual depiction; relating to generated obscene child sexual abuse material; relating to teaching certificates; relating to licensing of school bus drivers; relating to civil penalties for an organization that facilitates the generation of child sexual abuse material; relating to social media and minors; and providing for an effective date.

HB 47 creates two new criminal offenses related to AI-generated or manipulated child sexual abuse material in Alaska. It makes distributing such material a class B felony (or class A felony with prior convictions), and possessing 100 or more items is presumed to indicate intent to distribute. The bill defines "generated obscene child sexual abuse material" as content depicting manipulated images of children engaged in sexual acts, lacking serious value, and appealing to prurient interest under community standards. It specifically excludes tech employees acting in their job duties to prevent or report such material. The law does not address the other topics listed in the bill's title (teaching certificates, school bus licensing).

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

signed · Alaska · Senate Jun 19, 2026

SB 167: An Act relating to eligibility of criminal offenders for certain benefits, including the permanent fund dividend; relating to a permanent fund dividend for an individual whose conviction has been vacated, reversed, or dismissed; and relating to the calculation of the value of the permanent fund dividend by including payment to individuals eligible for a permanent fund dividend because of a conviction that has been vacated, reversed, or dismissed.

SB 167 allows Alaskans denied a permanent fund dividend due to a criminal conviction to receive back payments if their conviction is overturned (set aside or reversed) and either the charges are dismissed or they are retried and found not guilty. To qualify, individuals must apply within one year of the dismissal or not guilty verdict, with a special one-year window after the bill's effective date for those who had these events before the law passed. The bill also updates the dividend calculation method to include payments for these individuals in annual computations, ensuring they receive the dividends they were previously denied due to their conviction status.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

in committee · Alaska · House Apr 3, 2025

HB 172: An Act relating to correctional facilities; relating to the authority of the commissioner of corrections to designate the placement of prisoners; and requiring the Department of Corrections to estimate and report certain cost savings.

HB 172 gives Alaska's Corrections Commissioner new authority to reduce housing costs by consolidating facilities or sending prisoners to out-of-state facilities. It requires that prisoners with over seven years remaining in their sentence, placed out-of-state, be housed separately from non-residents. The Department of Corrections must annually estimate cost savings from these measures and report them, with potential state funding for education programs using those savings. The bill directly affects prison placement decisions, correctional facility operations, and state budget allocations. It focuses on measurable cost reductions rather than policy outcomes.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Government Spending Corrections

passed · Alaska · House Apr 13, 2026

HB 101: An Act relating to civil claims by victims of sexual abuse of a minor; relating to homicide; relating to assault in the third degree; relating to stalking; relating to sexual abuse of a minor; relating to enticement of a minor; relating to endangering the welfare of a child; relating to indecent exposure; relating to sending an explicit image of a minor; relating to solicitation or production of an indecent picture of a minor; relating to distribution of indecent material to minors; relating to the testimony of children in criminal proceedings; relating to sentencing; and providing for an effective date.

HB 101 lowers the age threshold for minors to file civil claims against sexual abusers from 18 to 16 years old. It also amends Alaska's murder statutes to specify that killing a child under 16 during certain crimes - such as sexual offenses, kidnapping, or assault - elevates the murder charge. These changes update legal standards to better protect child victims and clarify penalties for crimes involving minors. The bill focuses on concrete policy adjustments to strengthen legal remedies and accountability.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Domestic Violence Sentencing Violent Crime

in committee · Alaska · Senate Jan 22, 2025

SB 42: An Act relating to the duties of the Alaska Police Standards Council; relating to municipal correctional officers and municipal correctional employees; making municipal police officers subject to police standards; relating to the duties of the Department of Public Safety; relating to reports of incidents of use of force by state and municipal police, probation, parole, pretrial services, and correctional officers and municipal correctional facility employees; and providing for an effective date.

SB 42 requires state and municipal police officers, probation officers, parole officers, pretrial services officers, and correctional officers (both state and municipal) to report use-of-force incidents to supervisors immediately. It creates a central database tracking officers with denied or revoked certifications, including the reasons for denial/revocation, and mandates annual reports to the legislature about this data. The bill also expands standards to cover municipal correctional employees and updates definitions for terms like "use of force" (including firearm discharges or injuries causing fatality/serious harm). These changes directly affect all law enforcement and correctional personnel in Alaska who interact with the public. The bill aims to improve transparency and accountability in law enforcement practices.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Firearms Law Enforcement Policing

in committee · Alaska · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 189: An Act relating to a permanent fund dividend for an individual whose conviction has been vacated, reversed, or dismissed; and relating to the calculation of the value of the permanent fund dividend by including payment to individuals eligible for a permanent fund dividend because of a conviction that has been vacated, reversed, or dismissed.

HB 189 allows Alaskans whose criminal convictions were overturned to receive back payments of the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) they missed during their ineligibility. It creates new eligibility for individuals whose convictions were vacated, reversed, or dismissed (if charges were later dismissed or they were retried and found not guilty), requiring applications within one year of the court decision. The bill adjusts the PFD calculation method to include payments for these newly eligible individuals in the annual dividend formula. This directly affects Alaskans whose convictions were resolved in their favor after they were denied PFD payments due to their prior convictions.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Sub-Topics Courts

in committee · Alaska · House Feb 10, 2025

HB 86: An Act relating to unauthorized publication and use of communications; and relating to eavesdropping.

HB 86 strengthens privacy protections by making it illegal to share private communications without consent, except for specific authorized uses like court orders or emergency services. It bans using eavesdropping devices to record conversations without all parties' permission and restricts sharing illegally obtained audio. The law directly affects individuals, businesses, and organizations handling private communications, including phone calls or messages. Key provisions include requiring consent for disclosure, prohibiting misuse of illegally recorded content, and listing exemptions such as public broadcasts, emergency services communications, and accidental phone line interceptions.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Technology

Sub-Topics Courts

in committee · Alaska · House Feb 10, 2026

HB 180: An Act relating to the powers of the commissioner of administration with respect to motor vehicles; relating to electronic identification cards; relating to electronic driver's licenses and permits; and providing for an effective date.

HB 180 allows Alaska's Department of Administration to issue electronic identification cards and driver's licenses alongside physical cards, requiring applicants to keep their physical ID. It specifies fees ($15 for standard ID, $20 extra for federal compliance), clarifies that showing an electronic ID on a phone does not permit police to search devices, and mandates officers to return phones immediately after verification. The bill updates requirements for license possession, stating individuals must carry either a physical or electronic valid license (except for exempted cases), and adds rules for returning cancelled physical cards within 10 days. These changes modernize ID systems while protecting user privacy and aligning with federal standards for identification.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Technology

Sub-Topics Drug Policy

All criminal justice bills