Alaska State Legislature
News from the House Majority

Jerry Ritter, House Majority Press Office
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
Phone: (907) 465-3804
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality line: 1-800-478-6540

House Strengthens Alaska Police Training Fund

Bill Expands List of Offenses and Increases Surcharges

For Immediate Release April 8, 1998 Contact: Rep. Gary Davis at (907) 465-2693.

Juneau -- The Alaska House of Representatives Wednesday passed House Bill 261, which will provide additional funding for public safety training in Alaska.

"HB 261 expands the list of offenses on which a surcharge for the benefit of the Alaska Police Training Fund can be imposed," said the bill's sponsor, Representative Gary Davis (R-Soldotna). It also increases existing surcharges. It will generate more money for law enforcement and corrections training from the people who violate the law," Davis said.

"In 1994 the Legislature created the Alaska Police Training Fund and voted to fund it through surcharges on people who break the law," said Speaker of the House Gail Phillips (R-Homer), who sponsored the bill in 1994. "This new bill not only increases the surcharges for existing offenses, but expands the list to include all felonies and misdemeanors and the people who commit them. HB 261 will greatly assist our law enforcement entities in their training," Phillips said.

Laddie Shaw, Director For Police Standards for the State of Alaska, concurred, noting: "These funds will also decrease the potential liability of having undertrained officers."

Currently, surcharges are collected only from those found guilty of moving violations. House Bill 261 expands the surcharges to $85 for all felonies and to between $15 and $45 for misdemeanors, depending on severity. The intent is to expand the number of crimes and the number of violators who contribute to the costs of police and corrections training.

"The Alaska Public Safety Training Academy in Sitka and other programs established by the Alaska Police Training Fund require annual funding from the general fund, over and above what they receive from surcharges," Davis said. "Hopefully, the additional revenue received from the enactment of this bill will stabilize or reduce the amount of general fund appropriations needed to sufficiently fund these training programs," Davis said.

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= Gary Davis, 70 K