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House Bill 123: Vehicle Rental Taxes
House Bill 123 requires vehicle rental platform companies, such as Turo and Getaround, to collect the existing state vehicle rental tax and remit the tax to the Department of Revenue on behalf of the vehicle owners.
The bill, sponsored by my office and Representative McCabe, requires vehicle rental platform companies to collect the excise tax from the vehicle renter and remit it to the Department of Revenue on behalf of the vehicle owner. This legislation eases the burden on Alaskans renting out their cars on Turo who may not know how to collect the tax, or even that they owe it.
HB 123 lowers the vehicle rental tax from 10% to 9% for traditional vehicle rental transactions and 7% for peer-to-peer transactions. That tax differential sunsets in three years, in 2028, when the tax for all vehicle rental transactions will be a flat 9%. The bill also prevents retroactive tax collection from rental platform vehicle owners and protects countless small Alaskan businesses.
House Bill 123 provides clarity on the responsibilities of vehicle rental platforms, eases the burden on small Alaskan businesses, and ensures fair collection of Alaska’s existing taxes.
The bill passed the House 38-2 and the Senate 20-0.
Senate Bill 132: Insurance Updates and Improvements
Senate Bill 132 makes numerous changes to update our insurance statutes in a modern and changing world. These changes do not have a negative impact on consumers, insurers, or insurance producers. They are technical changes to that update the current statutes or make minor revisions to address the changes necessary in the industry today. The bill improves consumer protections, simplifies the computation of premium tax, broadens the type of health care insurance plans that may be offered to an employer, and addresses financial reporting of insurers. The bill also corrects errors from previous insurance bills and improves the requirement for being licensed in Alaska. The change in the premium tax is estimated to contribute an additional $110,000 to the general fund.
The bill passed the Senate 19-0 and the House 40-0.
Senate Bill 54: Architects and Interior Designers
Senate Bill 54 will extend the statutory authorization for the Board of Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors (AELS Board), add Registered Interior Designers to the board’s jurisdiction, and make statutory changes requested by the board. Sponsored by my office, this bill will allow the AELS Board to continue the important work of regulating design professionals in Alaska and add a qualified interior designer to the board.
The 2024 Sunset Audit of the AELS Board recommended that it be extended by eight years.
SB 54 allows qualified interior designers to register with the AELS Board. Those wishing to practice registered interior design in buildings of public occupancy within a regulated scope of services impacting public health, safety, or welfare will now have a pathway to registration. SB 54 will allow designers practicing in public occupancy buildings to be qualified to do so, providing another measure of public safety protection and risk-mitigation for commercial buildings.
SB 54 will bring economic benefits by increasing professional employment opportunities, providing incentive to hire Alaskans for professional interior design, attracting high-quality design talent to the state, encouraging small business, and expanding consumer choices for qualified design professionals. SB 54 does not change the requirements or daily practice for any other professional in design or construction.
SB 54 passed the Senate 18-2 and the House 30-10.
House Bill 35: Tablets for Prisoners
Current Alaska statute does not include guidelines on prisoner use of electronic devices, making it difficult for the Department of Corrections (DOC) to provide devices to prisoners. House Bill 35 specifies the access a prisoner is allowed under DOC supervision in an effort to improve rehabilitation and assist with reentry. Tablets and computers are tools that are extremely helpful with the rehabilitation process in modern times.
Device access has the capability to help reduce recidivism. Ninety-five percent of Alaska’s current incarcerated population will eventually be released. Incarcerated individuals who are released without any support or plan in place are often hit with the harsh conditions that they were living in when they were initially arrested. Access to tablets will help prisoners make a plan for their release and make it less likely for them to relapse back into substance abuse or reoffend.
House Bill 35 passed the House 31-8 and the Senate 20-0.
House Bill 70: Operational Canines
House Bill 70 empowers Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel to deliver on-scene point-of injury (POI) emergency care and transport for operational canines (OpK9s). Operational canines are essential members of law enforcement, other government operations, and search-and-rescue teams.
Currently, Alaska lacks statutory authority to allow EMS personnel to apply life-saving care to these animals. Under current law, providing such care could be deemed “practicing veterinary medicine without a license,” a violation under AS 08.98.120. The super-rural nature of Alaska adds another dimension of acuity for our operational canines outside of Alaska’s major urban centers. Alaska’s EMS professionals already possess the equipment, supplies, and medications needed to adapt existing prehospital standards of care for human patients to operational canines. The passage of this bill would eliminate legal barriers, enabling EMS personnel to administer life-saving care and transport injured operational canines to emergency veterinary facilities as long as there is not a person who needs medical care.
House Bill 35 passed the House 29-8 and the Senate 20-0.
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