Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wrongful Conviction topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate panel hears bill to restore PFDs to Alaskans whose convictions were overturned
Summary
The Senate State Affairs Committee heard testimony on SB 167, sponsored by Chair Kawasaki, which would allow people whose convictions were vacated or reversed to apply for past Permanent Fund Dividents (PFDs). Advocates said the change corrects an omission in the PFD statute; the bill was set aside for later consideration.
Senate Bill 167, sponsored by Chair Kawasaki, would allow Alaskans whose criminal convictions were vacated, reversed and later dismissed or who were found not guilty at retrial to apply to receive Permanent Fund Dividends (PFDs they were previously denied while incarcerated).
The bill was introduced April 24 before the Senate State Affairs Committee in Juneau; Chair Kawasaki said the measure would restore “PFDs to those who have had their convictions overturned.” The sponsor’s staff, Sally Rafson, presented the bill and answered technical questions.
The bill would let eligible individuals apply within one year after a new judgment or within one year after the bill’s effective date for PFDs they missed while convicted and incarcerated. The measure excludes persons who obtained a dismissal as part of a Rule 11 plea agreement in another case, according to testimony.
Advocates who testified described the proposal as a narrow fix to the PFD statute rather than a broader wrongful‑conviction compensation package. Jory Knott, executive director of the Alaska Innocence Project, said, “this is not a wrongful conviction compensation statute,” and framed SB 167 as “correcting an omission from the PFD statute” so exonerees can recover benefit payments withheld by virtue of a past conviction.
Chief Brian Ridley of the Tanana Chiefs Conference testified in support and recounted the Fairbanks Four case, saying the men “walked out of prison with just the shirts on their backs.” Witnesses and staff noted the bill previously passed the House in 2017 by a 38‑to‑1 vote, and cited the Fairbanks Four as a frequently referenced example of people who would be helped by the change.
Sally Rafson described an available funding source: the PFD office’s “prior year’s liability fund.” Rafson said the office’s current estimate for that fund is “over a million dollars,” and staff and witnesses discussed that the number of qualifying people statewide is small; testimony estimated the Fairbanks Four’s reimbursement at about $103,000 and suggested only a few other individuals might be eligible.
Committee discussion included expressions of bipartisan support; Senator Yount said he gave the bill “my full support,” and Senator Gray Jackson said she planned to cosponsor. The committee kept public testimony open and set SB 167 aside for later consideration; no committee vote on passage was taken at this hearing.
Supporters urged the committee to treat the measure as a straightforward correction to benefit law that would help formerly incarcerated Alaskans reestablish housing, employment and stability. Opposing testimony was not recorded during the hearing; the measure will return to committee for further action.
