Committee hears bill to restore past PFDs to people exonerated of crimes
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Summary
Senate Bill 167 would permit the Permanent Fund Dividend to be paid to Alaskans whose convictions were overturned; sponsors and the Alaska Innocence Project said a small number of known cases (estimated five) would likely be covered and the cost would be paid from an existing prior‑liabilities reserve; the committee set the bill aside after fiscal-note discussion.
Senate Bill 167, presented to the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 24, would allow the state to restore Permanent Fund Dividends (PFDs) to people whose criminal convictions were later overturned. Sponsor Senator Scott Kawasaki framed the bill as a modest step to assist exonerees’ re‑entry, saying restoring PFDs is a limited, statutory way for the state to help people who were wrongfully incarcerated.
Doreen Knott, identifying herself as executive director of the Alaska Innocence Project, urged passage and described the measure as restorative rather than a compensation statute. Knott and sponsor staff said Alaska is one of a decreasing number of states that does not have a statutory mechanism to compensate those who were wrongfully convicted.
Committee discussion focused on fiscal implications and fund source. Senator Keel reviewed a Department of Revenue note that the PFD division’s fiscal estimate is indeterminate; sponsor staff estimated five known individuals (the “Fairbanks 4” plus one other) would be affected and calculated an estimated one‑time cost of about $55,000, which would draw on a statutory prior‑liabilities reserve within the PFD framework rather than directly from the annual paid dividend. Sponsor Kawasaki said that the reserve is intended to cover circumstances such as late or corrected PFDs and that using it for this purpose would be consistent with statute.
With questions about exact counts and regulatory changes noted, the committee set SB 167 aside for further consideration.
