Committee hears HB 48 to raise court‑filing fee share for Veil Legal Services Fund; ALSC and advocates urge increase
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Summary
HB 48 would raise the legislature's share of court filing fees directed to the Veil Legal Services Fund from 10% to 25%, an increase advocates say would add roughly $486,900 this fiscal year and help legal aid serve more low‑income Alaskans; the committee set the bill aside after fiscal questions.
April 14, 2026 — The Senate Finance Committee heard House Bill 48 on Wednesday, a measure to increase the portion of court system filing fees that may be appropriated to the Veil Legal Services Fund from 10% to 25% to support civil legal services for low‑income Alaskans.
Hunter Meacham, staff for Representative Hannon, told the committee the current fund (created in 2007 and expanded in 2018) relies on rare punitive‑damages receipts and a statutory share of filing fees that has not kept pace with demand; HB 48 would raise the fee share to 25% so the legislature can appropriate a larger amount.
Maggie Hamm, executive director of Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC), said ALSC provided legal assistance in more than 5,400 cases in FY25 across 13 locations and helped nearly 15,000 Alaskans. Hamm told senators the fund currently receives limited resources — in FY25 appropriations equaled roughly $312,600 — and estimated HB 48 would add approximately $486,900 in the current fiscal year for a total of about $781,500. She said every additional $100,000 would allow ALSC to help roughly 182 more Alaskans.
ALSC described broad demand for civil legal aid — including elder care, domestic violence protection, benefits and housing assistance — and presented return‑on‑investment figures (for example, a 7:1 ROI for legal aid overall and a 25:1 ROI cited for a community justice worker program) to support the funding change.
Public commenters from Yakutat, Willow and Anchorage — including James Ross, Laurie Proctor and Marj Stone King of AARP Alaska — described personal and client experiences with Alaska Legal Services and urged the committee to support the measure to keep seniors and vulnerable people in secure housing and with access to benefits.
Senator Keel reviewed two fiscal notes: the trial courts reported a $0 fiscal note because filing fees are remitted to the general fund, while the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development/Community and Regional Affairs noted the executive FY27 request includes $306,400 from the legal services fund and that passage of HB 48 would require increasing designated general fund allocations (cited incremental and out‑year amounts in thousands). Committee discussion focused on revenue flow and how the statutory change would affect appropriations.
After questions and review of fiscal notes, the committee set HB 48 aside for further consideration; no vote was taken at the hearing.
