JUNEAU — The Legislature has voted to give Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks to the dead.
The state House on Thursday passed the bill to allow deceased Alaskans to qualify for their final check. The person would need to have been otherwise eligible for a dividend — having been a resident of Alaska for at least half the year prior to their death.
The money would go to the estate or the family members of the deceased.
Senate Bill 171 is sponsored by Anchorage Sen. Kevin Meyer, and already passed the Senate in a similar form. So unless there is a procedural hang-up it will go to the governor to be signed into law.
"I've had six or seven people in my district that have died just in the last year that wanted to qualify and couldn't. They'll be very pleased that this bill passes," said Valdez Republican Rep. John Harris.
Families and estates can already collect that fall's dividend check for someone who dies during the Jan. 1-March 31 application period but lived in Alaska long enough in the previous year to qualify. This bill would allow the estate to apply for the dividend during the spring application period if the person died during the previous year but would have otherwise qualified.
To read the complete article, visit www.adn.com.