HB 258 — An Act establishing a statewide spay and neuter assistance fund; establishing the statewide spay and neuter assistance program; relating to municipal control of feral domestic dogs and cats; relating to companion animal spay and neuter special request registration plates; relating to contributions from permanent fund dividends; and providing for an effective date.

34-LS1229\I34-LS1229\N CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO.

258(RES)258 IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION BY THEREPRESENTATIVES HOUSESTAPP, RESOURCESMoore, COMMITTEEDibert, Referred:Costello Introduced:

Finance1/20/26 Sponsor(s):Referred:

REPRESENTATIVESResources, STAPP,Finance Moore, Dibert, Costello A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED "An Act establishing a statewide spay and neuter assistance fund;

relating to municipal control of feral domestic dogs and cats;

HB0258a -1- HB 258 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS1229\N (2) donations to the fund;

(3) federal or private funding that may be available to the state to HB0258b -1- CSHB 258(RES) New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS1229\I support spay and neuter services;

(b) The program shall provide direct reimbursement to a participating veterinarian, veterinary clinic, animal shelter, or nonprofit organization in the state that provides a spay or neuter surgery or presurgical examination or administers required vaccinations (1) without charge or at a reduced rate to a pet belonging to a household in the state with an annual family or household income equal to or less than 130 percent of the most recent poverty guidelines for the state set by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.Services;

(c)or The(2) departmentto shalla adoptferal regulationsdomestic todog carryor outcat thein program,accordance includingwith establishing (1) a processmunicipal forordinance verifyingpermitting whetherthe atrapping, petspaying owneror qualifiesneutering, asvaccination, anand eligiblerelease householdof underferal (b)ofdomestic thisdogs section;and cats.

(c) The department shall adopt regulations to carry out the program, including establishing (1) a process for verifying whether a pet owner qualifies as an eligible household under (b)(1) of this section;

The department shall promote public awareness of the HB 258 -2- HB0258a New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS1229\N fund and the program and educate the public about the dangers of uncontrolled breeding of domestic dogs and cats.

The department shall submit an annual report to the legislature on or before the first day of each regular session of the legislature that details, for the preceding year, the number and type of services provided under the CSHB 258(RES) -2- HB0258b New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS1229\I program and the program revenue and expenditures.

AS 16.05.255(a) is amended to read:

(a) The Board of Game may adopt regulations it considers advisable in accordance with AS 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act) for (1) setting apart game reserve areas, refuges, and sanctuaries in the water or on the land of the state over which it has jurisdiction, subject to the approval of the legislature;

(2) establishing open and closed seasons and areas for the taking of game;

(3) establishing the means and methods employed in the pursuit, capture, taking, and transport of game, including regulations, consistent with resource conservation and development goals, establishing means and methods that may be employed by persons with physical disabilities;

(4) setting quotas, bag limits, harvest levels, and sex, age, and size limitations on the taking of game;

(5) classifying game as game birds, song birds, big game animals, fur HB0258a -3- HB 258 New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS1229\N bearing animals, predators, or other categories;

(6) methods, means, and harvest levels necessary to control predation and competition among game in the state;

(7) watershed and habitat improvement, and management, conservation, protection, use, disposal, propagation, and stocking of game;

(8) prohibiting the live capture, possession, transport, or release of native or exotic game or their eggs, unless the action is permitted under an ordinance adopted under AS 29.35.052;

(9) establishing the times and dates during which the issuance of game licenses, permits, and registrations and the transfer of permits and registrations between registration areas and game management units or subunits is allowed;

(10) regulating sport hunting and subsistence hunting as needed for the conservation, development, and utilization of game;

(11) taking game to ensure public safety;

(12) regulating the activities of persons licensed to control nuisance wild birds and nuisance wild small mammals;

(13) promoting hunting and trapping and preserving the heritage of hunting and trapping in the state.

* Sec.

3.

3.4.

the commissioner shall separately account HB 258 -4- HB0258a New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS1229\N for the fees received under this paragraph that the department deposits into the general fund;

4.5.

AS 29.35 is amended by adding a new section to read:

Sec.

29.35.052.

Feral domestic dog and cat populations.

As a means of controlling the feral domestic dog and cat population in a municipality, a municipality may adopt an ordinance that allows feral domestic dogs and cats to be captured, possessed, and transported for the purpose of spaying or neutering and vaccinating the animal before release.

* Sec.

6.

5.7.

HB0258b -3- CSHB 258(RES) New Text Underlined [DELETED TEXT BRACKETED] 34-LS1229\I (a) Notwithstanding AS 43.23.200, the Department of Revenue shall prepare the electronic Alaska permanent fund dividend application to allow an applicant who files electronically to direct that money be subtracted from the dividend payment and contributed to the crime victim compensation fund (AS 18.67.162), the peace officer and firefighter survivors' fund, the statewide spay and neuter assistance fund (AS 03.55.200), or one or more of the educational organizations, community foundations, or charitable organizations that appear on the contribution list contained in the application.