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Alaska Statutes.

Title 26. Military Affairs, Veterans, and Disasters

Chapter 23. Disasters

Section 20. The Governor and Disaster Emergencies.

AS 26.23.020. The Governor and Disaster Emergencies.

(a) The governor is responsible for meeting the dangers presented by disasters to the state and its people.

(b) The governor may issue orders, proclamations, and regulations necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter, and amend or rescind them. These orders, proclamations, and regulations have the force of law.

(c) If the governor finds that a disaster has occurred or that a disaster is imminent or threatened, the governor shall, by proclamation, declare a condition of disaster emergency. The disaster emergency remains in effect until the governor finds that the danger has passed or the disaster has been dealt with so that the emergency no longer exists. The governor may terminate the disaster emergency by proclamation. A proclamation of disaster emergency may not remain in effect longer than 30 days unless extended by the legislature by a concurrent resolution. The proclamation must indicate the nature of the disaster, the area threatened or affected, and the conditions that have brought it about or that make possible the termination of the disaster emergency. A proclamation to declare a condition of disaster emergency must also state whether the governor proposes to expend state funds to respond to the disaster under (i) or (j) of this section.

(d) An order or proclamation issued under AS 26.23.010 - 26.23.220 shall be disseminated promptly by means calculated to bring its contents to the attention of the general public and, unless prevented or impeded by circumstances attendant upon the disaster, promptly filed with the Alaska division of homeland security and emergency management, the lieutenant governor, and the municipal clerk in the area to which it applies.

(e) A proclamation of a disaster emergency activates the disaster response and recovery aspects of the state, local, and interjurisdictional disaster emergency plans applicable to the political subdivisions or areas in question, and constitutes authority for the deployment and use of any force to which the plan or plans apply and for use or distribution of any supplies, equipment, materials, and facilities assembled, stockpiled, or arranged to be made available under AS 26.23.010 - 26.23.220 or any other provision of law relating to disaster emergency response.

(f) During the effective period of a disaster emergency, the governor is commander in chief of the organized and unorganized militia and of all other forces available for emergency duty. The governor may delegate or assign command authority by appropriate orders or regulations.

(g) In addition to any other powers conferred upon the governor by law, the governor may, under AS 26.23.010 - 26.23.220,

(1) suspend the provisions of any regulatory statute prescribing procedures for the conduct of state business, or the orders or regulations of any state agency, if compliance with the provisions of the statute, order, or regulation would prevent, or substantially impede or delay, action necessary to cope with the disaster emergency;

(2) use all available resources of the state government and of each political subdivision of the state as reasonably necessary to cope with the disaster emergency;

(3) transfer personnel or alter the functions of state departments and agencies or units of them for the purpose of performing or facilitating the performance of disaster emergency services;

(4) subject to any applicable requirements for compensation under AS 26.23.160, commandeer or utilize any private property, except for all news media other than as specifically provided for in AS 26.23.010 - 26.23.220, if the governor considers this necessary to cope with the disaster emergency;

(5) direct and compel the relocation of all or part of the population from any stricken or threatened area in the state if the governor considers relocation necessary for the preservation of life or for other disaster mitigation purpose;

(6) prescribe routes, modes of transportation, and destinations in connection with necessary relocation;

(7) control ingress to and egress from a disaster area, the movement of persons within the area, and the occupancy of premises in it;

(8) suspend or limit the sale, dispensing, or transportation of alcoholic beverages, explosives, and combustibles;

(9) make provisions for the availability and use of temporary emergency housing;

(10) allocate or redistribute food, water, fuel, clothing, medicine, or supplies; and

(11) use money from the oil and hazardous substance release response account in the oil and hazardous substance release prevention and response fund, established by AS 46.08.010 , to respond to a declared disaster emergency related to an oil or hazardous substance discharge.

(h) The governor may expend during a fiscal year not more than $500,000 of state funds per incident to prevent, minimize, or respond to the effects of an incident that may occur or occurs in the state and that, in the determination of the governor, poses a direct and imminent threat of sufficient magnitude and severity to justify state action. Before expending funds under this subsection to respond to an incident, the governor shall provide a financing plan to cope with the incident to the legislature in the same manner prescribed for disaster emergencies under AS 26.23.025 (a).

(i) If the governor declares a condition of disaster emergency, the governor may expend during a fiscal year not more than $1,000,000 of state funds per disaster declaration, including the assets of the disaster relief fund, to

(1) save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or lessen or avert the threat of the disaster that poses a direct and imminent threat of sufficient severity and magnitude to justify state action;

(2) implement provisions of law relating to disaster relief to cope with the disaster;

(3) alleviate the effects of the disaster by making grants or loans to persons or political subdivisions on terms the governor considers appropriate or by other means the governor considers appropriate.

(j) If the disaster described in the governor's proclamation to declare a condition of disaster emergency is a fire, the governor may expend state funds as necessary to save lives or protect property and public health and safety.

(k) The governor may expend more than $500,000 of state funds to cope with an incident under (h) of this section or more than $1,000,000 of state funds to cope with a disaster under (i) of this section under the following circumstances:

(1) if the legislature is in session, the legislature approves a financing plan to cope with the incident or disaster that identifies the amount in excess of the expenditure limits that is to be expended from state funds; or

(2) if the legislature is not in session, either

(A) the governor convenes a special session of the legislature within five days after declaring the condition of disaster emergency or within five days after providing a financing plan to cope with an incident to the legislature and the legislature convenes in special session and approves a financing plan to cope with the incident or disaster that identifies the amount in excess of the expenditure limits that is to be expended from state funds; or

(B) the presiding officers of both the house of representatives and the senate agree that a special session should not be convened and so advise the governor in writing.