Will Staff represents District 32 in the Alaska House of Representatives. He is proposing a bill that would allow Alaskans to put part of their PDF to helping programs for the state's seniors.
Alaska House Rep. Will Stapp has introduced HB 255, known as the PFD Senior Raffle Bill, which would establish two new funding mechanisms, the Senior Citizen Grants Endowment Fund and the Senior Citizen Grants Dividend Raffle Fund, to strengthen financial support for organizations serving older Alaskans. If the bill passes, Alaskans could choose to direct a portion of their Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) toward these funds and participate in associated raffles, creating a voluntary and dedicated revenue source for senior services statewide.
Under the bill, contributions would be distributed according to a defined formula: 25% would be deposited into the endowment fund, 25% would be put into the dividend raffle fund, and the remaining 50% would be appropriated to the Department of health for grants to nonprofit organizations that provide essential services to seniors. Within that portion, 50% is designated for organizations that deliver meals to seniors in their homes, 25% for organizations providing transportation services to seniors, and 25% for organizations offering supportive housing services for older Alaskans.
HB 255 also updates statutory definitions related to gaming to clarify that participation in a Permanent Fund Dividend raffle does not constitute gambling. The bill assigns administrative responsibility to the Department of Revenue, including establishing donation procedures and overseeing raffle operations. The provisions of the legislation would apply to Permanent Fund Dividend applications submitted on or after January 1, 2027.
The senior raffle is modeled on the PFD education raffle, and is likewise intended to provide additional support, not supplanting existing senior programs, nor compete with the education raffle.
