(a) The attorney general is the legal advisor of the governor and other state officers.
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Terms Used In Alaska Statutes 44.23.020

  • action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
  • person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association, organization, business trust, or society, as well as a natural person. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • Plea agreement: An arrangement between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for special considerations. Source:
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
  • state: means the State of Alaska unless applied to the different parts of the United States and in the latter case it includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Alaska Statutes 01.10.060
  • Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
(b) The attorney general shall

(1) defend the Constitution of the State of Alaska and the Constitution of the United States of America;
(2) bring, prosecute, and defend all necessary and proper actions in the name of the state for the collection of revenue;
(3) represent the state in all civil actions in which the state is a party;
(4) prosecute all cases involving violation of state law, and file informations and prosecute all offenses against the revenue laws and other state laws where there is no other provision for their prosecution;
(5) administer state legal services, including the furnishing of written legal opinions to the governor, the legislature, and all state officers and departments as the governor directs; and give legal advice on a law, proposed law, or proposed legislative measure upon request by the legislature or a member of the legislature;
(6) draft legal instruments for the state;
(7) make available a report to the legislature, through the governor, at each regular legislative session

(A) of the work and expenditures of the office; and
(B) on needed legislation or amendments to existing law;
(8) prepare, publish, and revise as it becomes useful or necessary to do so an information pamphlet on landlord and tenant rights and the means of making complaints to appropriate public agencies concerning landlord and tenant rights; the contents of the pamphlet and any revision shall be approved by the Department of Law before publication; and
(9) perform all other duties required by law or which usually pertain to the office of attorney general in a state.
(c) Before January 1, 1999, the attorney general may, in a case that involves the state’s title to submerged lands, or in any case in which the state seeks to allocate fault to the federal government or a federal employee under Alaska Stat. § 09.17.080, waive the state’s immunity from suit in federal court provided under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. The expiration on January 1, 1999, of the attorney general’s authority to waive the state’s Eleventh Amendment immunity does not affect existing waivers in ongoing cases.
(d) The attorney general may, subject to the power of the legislature to enact laws and make appropriations, settle actions, cases, and offenses under (b) of this section.
(e) There is established within the Department of Law the function of public advocacy for regulatory affairs. The attorney general shall participate as a party in a matter that comes before the Regulatory Commission of Alaska when the attorney general determines that participation is in the public interest. When considering whether participation is in the public interest, the attorney general shall consider the issues the Regulatory Commission of Alaska must take into consideration under Alaska Stat. § 42.05.141 (d).
(f) The attorney general shall designate not less than one-half attorney position in the Department of Law for the purpose of prosecuting actions for fraudulent acts related to workers’ compensation under Alaska Stat. Chapter 23.30.
(g) The attorney general may, in cases that involve compliance, discharge, or enforcement of responsibilities assumed by the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities under Alaska Stat. § 44.42.300, waive the state’s immunity from suit in federal court provided under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
(h) The attorney general shall continue to review federal statutes, regulations, presidential executive orders and actions, and secretarial orders and actions that may be in conflict with and that may preempt state law. If, after review, the attorney general believes that a federal statute, regulation, presidential executive order or action, or secretarial order or action would preempt a state law if constitutional and properly adopted in accordance with federal statutory authority but also believes that the federal statute, regulation, presidential executive order or action, or secretarial order or action is unconstitutional or was not properly adopted in accordance with federal statutory authority, the attorney general shall report the findings to the chairs of the house and senate committees having jurisdiction over judicial matters. The report shall be submitted to the legislature on or before January 15th of each year and must include

(1) a copy of the federal statute, regulation, presidential executive order or action, or secretarial order or action that the attorney general finds was not properly adopted in accordance with federal statutory authority or is unconstitutional;
(2) a citation to the state law that is in conflict with the federal statute, regulation, presidential executive order or action, or secretarial order or action identified in (1) of this subsection;
(3) a written opinion explaining

(A) the basis for finding that the federal statute, regulation, presidential executive order or action, or secretarial order or action is unconstitutional or was not properly adopted in accordance with federal statutory authority;
(B) the conflict between the federal statute, regulation, presidential executive order or action, or secretarial order or action identified in (1) of this subsection and the state law identified in (2) of this subsection and why, if properly adopted, the federal statute, regulation, presidential executive order or action, or secretarial order or action would preempt the state law;
(C) the effect on the state if the state law identified in (2) of this subsection is found by a court to be preempted by the federal statute, regulation, presidential executive order or action, or secretarial order or action identified in (1) of this subsection; and
(D) litigation the attorney general is party to or aware of concerning a conflict between a federal statute, regulation, presidential executive order or action, or secretarial order or action that would preempt state law if constitutional, but that the attorney general or another party claims is unconstitutional; and
(4) other information relevant to the findings by the attorney general.
(i) If requested by a military judge or the convening authority of a court-martial, the attorney general shall assist the court-martial in obtaining the commitment of a person accused of an offense under Alaska Stat. Chapter 26.05 for a competency examination under Alaska Stat. § 12.47.100 or on a finding of incompetency under Alaska Stat. § 12.47.110.
(j) The attorney general may by regulation schedule a substance on an emergency basis as provided in Alaska Stat. § 11.71.125 and Alaska Stat. Chapter 44.62 (Administrative Procedure Act).
(k) The attorney general, in consultation with the commissioner of public safety, shall

(1) develop a tool to track felony sex offenses reported to the Department of Public Safety by geographic location; the tracking tool must include a means to record the reason a reported offense was not referred for prosecution or, if referred, the reason the offense was not prosecuted and, if applicable, the reason a sex offense charged as a felony resulted in a conviction of an offense other than a sex offense under a plea agreement;
(2) develop regulations and procedures to implement the requirements established under (1) of this subsection; and
(3) provide training for the implementation of the regulations and procedures established under (2) of this subsection in each state department as necessary.
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