"An Act relating to public assistance and subpoena powers."

This bill authorizes the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services to issue subpoenas to compel the production of records needed to investigate cases of suspected recipient welfare fraud. The Alaska Department of Labor currently has this type of subpoena power, as do many agencies in other states.

Records such as rental agreements, utility billings or health care information are often used to verify information provided by public assistance applicants or recipients. Simple requests for these items often go unheeded due to concerns about exposure to litigation.

Currently, the cost of going to court to get subpoenas for these types of records makes investigating "smaller" fraud cases prohibitively expensive - the projected amount saved or recovered is less than the cost of getting the needed subpoenas. By allowing the Department to issue their own subpoenas, the costs of going to court are eliminated, and the Department will cost-effectively investigate more cases of suspected fraud. Subpoena power will equip the Department to conduct more thorough investigations of questionable welfare applications and efficiently collect information needed to prosecute individuals receiving benefits fraudulently. This will result in additional recovery of welfare overpayments.

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