Session: State Capitol, Room 102 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Toll Free: (877) 465-3719 Phone: (907) 465-3719 Fax: (907) 465-3258 Personal Web Site: www.johncoghill.com Interim: 119 N Cushman Street, Suite 211 Fairbanks, AK 99701 Phone: (907) 456-5081 Fax: (907) 456-8245

Sponsor Statement for HB 294
Payment Date for Bills For Services

An Act requiring certain businesses to recognize postmark dates as the date of payment.

Many Alaskans have experienced all too often the event of receiving a bill in the mail only to find that their payment due date is alarmingly near, with little room for the payment to be received on time.

Mail delays from the continental United States, as well as within Alaska, result in many payment notices arriving late. This leaves conscientious bill payers an extremely small window of time to send their payment in and have it received by the due date.

These situations are especially true in Alaska's more rural areas where the arrival and departure of mail freight is frequently delayed by weather and other circumstances.

Through no fault of their own, Alaskans often pay the price of mail delays with the addition of late fees and interest charges to their bills, as well as adverse affects on their credit ratings.

House Bill 194 is a straightforward piece of legislation that simply requires that payments that are received by a creditor be posted as of the date of the postmark, not the date that the payment is received.

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