Regional News From the AARP Bulletin
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2006-11-09 10:27:19.805410-05:00
December 2007
Avoiding foreclosure – AARP Alaska is spreading the word that Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Alaska can help homeowners facing foreclosure understand their options.
While Alaska's foreclosure rate is slightly lower than the national average, a single foreclosure can cost a community about $40,000 in lost tax revenue and increased demand for social services.
To seek help from a certified housing counselor, call 1-800-478-6501. For more information and tools to assess your risk, go to www.housinghelpnow.org.
November 2007
Safer cigarettes – Alaskan smokers will be able to buy only self-extinguishing cigarettes beginning in August 2008. Gov. Sarah Palin, R, signed the measure in July, making Alaska one of 22 states that have adopted similar laws. Penalties for businesses that don’t comply will start at $10,000.
Cigarettes dropped on bedding, furniture, carpets and rugs are the leading source of home fires, says state Sen. Donald C. Olson, D, who sponsored the legislation. Moreover, the risk of dying in a home fire caused by smoking increases with age; 38 percent of fatalities resulting from such fires are victims age 65 or older.
“AARP Alaska supported this measure because of the potential it holds to save lives and property,” says Ann Secrest, AARP associate state director for communications.
October 2007
Access to justice – More low-income Alaskans will be represented in civil cases beginning this month, thanks to a law that Gov. Sarah Palin, R, signed in July.
Although the state pays for attorneys to represent indigent people accused of crimes, Alaska has not funded legal services for civil cases since 2004. The new law channels civil punitive damages awarded to the state into funding for the Alaska Legal Services Corp., which provides lawyers for low-income residents in cases involving consumer fraud, unfair denial of health insurance, illegal eviction or other civil issues.
“This will make a huge difference in providing equal access to justice,” says Ann Secrest, AARP Alaska’s associate state director for communications. To learn more, go to www.aarp.org/ak.
September 2007
Better benefits – When the legislature adjourned in May without renewing SeniorCare, a program that provided stipends for low-income Alaskans age 65 and older, AARP Alaska turned up the heat. E-mails, phone calls and a public demonstration in Anchorage led the legislature to call itself back into session.
After a day of debate, lawmakers replaced the expired program with a more generous one called Senior Benefits. The new program doubles the maximum stipend, increases the number of people eligible and eliminates an assets test. Monthly stipends of $250, $175 or $125 are based on annual income. The income limits for individuals and couples are $9,577/$12,840; $12,770/$17,120; and $22,348/$29,960.
To learn more, call 1-888-352-4150 toll free statewide or 907-352-4150 in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
— Reports by Donnan Runkel
November 2006
Con artists beware... A state law that took effect Oct. 31 raises the maximum fine for consumer fraud to $25,000 per violation. It also sets a minimum fine of $1,000 per violation. The penalties will be imposed on top of compensation that scammers must pay to victims.
The old law, passed in 1974, set the maximum fine at $5,000 and established no minimum. As a result, some convicted con artists were required only to make restitution, which Attorney General David W. Marquez likens to “robbing a bank and thinking you can make good just by giving the money back.”
Alaska’s 249 fraud complaints per 100,000 people ranked highest in the nation in 2005, according to the Federal Trade Commission. AARP Alaska supports the stiffer penalties because scammers often target older people whose assets have been building for decades.
“These tougher penalties should serve as a deterrent to perpetrators,” says Ann Secrest, AARP Alaska communications director.
— Report by Donnan Runkel
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