(a) It is the policy of the state to
(1) foster and promote by all reasonable means the provision of adequate capital markets and facilities for borrowing money by municipalities in the state to finance capital improvements or for other authorized purposes, to assist these municipalities in fulfilling their capital needs and requirements by use of borrowed money within statutory interest rate or cost of borrowing limitations, to the greatest extent possible to reduce costs of borrowed money to taxpayers and residents of the state, and equally to encourage continued investor interest in the purchase of bonds or notes of municipalities as sound and preferred securities for investment;
(2) encourage municipalities to continue their independent undertakings and financing of capital improvements and other authorized purposes and to assist them by making capital funds available at reduced interest costs for orderly financing of capital improvements and other purposes especially during periods of restricted credit or money supply, particularly for those municipalities not otherwise able to borrow for capital needs;
(3) assist municipalities to provide for adequate insurance coverage by authorizing the Alaska Municipal Bond Bank Authority to issue negotiable or nonnegotiable revenue bonds, notes, or certificates of participation either directly or through an entity it may create for the purpose of providing a self-insurance program for municipalities or municipal joint insurance arrangements organized under AS 21.76;
(4) assist governmental employers to prepay all or a portion of their share of unfunded accrued actuarial liabilities of retirement systems in an effort to reduce their costs of satisfying their contractual obligations to provide retirement and other benefits to public employees through the issuance of bonds, notes, commercial paper, or other obligations by the bond bank authority or by a subsidiary corporation created by the bond bank authority under AS 44.85.085, but only after submitting a proposal to the Legislative Budget and Audit Committee and if the state bond rating is the equivalent of AA- or better; this assistance is limited as provided in AS 37.15.903;
(5) assist the University of Alaska to provide heating or energy projects by providing capital funds through loans that minimize costs and the effects on the debt capacity of the University of Alaska;
(6) assist regional health organizations to provide health care facilities by providing capital funds through loans that minimize costs and the effects on the debt capacity of regional health organizations when the commissioner of health and social services anticipates a state financial benefit and an increase in regional quality of care;
(7) assist joint action agencies in providing public utilities, including hydroelectric power projects, through loans and bonds that minimize costs and the effects on the debt capacity of public utilities and joint action agencies.
(b) The legislature further declares that
(1) the exercise of the powers of the state in the interest of its municipalities and in the interest of public employees of the state and of its municipalities is required to further and implement the policies declared in (a) of this section by authorizing the creation of a state bond bank authority as a body corporate and politic that will have full powers to borrow money and to issue its bonds and notes to make capital funds available for borrowing by municipalities and for borrowing by or on behalf of governmental employers, by authorizing governmental employers to contract with the bond bank authority or with a subsidiary created under AS 44.85.085 for the purpose of reducing future costs of providing retirement and other benefits to employees, and by granting broad powers to the bond bank authority to carry out the declared policies, which are in the public interest of the state and its taxpayers and residents;
(2) state funds should be applied or authorized to be paid to a state bond bank authority only to provide adequate assurance and security to the holders of the bonds or notes of the bond bank authority;
(3) the bond bank authority should conduct its operations to provide the lowest rates in terms of borrowing to municipalities as is consistent with a self-supporting operation with no expectation of subsidization with state funds; the legislature does not intend that the bond bank authority be utilized as a means to finance municipalities beyond their capability to meet repayment schedules and debt service requirements of bonds or notes;
(4) the bond bank authority or its subsidiary should conduct its operations to provide the lowest rates in terms of borrowing to governmental employers under AS 44.85.085 and 44.85.086 as is consistent with a self-supporting operation with no expectation of subsidization with state funds; the legislature does not intend that the bond bank authority or its subsidiary be utilized as a means to finance governmental employers under AS 44.85.085 and 44.85.086 beyond their capability to meet repayment schedules and debt service requirements of bonds, notes, commercial paper, or other obligations to the bond bank authority or its subsidiary.