Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 41
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Native Americans
- Status
- Passed House
- Latest Action
- 2026-06-03: Received in the Senate.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-11T23:41:27Z
AI-Generated Summary
Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act (H.R. 41)
Purpose This Act addresses the prior exclusion of five southeastern Alaska communities—Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell—from eligibility under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). It authorizes Alaska Natives enrolled in these communities to form Urban Corporations and receive settlement land as full compensation for that omission.
Key Provisions
- Amends ANCSA Section 16 to permit the Native residents of the five villages to organize as Urban Corporations, without affecting prior entitlements of existing Native Corporations.
- Amends ANCSA Section 8 to require the Secretary of the Interior to enroll eligible Natives to the new Urban Corporations, granting 100 shares of Settlement Common Stock each; includes rules for inherited shares.
- Amends ANCSA Section 7 to ensure these new shareholders remain eligible for distributions as at-large shareholders of the Southeast Alaska Regional Corporation, while preserving existing revenue distribution ratios.
- Adds a new ANCSA Section 43 authorizing conveyance of approximately 23,040 acres of surface estate Federal land to each Urban Corporation (with subsurface estate to the Regional Corporation), subject to valid existing rights, phased conveyances for Haines due to mining claims, public easements, and specific map-based parcels.
- Requires land to remain open for subsistence uses, noncommercial hunting, fishing, and recreation, with reasonable restrictions allowed by the Urban Corporation.
- Mandates termination of Forest Service special use authorizations with issuance of replacement authorizations by the Urban Corporation for up to one 10-year renewal.
- Requires negotiation of mutual use agreements for roads and facilities between the Urban Corporation and the Forest Service.
- Allows each Urban Corporation to establish a settlement trust for community health, education, welfare, and cultural preservation.
- Applies escrow requirements to proceeds from withdrawn lands and preserves Statehood selections and other existing rights.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Extends ANCSA benefits to five previously ineligible communities by creating new Urban Corporations with land entitlements equivalent to those under Section 14(h)(3).
- Introduces specific conveyance timelines, phased processes, and easement reservation procedures not previously applied to these groups.
- Modifies distribution rules to integrate new shareholders without altering overall revenue-sharing formulas among Regional Corporations.
Potential Impacts
- On government agencies: Directs the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to complete land conveyances, manage easements, and negotiate road-use agreements, with possible extensions for appeals or mining claim resolutions.
- On citizens: Provides land and corporate rights to enrolled Natives in the five communities; maintains public access for subsistence and recreation on conveyed lands, subject to posted restrictions.
- On international relations: No direct effects identified.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- The Native residents and future Urban Corporations of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell.
- The Southeast Alaska Regional Corporation.
- The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
- The State of Alaska (regarding Statehood selections and road rights-of-way).
- Holders of existing mining claims, special use permits, and reciprocal rights-of-way.
- The general public using the affected lands for recreation and subsistence.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Provides final settlement of ANCSA entitlements for these communities, treating the conveyances as full satisfaction regardless of exact surveyed acreage.
- Preserves valid existing rights, including mining claims and Statehood selections, with boundary adjustment mechanisms for conflicts.
- Involves no alterations to ANCSA revenue ratios or prior settlement agreements among corporations.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Begich, Nicholas [R-AK-At Large]
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-06-03: Received in the Senate.
- 2026-06-02: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- 2026-06-02: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3746-3749)
- 2026-06-02: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3746-3749)
- 2026-06-02: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 41.
- 2026-06-02: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H3746-3749)
- 2026-06-02: Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- 2026-04-02: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 499.
- 2026-04-02: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-579.
- 2026-04-02: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-579.
- 2026-03-05: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
- 2026-03-05: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- 2025-01-03: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- 2025-01-03: Introduced in House
- 2025-01-03: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act — issued 2026-06-02 — PDF (30 pages)
- Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act — issued 2025-01-03 — PDF (25 pages)
- Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act — issued 2026-04-02 — PDF (30 pages)