Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 2815

119th Congress

Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025

Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S697-699)

Introduced:Feb 26, 2026

Primary Sponsor

Nicholas Begich

R - AK

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Native Americans

Summary

This bill resolves a decades-old land rights issue for the Cape Fox Corporation, an Alaska Native village corporation representing the community of Saxman, Alaska. Instead of requiring Cape Fox to accept land within a specific township that may not meet their needs, the bill allows them to select approximately 180 acres in the Tongass National Forest to fulfill their remaining legal land entitlement while maintaining public access to the area.

Latest Action

Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S697-699)

Introduced2/26/2026

StatusPassed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S697-699)

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This bill resolves a decades-old land rights issue for the Cape Fox Corporation, an Alaska Native village corporation representing the community of Saxman, Alaska. Instead of requiring Cape Fox to accept land within a specific township that may not meet their needs, the bill allows them to select approximately 180 acres in the Tongass National Forest to fulfill their remaining legal land entitlement while maintaining public access to the area.

Bill Number: 2815
Introduced: 2/26/2026
Status: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S697-699)
Policy Area: Native Americans

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025
Bill Number: 2815
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S697-699)
Introduced: 2/26/2026
Summary: This bill resolves a decades-old land rights issue for the Cape Fox Corporation, an Alaska Native village corporation representing the community of Saxman, Alaska. Instead of requiring Cape Fox to accept land within a specific township that may not meet their needs, the bill allows them to select ap

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill resolves a decades-old land rights issue for the Cape Fox Corporation, an Alaska Native village corporation representing the community of Saxman, Alaska. Instead of requiring Cape Fox to accept land within a specific township that may not meet their needs, the bill allows them to select approximately 180 acres in the Tongass National Forest to fulfill their remaining legal land entitlement while maintaining public access to the area.

Last updated: 2/28/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025This bill waives a statutory core township selection requirement for the Cape Fox Corporation and allows Cape Fox to receive other lands to fulfill its remaining land entitlement. Cape Fox is an Alaska Native village corporation for the Alaska Native village of Saxman, Alaska.Specifically, the bill states that Cape Fox shall not be required to receive its previously selected land of approximately 185 acres located within the township in which the Alaska Native village of Saxman, Alaska, is located. Instead, the bill allows Cape Fox to receive land outside of Cape Fox's current exterior selection boundary upon written notice of the new selection to the Department of the Interior. In particular, if Cape Fox submits written notice of its selection of approximately 180 acres of surface land within the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to Interior within 90 days of the bill's enactment, then Interior must convey the federal land to Cape Fox. Upon conveyance of the surface estate of the federal land to Cape Fox, Interior must convey the subsurface estate of the federal land to Sealaska Corporation (the Alaska Native regional corporation representing southeastern Alaska).The bill reserves a public access easement on the federal land conveyed to Cape Fox and Sealaska.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Gives Cape Fox Corporation flexibility to choose different federal land (about 180 acres in Tongass National Forest) to complete their land entitlement instead of being locked into a previously required location
Splits ownership of the selected land between Cape Fox (surface rights) and Sealaska Corporation (subsurface/mineral rights), following the traditional Alaska Native Claims Settlement structure
Preserves public access to the land through a reserved easement, ensuring Alaskans can continue to use these areas even after transfer to Native ownership
Passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support, indicating broad agreement on resolving this outstanding Alaska Native land claim

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill primarily affects the Cape Fox Corporation and approximately 400 shareholders who are descendants of the Saxman Alaska Native village, helping them finally complete land selections promised under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The broader public maintains access rights to the transferred land, and the resolution removes a longstanding barrier that has prevented Cape Fox from receiving the full land entitlement they are legally owed. Local residents of Southeast Alaska may see changes in land management for the specific parcels involved.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Native Americans

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

2815, 119th Congress (2026). "Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/119-hr-2815