Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act

House Bill

H.R. 41

119th Congress

Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act

Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

Introduced:Mar 5, 2026

Primary Sponsor

Nicholas Begich

R - AK

Cosponsors

0

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Native Americans

Summary

This bill would officially recognize five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska that were left out of the original 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, allowing them to form corporations and receive land that was promised to other Native communities decades ago. The communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell would gain legal rights to specific lands and be able to establish trusts to support their residents' health, education, and cultural preservation.

Latest Action

Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

Introduced3/5/2026

StatusOrdered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act

This bill would officially recognize five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska that were left out of the original 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, allowing them to form corporations and receive land that was promised to other Native communiti

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

This bill would officially recognize five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska that were left out of the original 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, allowing them to form corporations and receive land that was promised to other Native communities decades ago. The communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell would gain legal rights to specific lands and be able to establish trusts to support their residents' health, education, and cultural preservation.

Bill Number: 41
Introduced: 3/5/2026
Status: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
Policy Area: Native Americans

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act
Bill Number: 41
Sponsor: No sponsor
Status: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
Introduced: 3/5/2026
Summary: This bill would officially recognize five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska that were left out of the original 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, allowing them to form corporations and receive land that was promised to other Native communities decades ago. The communities of Haine

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill would officially recognize five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska that were left out of the original 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, allowing them to form corporations and receive land that was promised to other Native communities decades ago. The communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell would gain legal rights to specific lands and be able to establish trusts to support their residents' health, education, and cultural preservation.

Last updated: 3/7/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation ActThis bill allows five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska to form urban corporations and receive land entitlements.Specifically, the bill allows the Alaska Native residents of each of the Alaska Native villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell, Alaska, to organize as Alaska Native urban corporations and to receive certain settlement land.The bill directs the Department of the Interior to convey specified land to each urban corporation. Further, Interior must convey the subsurface estate for that land to the regional corporation for Southeast Alaska.The land conveyed to each urban corporation must include any U.S. interest in all roads, trails, log transfer facilities, leases, and appurtenances on or related to the land conveyed to the urban corporation.The bill also allows each urban corporation to establish a settlement trust to (1) promote the health, education, and welfare of the trust beneficiaries; and (2) preserve the Alaska Native heritage and culture of their communities.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Corrects a 50+ year oversight by extending rights to five Southeast Alaska Native communities excluded from the 1971 settlement that gave land and resources to other Alaska Native groups
Allows approximately 5 communities representing thousands of Alaska Native residents to form urban corporations and receive federal land conveyances they were previously denied
Grants both surface land rights to the new urban corporations and subsurface mineral rights to the regional Southeast Alaska corporation
Enables these communities to establish settlement trusts specifically designed to fund healthcare, education, and cultural preservation programs for Alaska Native residents
Includes infrastructure like roads, trails, and facilities on the conveyed lands, providing immediate economic assets to these communities

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

This bill would directly benefit thousands of Alaska Native residents in five Southeast Alaska communities who have been without the land rights and economic opportunities granted to other Alaska Native groups since 1971. By providing land ownership and the ability to form corporations, these communities would gain resources to fund essential services, create jobs, and preserve their cultural heritage. The legislation would also impact the broader Southeast Alaska region through changes in land management and potential economic development on newly conveyed properties.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Native Americans

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

41, 119th Congress (2026). "Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/119-hr-41