Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act

Senate Bill

S. 1889

119th Congress

Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 500.

Introduced:May 22, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Lisa Murkowski

Senator

Republican

AK

Cosponsors

1

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Native Americans

Summary

The Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act would allow five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska - Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell - to form urban corporations and receive land entitlements. The bill directs the Department of the Interior to convey specific land and mineral rights to these new urban corporations.

Latest Action

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 500.

SponsorLisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Introduced5/22/2025

StatusPlaced on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 500.

ChamberSenate

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act

The Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act would allow five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska - Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell - to form urban corporations and receive land entitlemen

Community Breakdown

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The Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act would allow five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska - Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell - to form urban corporations and receive land entitlements. The bill directs the Department of the Interior to convey specific land and mineral rights to these new urban corporations.

Bill Number: 1889
Sponsor: Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Introduced: 5/22/2025
Status: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 500.
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: 1889
Sponsor: Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Status: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 500.
Introduced: 5/22/2025
Summary: The Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act would allow five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska - Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell - to form urban corporations and receive land entitlements. The bill directs the Department of t

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

The Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act would allow five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska - Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell - to form urban corporations and receive land entitlements. The bill directs the Department of the Interior to convey specific land and mineral rights to these new urban corporations.

Last updated: 12/30/2025

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act This 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. The bill also directs Interior to convey certain Bureau of Land Management land to the City of Tenakee Springs, Alaska (upon written request of the city and subject to specified terms and conditions).

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Allows five Alaska Native communities to form urban corporations and receive land entitlements
Directs the Department of the Interior to convey specified land and subsurface mineral rights to the new urban corporations
Allows the urban corporations to establish settlement trusts to promote the health, education, and welfare of their communities, and preserve Native heritage and culture
Directs the Interior Department to convey certain land to the City of Tenakee Springs, Alaska

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

If this bill becomes law, it would directly impact the Alaska Native residents of the five communities named in the bill. They would gain new legal recognition and land rights through the formation of urban corporations. This could provide economic and cultural benefits to these communities, as the corporations would be able to develop the land and use the resources to support their people. The bill could also have broader impacts on land use and resource management in Southeast Alaska.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Native Americans

Related Subjects

Alaska

Alaska Natives and Hawaiians

Federal-Indian relations

Historical and cultural resources

Indian claims

Indian lands and resources rights

Indian social and development programs

Land transfers

Minority education

Minority health

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

1889, 119th Congress (2025). "Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-1889