Alaska Native Landless Equity Act
AI Summary
The Alaska Native Landless Equity Act seeks to rectify the historical exclusion of five Southeast Alaska communities—Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell—from the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). The bill authorizes the creation of five new Urban Corporations for these communities, allowing them to receive approximately 23,040 acres of federal land each. It also establishes rules for shareholder enrollment, financial distribution, and public access to the newly conveyed lands.
Impact & Passage
Composite Passage Score
Medium confidenceBased on 4 of 5 available signals
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LLM-only estimate
The bill is a high priority for the Alaska congressional delegation and addresses a decades-old land claim issue, which typically garner's strong bipartisan support within the state. However, the transfer of over 115,000 acres of federal land, much of it within the Tongass National Forest, often triggers significant opposition from environmental groups and national-level partisan friction over land use, which has stalled similar versions of this bill in previous Congresses.
Provisions
Designates the official title of the bill as the 'Alaska Native Landless Equity Act'.
States the goal of the bill is to provide land and corporate recognition to five specific Southeast Alaska communities that were omitted from the original 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
Amends ANCSA to formally allow the residents of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell to organize as Urban Corporations.
Establishes the process for enrolling Alaska Natives into the new Urban Corporations and issuing 100 shares of settlement common stock to eligible individuals and their heirs.
Ensures that shareholders of the new Urban Corporations remain eligible for financial distributions from the existing Regional Corporation for Southeast Alaska (Sealaska).
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey approximately 23,040 acres of federal surface estate to each of the five new corporations and the subsurface estate to Sealaska, while maintaining public access for hunting and fishing.
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Version History
Actions
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.