UNRECOGNIZED SOUTHEAST ALASKA NATIVE COMMUNITIES RECOGNITION AND COMPENSATION ACT

On 2026-06-02, Representative Melanie A. Stansbury (D-NM-1) delivered a floor speech titled "UNRECOGNIZED SOUTHEAST ALASKA NATIVE COMMUNITIES RECOGNITION AND COMPENSATION ACT" in the House.

UNRECOGNIZED SOUTHEAST ALASKA NATIVE COMMUNITIES RECOGNITION AND COMPENSATION ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3746-H3749] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] {time} 1440 UNRECOGNIZED SOUTHEAST ALASKA NATIVE COMMUNITIES RECOGNITION AND COMPENSATION ACT Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 41) to provide for the recognition of certain Alaska Native communities and the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 41 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act''. SEC. 2. PURPOSE. The purpose of this Act is to redress the omission of the southeastern Alaska communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell from eligibility under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) by authorizing the Alaska Natives enrolled in the communities-- (1) to form Urban Corporations for the communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.); and (2) to receive certain settlement land pursuant to that Act. SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL NATIVE CORPORATIONS. Section 16 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1615) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(e) Native Villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell, Alaska.-- ``(1) In general.--The Native residents of each of the Native Villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell, Alaska, may organize as Urban Corporations. [[Page H3747]] ``(2) Effect on entitlement to land.--Nothing in this subsection affects any entitlement to land of any Native Corporation established before the date of enactment of this subsection pursuant to this Act or any other provision of law.''. SEC. 4. SHAREHOLDER ELIGIBILITY. Section 8 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1607) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(d) Native Villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell.-- ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall enroll to each of the Urban Corporations for Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, or Wrangell those individual Natives who enrolled under this Act to the Native Villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, or Wrangell, respectively. ``(2) Number of shares.--Each Native who is enrolled to an Urban Corporation for Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, or Wrangell pursuant to paragraph (1) and who was enrolled as a shareholder of the Regional Corporation for Southeast Alaska shall receive 100 shares of Settlement Common Stock in the respective Urban Corporation. ``(3) Natives receiving shares through inheritance.--If a Native received shares of stock in the Regional Corporation for Southeast Alaska through inheritance from a decedent Native who originally enrolled to the Native Village of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, or Wrangell and the decedent Native was not a shareholder in a Village Corporation or Urban Corporation, the Native shall receive the identical number of shares of Settlement Common Stock in the Urban Corporation for Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, or Wrangell as the number of shares inherited by that Native from the decedent Native who would have been eligible to be enrolled to the respective Urban Corporation. ``(4) Effect on entitlement to land.--Nothing in this subsection affects any previous or future allocation of acreage to any Regional Corporation pursuant to section 12(b) or 14(h)(8).''. SEC. 5. DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS. Section 7 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1606) is amended-- (1) in subsection (j)-- (A) in the third sentence, by striking ``In the case'' and inserting the following: ``(3) Thirteenth regional corporation.--In the case''; (B) in the second sentence, by striking ``Not less'' and inserting the following: ``(2) Minimum allocation.--Not less''; (C) by striking ``(j) During'' and inserting the following: ``(j) Distribution of Corporate Funds and Other Net Income.-- ``(1) In general.--During''; and (D) by adding at the end the following: ``(4) Native villages of haines, ketchikan, petersburg, tenakee, and wrangell.--Native members of the Native Villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell who become shareholders in an Urban Corporation for such a Native Village shall continue to be eligible to receive distributions under this subsection as at-large shareholders of the Regional Corporation for Southeast Alaska.''; and (2) by adding at the end the following: ``(s) Effect of Amendatory Act.--The Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act and the amendments made by that Act shall not affect-- ``(1) the ratio for determination of revenue distribution among Native Corporations under this section; or ``(2) the settlement agreement among Regional Corporations or Village Corporations or other provisions of subsection (i) or (j).''. SEC. 6. COMPENSATION. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``SEC. 43. URBAN CORPORATIONS FOR HAINES, KETCHIKAN, PETERSBURG, TENAKEE, AND WRANGELL. ``(a) Definition of Urban Corporation.--In this section, the term `Urban Corporation' means each of the Urban Corporations for Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell. ``(b) Conveyances of Land.-- ``(1) Authorization.-- ``(A) Conveyances to urban corporations.-- ``(i) In general.--Subject to valid existing rights and paragraphs (3), (4), (5), and (6), the Secretary shall convey-- ``(I) to the Urban Corporation for Haines, in accordance with clause (ii), the surface estate in 13 parcels of Federal land comprising approximately 23,040 acres, as generally depicted on the maps entitled `Haines Selections', numbered 1 through 3, and dated June 27, 2025; ``(II) to the Urban Corporation for Ketchikan, the surface estate in 8 parcels of Federal land comprising approximately 23,040 acres, as generally depicted on the maps entitled `Ketchikan Selections', numbered 1 through 4, and dated June 27, 2025 (except the mining claim AA-91521 in Sec. 4, T. 78 S., R. 88 E., Copper River Meridian, as generally depicted on the map entitled `Kitkun Cove', numbered 1 of 4); ``(III) to the Urban Corporation for Petersburg, the surface estate in 12 parcels of Federal land comprising approximately 23,040 acres, as generally depicted on the maps entitled `Petersburg Selections', numbered 1 through 3, and dated June 27, 2025 (except the Lighthouse withdrawals USS Nos. 1710 and 1711, in Sec. 15, 16, and 22, T. 56 S., R. 76 E., Copper River Meridian, as generally depicted on the map entitled `Portage Bay East', numbered 1 of 3); ``(IV) to the Urban Corporation for Tenakee, the surface estate in 15 parcels of Federal land comprising approximately 23,040 acres, as generally depicted on the maps entitled `Tenakee Selections', numbered 1 through 3, and dated June 27, 2025; and ``(V) to the Urban Corporation for Wrangell, the surface estate in 13 parcels of Federal land comprising approximately 23,040 acres, as generally depicted on the maps entitled `Wrangell Selections', numbered 1 through 5, and dated June 27, 2025. ``(ii) Haines phases; conditions.-- ``(I) Conveyance phases.--The conveyance to the Urban Corporation for Haines under clause (i)(I) in the selection area at Slate Creek, Berners Bay, as generally depicted on the map entitled `Haines Selections', map 2 of 3, and dated June 27, 2025 (referred to in this subclause as the `Map'), shall be completed in the following 2 phases: ``(aa) Phase 1.--The Secretary shall convey to the Urban Corporation for Haines the parcel of Federal land comprising approximately 81 acres, as generally depicted on the Map as `Slate Ck. West Shore'. ``(bb) Phase 2.--Subject to the conditions described in subclause (II), and on an application for conveyance by the Urban Corporation for Haines, the Secretary shall convey to the Urban Corporation for Haines-- ``(AA) the parcel of Federal land comprising approximately 37 acres, as generally depicted on the Map as `Slate Ck. West Shore North'; and ``(BB) the parcel of Federal land comprising approximately 55 acres, as generally depicted on the Map as `Slate Ck. East Shore'. ``(II) Phase 2 conditions.--The phase 2 conveyance described in subclause (I)(bb) shall occur on the earliest of the date on which-- ``(aa) the Federal mining claims underlying the Federal land described in that subclause are relinquished; ``(bb) the Federal mining claims underlying the Federal land described in that subclause are abandoned, on a determination by the Secretary that the Federal mining claims are void and forfeited; and ``(cc) Coeur Alaska Inc. (or a successor in interest) consents that the Federal land described in that subclause can be conveyed prior to any relinquishment or abandonment of the Federal mining claims underlying that land. ``(B) Conveyances to regional corporation for southeast alaska.--Subject to valid existing rights, on the applicable date on which the surface estate in land is conveyed to an Urban Corporation under subparagraph (A)(i), the Secretary shall convey to the Regional Corporation for Southeast Alaska the subsurface estate for that land. ``(C) Congressional intent.-- ``(i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii), it is the intent of Congress that the Secretary complete the interim conveyance of the surface estate in land to an Urban Corporation under subparagraph (A)(i) not later than the date that is 2 years after the applicable date of incor

Referenced legislation: HR41, HR41