Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act

Key Points

• This bill aims to fix a mistake from 1971 when five Alaska Native communities—Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell—were left out of a major land settlement. It allows these groups to form "Urban Corporations," which are special companies owned by Native people to manage land and resources for their community.
• Each of the five new corporations would receive about 23,040 acres of federal land, totaling more than 115,000 acres. The corporations would own the surface of the land to use for their community's benefit, while a larger regional group would own the rights to what is underground, such as minerals.
• Alaska Natives from these five towns would become shareholders in these new companies. Original members would receive 100 shares each, and people who inherited rights from their relatives would also be included. This gives thousands of people a direct say and a financial stake in how their local land is managed.
• Even though the land would become private property, the bill requires it to stay open for the public to use for non-commercial hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. The new owners can set reasonable rules for safety or to protect the environment, but they generally cannot block regular people from visiting.
• The bill allows the new corporations to set up "settlement trusts" to pay for important community needs. This money would be used to support healthcare, education, and the preservation of Native culture, with a specific requirement to prioritize help for elders and children.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.