S. 2554

Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act

Sponsor: Lisa Murkowski

1 cosponsor
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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Alaska Native Landless Equity 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.

Text of the bill

Expand all
Sec. 5. Distribution rights Changed · Sep 17

Where this section came from

  1. Jul 30, 2025 · Introduced in Senate Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Jul 30
  2. Sep 17, 2026 · Reported to Senate Marked up by Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Jul 16 Reported by Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Sep 17 Committee members' individual votes aren't in our records.
What changed in the text

… 23 unchanged passages …

(s) Effect of amendatory Act. The Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Landless Communities Equity Recognition and Compensation Act and the amendments made by that Act shall not affect—

… 3 unchanged passages …

What is a markup?

A markup is a committee meeting where members go through a bill and vote on changes before sending it to the full chamber.

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:

Text this section adds to the law

(3) Thirteenth regional corporation. In the case

(B) in the second sentence, by striking Not less and inserting the following:

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(2) Minimum allocation. Not less

(C) by striking (j) During and inserting the following:

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(j) Distribution of corporate funds and other net income

(1) In general. During

; and

(D) by adding at the end the following:

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(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:

Text this section adds to the law

(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).