Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025
Floor Speech
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 43) to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that Village Corporations shall not be required to convey land in trust to the State of Alaska for the establishment of Municipal Corporations, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 43
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 ``Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. REVERSION OF CERTAIN LAND CONVEYED IN TRUST TO THE STATE OF ALASKA.
Section 14(c) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1613(c)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as subparagraphs (A) through (E), respectively, and indenting appropriately;
(2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) (as so redesignated), by striking ``(c) Each patent'' and inserting the following:
``(c) Conveyance of Certain Land by Village Corporation.--
``(1) In general.--Each patent'';
(3) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), in the undesignated matter following subparagraph (E) (as so redesignated), in the first sentence--
(A) by striking ``section 14(c) of this Act'' and inserting ``this subsection''; and
(B) by striking ``There is authorized'' and inserting the following:
``(2) Technical assistance.--
``(A) In general.--There are authorized'';
(4) in paragraph (2)(A) (as so redesignated), in the second sentence, by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting the following:
``(B) Form of funding.--The Secretary''; and
(5) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)--
(A) in each of subparagraphs (A) and (B) (as so redesignated)--
(i) by striking ``the'' the first place it appears and inserting ``The''; and
(ii) by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting a period;
(B) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesignated), by striking ``the'' the first place it appears and inserting ``The'';
(C) by striking ``existed as of'' in subparagraph (D) (as so redesignated) and all that follows through ``for'' in subparagraph (E) (as so redesignated) and inserting the following: ``existed as of December 18, 1971.
``(E) For''; and
(D) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated)--
(i) by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting a period;
(ii) by striking ``in trust: Provided, however, That the word'' and all that follows through ``sentence,'' and inserting the following: ``in trust.
``(II) Definition of sale.--For purposes of subclause (I), the term `sale' '';
(iii) by striking ``one thousand two hundred and eighty acres: Provided further, That any net'' and inserting the following: ``1,280 acres.
``(iii) Net revenues.--
``(I) In general.--Any net'';
(iv) by striking ``community needs: Provided, That the'' and inserting the following: ``community needs.
``(ii) Minimum acreage.--The'';
(v) by striking ``(C) the Village Corporation'' and inserting the following:
``(C) Conveyance to municipal corporation or the state in trust.--
``(i) In general.--The Village Corporation''; and
(vi) by adding at the end the following:
``(iv) Cases in which conveyance shall not be required.--
``(I) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this subparagraph, if a Village Corporation, prior to the date of enactment of the Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025, conveyed to the State in trust all or a portion of the acreage of land required to be conveyed under this subparagraph for the establishment of a Municipal Corporation in the future, and a Municipal Corporation has not been established as of that date of enactment, on formal resolution by the Village Corporation and the residents of the Native village requesting dissolution of the trust, the trust shall be dissolved and title to the land shall revert to the Village Corporation, subject to subclause (III).
``(II) Additional land.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this subparagraph, as of the date of enactment of the Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025, a Village Corporation shall not be required to convey any additional land in trust under this subparagraph for the establishment of a Municipal Corporation in the future.
``(III) Requirements.--In accordance with subsection (g)--
``(aa) the reversion of land to a Village Corporation pursuant to subclause (I) shall be subject to--
``(AA) valid existing rights created by the applicable trust; and
``(BB) any existing easements, rights-of-way necessary for public roadway access, or rights-of-way for access of holders of valid existing rights; and
``(bb) the Village Corporation shall assume the obligations of the applicable trust with respect to any lease or other use agreement applicable to the land on reversion of the land to the Village Corporation pursuant to subclause (I).''.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. 43, the bill now under consideration.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 43, the Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025, would amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or ANCSA, and to return lands back to Alaska Native Village Corporations that are currently held in trust by the State of Alaska for future municipalities.
ANCSA was enacted to settle aboriginal land claims of Alaska Natives, and in doing so Alaska Native corporations were created to receive land and disburse payments to Alaska Natives.
ANCSA required Alaska Native Village Corporations that received land to convey some land to an existing municipality. If no municipality existed, the land was conveyed to the State of Alaska to be held in trust for a future municipality.
Over the past 53 years, only eight Village Corporations have seen a municipality created, with the most recent municipality created in 1995. This leaves 11,500 acres throughout 83 villages unable to be developed because it must be held in trust by Alaska in perpetuity for the unlikely creation of a municipality.
H.R. 43 would end this requirement for Village Corporations to reconvey lands for a potential municipality and return land already conveyed under this provision to Village Corporations. If returned, Village Corporations anticipate developing this land for housing, community buildings, and other economic development projects.
There is widespread support for H.R. 43 within the State of Alaska.
The Alaska State Senate unanimously passed S.J. Res. 13 on May 9, 2024, which encouraged the enactment of Federal legislation to return the reconveyed lands to Alaska Native Village Corporations. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy is also supportive of the legislative fix that H.R. 43 would provide.
Again, Madam Speaker, I thank the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Begich, for his work to introduce this bill on the first day of the 119th Congress so that we could bring it to the floor quickly. I appreciate his diligence and swift work on behalf of Alaska, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich), who is the lead sponsor of the bill.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, again, this legislation would amend ANCSA to return the land in question to impacted Alaska Native Village Corporations and eliminate the unnecessary land conveyance requirement in the statute.
I thank Mr. Begich for his leadership and working on this important issue for his constituents in Alaska.
Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 43, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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