Southcentral Foundation Land Transfer Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. BEGICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3620, the Southcentral Foundation Land Transfer Act of 2025. This is a bill that reflects both common sense and compassion, and I am proud to sponsor it.

Southcentral Foundation is a nationally respected Alaska Native health provider, serving over 70,000 people with an integrated, culturally grounded model of care that works. Some of the buildings that they are using for behavioral health services, buildings like the Quyana Clubhouse, are aging, inadequate, and, in some cases, were never meant to facilitate medical services. One facility was literally a former morgue.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation enables something critically important, the ability to deliver modern mental health care in a space designed for healing and recovery.

In Alaska, we face real challenges. People dealing with serious mental illness are being served in locations that were not designed for clinical care. That is unacceptable. They deserve better--safe, dignified, purpose-built treatment environments that reflect the seriousness of their needs and the inherent dignity of their lives.

H.R. 3620 clears the way for Southcentral Foundation to build that future. This bill transfers land already in use and allows Southcentral Foundation to make long-term investments in modern infrastructure. The bill supports Tribal self-determination, strengthens care delivery, and empowers a trusted partner to do even more for our communities.

This is a narrowly tailored, fiscally responsible bill with broad support. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in advancing this measure and helping more Alaskans get the care that they deserve.

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Mr. BEGICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3176, the bill to reauthorize the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System.

This is a program of national importance. Volcano monitoring strengthens safety and emergency preparedness across the country, from the Cascades to Hawaii to the Rockies, but there is no question that Alaska has the most at stake.

Our State is home to over 130 active volcanos, by far the largest concentration in the United States. These aren't isolated or dormant. Mount Spurr, just 80 miles from Anchorage, reached a yellow alert level due to elevated seismic activity earlier this year, and it is still listed as a very high threat by the most recent edition of the USGS National Volcanic Threat Assessment. If it erupts, as it did in 1992 and 1953, ashfall could shut down air traffic, damage critical infrastructure, and put lives at risk.

H.R. 3176 is a straightforward, 5-year reauthorization that keeps the program funded and operational. It maintains existing funding levels but provides the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners with the continuity that they need to monitor high-threat volcanos and coordinate real-time alerts with emergency responders.

Early warning is essential. It gives pilots time to reroute, gives communities time to prepare, and saves lives, especially in rural, high-risk States like Alaska where response logistics are already challenging.

This is a bipartisan, science-based system that works. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3176 and ensure that every community living in the shadow of volcanic risk has the tools to stay safe.

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