Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 41, the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act, would amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or ANCSA, to address the exclusion of five southeast Alaska Native communities.

When ANCSA was enacted in 1971 to resolve Alaska Native land claims, Congress created the Alaska Native Corporations, a structure that is vastly different than the framework established for Tribal nations in the lower 48. Most Alaska Natives were enrolled into both a village corporation and a regional corporation. However, the communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell were left off the eligibility list for establishing village corporations under ANCSA.

H.R. 41 seeks to address that omission by creating Alaska Native Urban Corporations for each of the five communities and authorizing the conveyance of approximately 23,040 acres of land, consistent with the acreage provided to the other southeast Alaska Native communities under ANCSA, from the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska.

Mr. Speaker, I recognize that, over the years, this legislation has generated debate, particularly regarding the conveyance of Federal lands within the Tongass National Forest. As the legislation advances, we remain committed to working with our colleagues in the Senate to address the historic injustices that occurred for these communities while safeguarding the cultural, ecological, and economic importance of the Tongass National Forest.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source