06.20.25

Delegation Applauds Passage of Alaska Native Legislation

H.R. 42 and H.R. 43 Pass the U.S. Senate; headed to President’s Desk

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, along with U.S. Representative Nick Begich (all R-Alaska), applauded Senate passage of two important bills—H.R. 42, the Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act, and H.R. 43, the Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025. These bills previously passed the U.S. House of Representatives on February 4. Both pieces of legislation were led by Congressman Begich.

H.R. 42 and H.R. 43 passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent, following floor remarks by Senator Murkowski. These measures uphold the promises made to Alaska Natives in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and empower Alaska Native people to exercise self-determination over their lands and resources for the benefit of their communities.

H.R. 42 amends ANCSA to exclude certain payments from Settlement Trusts to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives or their descendants from being counted as income when determining eligibility for need-based federal programs.

H.R. 43 amends ANCSA to end the requirement for Alaska Native village corporations to convey lands to the State of Alaska to be held “in trust” for future municipal governments.  In addition, the bill provides a process for village corporations to get the land back that they conveyed to the State.  These reconveyances or “reversions” will be subject to any valid existing rights created by the State Municipal Land Trust during its management of these village corporation lands.

The bills now head to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

“I’m very glad we could reach agreement to pass these important measures for Alaska Natives in the Senate. These are common sense bills that are long overdue—Alaska Natives who are aged, blind, or disabled will no longer have to choose between accepting the settlement trust income they are entitled to or qualifying for federal needs-based benefits. And with the passage of HR 43, we restore the ability of Alaska Native villages to make decisions about their lands and resources for the benefit of their communities,” said Senator Murkowski. “This has been a years-long effort to get these measures to the President’s desk. And I am proud to have led that effort and to it see it through.”

“For the more than 50 years since ANCSA was signed into law, Alaska Native people have sustainably managed their lands, fostered world-class businesses that have become integral to Alaska’s economy, and helped Alaska Native communities preserve their unique cultures, languages and ways of life,” said Senator Sullivan. “Despite the enormous good ANCSA has done, the law was not perfect. Senator Murkowski, Congressman Begich and I have put forward legislation to address two oversights of ANCSA, giving Alaska Native communities more decision-making power over their lands and ensuring elder and disabled Alaska Native people are not unfairly excluded from the federal assistance they may need. I want to commend our Senate colleagues for unanimously supporting our legislation, and I look forward to these bills being signed into law soon.”

“These bills represent the kind of meaningful, nonpartisan work that Alaskans sent me here to do,” said Congressman Begich. “We’ve corrected longstanding federal issues that have held Alaska Native communities back, and we’ve done it with strong support from both parties. These bills were about local decision-making and empowering communities to build their futures. My team and I have worked diligently since day one to move these bills through Congress, and I’m honored to be one of the only freshmen of the 119th Congress to send legislation to the President’s desk. This is a major victory for Alaskans, and a strong step forward towards greater self-determination and opportunity for Alaska Natives.”

Legislative History:

  1. S. 2615, the Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act (S. 2615) was introduced on July 27, 2023.  The Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on S. 2615 on October 25, 2023.  The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources reported S. 2615 favorably, without amendment, to the full Senate on May 17, 2023.  (S. Rept 118-177) S. 2615 passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 20, 2024. Similar legislation was introduced and considered in the Senate in the 116th Congress as part of S. 4889, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Fulfillment Act.
  2. S. 623, the Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act (S. 623), was introduced on March 2, 2023.  The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources reported the bill favorably without amendment to the full Senate on May 17, 2023.  (S. Rept 118-56) S. 623 passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 20, 2024. Similar legislation was introduced and considered in the Senate in the 117th Congress and in the 116th Congress.  
  3. January 2025: Representative Begich introduced H.R. 42 and H.R. 43. They passed the House in February 2025. These were the first pieces of legislation introduced by Congressman Begich and the first pieces of legislation to be passed by a freshman member in the 119th Congress.
  4. June 2025: Senator Murkowski led the effort to pass both bills in the Senate by unanimous consent. Video of her full floor remarks can be found here.