Five Alaska Native communities get land and money from 1971 settlement

What it does

The bill lets five Southeast Alaska Native communities form corporations. They get about 23,040 acres of federal land. Alaska Natives in these communities get 100 shares of stock and money. The land stays open for hunting, fishing, and recreation. The bill sets rules for shared use of roads and facilities.

Who it affects

Alaska Native people in Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell gain recognition and land. People who hunt, fish, and camp can still use the land. The regional corporation keeps rights to minerals under the ground.

One thing to notice

Some land transfers may depend on mining companies giving up claims. Rules about public use can change after corporations take ownership.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.

• Jan 3, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 3, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
• Mar 5, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Mar 5, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent”
• Jun 2, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3746-3749)”
• Jun 2, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 3 reports from Dec 2025 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $465,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 3 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 41% of bills with any report.

Nicholas Begich, who sponsored the bill, received $1,039,127 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• International Fresh Produce Association (fka United Fresh Produce Association) — $355,000 in 1 report
• Sealaska Corporation — $110,000 in 2 reports

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• stock — A share of ownership in a company that can pay money to the owner.
• regional corporation — A company that manages land and money for Alaska Native groups across a region.
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.