# Alaska Native Landless Equity Act

This bill addresses a long-standing issue affecting certain Alaska Native people who don't own land. Here's what you need to know: Some Alaska Native communities and individuals were historically excluded from receiving land when the federal government distributed Alaska Native lands decades ago. This bill aims to fix that by providing these "landless" Alaska Natives with opportunities to gain land or land-related benefits that other Alaska Native groups already received.

The core problem is that when major Alaska Native land settlements happened in the past, not everyone who should have been included actually got land. This created a group of Alaska Natives who were left out of the process. The bill recognizes this inequity and seeks to provide remedies—which could include actual land transfers, financial compensation, or other forms of recognition and support to make things more fair.

Who this affects most directly are Alaska Native individuals and communities that were historically excluded from land distribution programs. This could impact their ability to build wealth, maintain cultural practices that depend on land access, and achieve economic self-determination. For Alaska as a whole, the bill represents an attempt to resolve a historical injustice and ensure that all Alaska Native groups have more equal access to the resources and opportunities that come with land ownership or equivalent benefits.

The practical outcome depends on how the bill is implemented—whether it provides actual land, money, or other forms of compensation—but the fundamental goal is to bring equity to Alaska Native communities that were left behind in earlier settlement agreements.

Alaska Native Landless Equity Act

Murkowski, Lisa

Alaska Native Landless Equity ActThis bill allows five Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska to form urban corporations and receive land entitlements.Specifically, the bill allows the Alaska Native residents of each of the Alaska Native villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell, Alaska, to organize as Alaska Native urban corporations and to receive certain settlement land.The bill directs the Department of the Interior to convey specified land to each urban corporation. Further, Interior must convey the subsurface estate for that land to the regional corporation for Southeast Alaska.The land conveyed to each urban corporation must include any U.S. interest in all roads, trails, log transfer facilities, leases, and appurtenances on or related to the land conveyed to the urban corporation.The bill also allows each urban corporation to establish a settlement trust to (1) promote the health, education, and welfare of the trust beneficiaries; and (2) preserve the Alaska Native heritage and culture of their communities.