I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 229 
To provide for the recognition of certain Native communities and the settle-
ment of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 3, 2017 
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To provide for the recognition of certain Native communities 
and the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska 
Native Claims Settlement Act, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unrecognized South-
east Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Com-
pensation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(1) in 1971, Congress enacted the Alaska Na-
tive Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) 
to recognize and settle the aboriginal claims of Alas-
ka Natives to the land Alaska Natives had used for 
traditional purposes; 
(2) 
that 
Act 
awarded 
approximately 
$1,000,000,000 and 44,000,000 acres of land to 
Alaska Natives and provided for the establishment 
of Native Corporations to receive and manage the 
funds and land; 
(3) pursuant to that Act, Alaska Natives have 
been enrolled in 1 of 13 Regional Corporations; 
(4) most Alaska Natives reside in communities 
that are eligible under that Act to form a Village or 
Urban Corporation within the geographical area of 
a Regional Corporation; 
(5) Village or Urban Corporations established 
under that Act received cash and surface rights to 
the settlement land described in paragraph (2) and 
the corresponding Regional Corporation received 
cash and land that includes the subsurface rights to 
the land of the Village or Urban Corporation; 
(6) the southeastern Alaska communities of 
Haines, 
Ketchikan, 
Petersburg, 
Tenakee, 
and 
Wrangell are not listed under that Act as commu-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
nities eligible to form Village or Urban Corporations, 
even though the population of those villages com-
prises greater than 20 percent of the shareholders of 
the Regional Corporation for Southeast Alaska and 
display historic, cultural, and traditional qualities of 
Alaska Natives; 
(7) the communities described in paragraph (6) 
have sought full eligibility for land and benefits 
under that Act for more than 3 decades; 
(8) in 1993, Congress directed the Secretary of 
the Interior to prepare a report examining the rea-
sons why the communities listed in paragraph (6) 
had been denied eligibility to form Village or Urban 
Corporations and receive land and benefits pursuant 
to that Act; 
(9) the report described in paragraph (8), pub-
lished in February 1994, indicates that— 
(A) the communities listed in paragraph 
(6) do not differ significantly from the South-
east Alaska communities that were permitted to 
form Village or Urban Corporations under that 
Act; 
(B) the communities are similar to other 
communities that are eligible to form Village or 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Urban Corporations under that Act and receive 
land and benefits under that Act— 
(i) in actual number and percentage 
of Native Alaskan population; and 
(ii) with respect to the historic use 
and occupation of land; 
(C) each such community was involved in 
advocating the settlement of the aboriginal 
claims of the community; and 
(D) some of the communities appeared on 
early versions of lists of Native Villages pre-
pared before the date of the enactment of that 
Act, but were not included as Native Villages 
under that Act; 
(10) the omissions described in paragraph (9) 
are not clearly explained in any provision of that Act 
or the legislative history of that Act; and 
(11) on the basis of the findings described in 
paragraphs (1) through (10), Alaska Natives who 
were enrolled in the 5 unlisted communities and the 
heirs of the Alaska Natives have been inadvertently 
and wrongly denied the cultural and financial bene-
fits of enrollment in Village or Urban Corporations 
established pursuant to that Act. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to redress 
the omission of the communities described in subsection 
(a)(6) from eligibility by authorizing the Native people en-
rolled in the communities— 
(1) to form Urban Corporations for the commu-
nities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, 
and Wrangell under the Alaska Native Claims Set-
tlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.); and 
(2) to receive certain settlement land pursuant 
to that Act. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF ADDITIONAL NATIVE COR-
PORATIONS. 
Section 16 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement 
Act (43 U.S.C. 1615) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(e) NATIVE VILLAGES OF HAINES, KETCHIKAN, PE-
TERSBURG, TENAKEE, AND WRANGELL, ALASKA.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Native residents of 
each of the Native Villages of Haines, Ketchikan, 
Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell, Alaska, may or-
ganize as Urban Corporations. 
‘‘(2) EFFECT
ON
ENTITLEMENT
TO
LAND.— 
Nothing in this subsection affects any entitlement to 
land of any Native Corporation established before 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
the date of enactment of this subsection pursuant to 
this Act or any other provision of law.’’. 
SEC. 4. SHAREHOLDER ELIGIBILITY. 
Section 8 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1607) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(d) NATIVE VILLAGES
OF HAINES, KETCHIKAN, 
PETERSBURG, TENAKEE, AND WRANGELL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall enroll 
to each of the Urban Corporations for Haines, 
Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, or Wrangell those 
individual Natives who enrolled under this Act to the 
Native Villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, 
Tenakee, or Wrangell, respectively. 
‘‘(2) NUMBER OF SHARES.—Each Native who 
is enrolled to an Urban Corporation for Haines, 
Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, or Wrangell pursu-
ant to paragraph (1) and who was enrolled as a 
shareholder of the Regional Corporation for South-
east Alaska on or before March 30, 1973, shall re-
ceive 100 shares of Settlement Common Stock in the 
respective Urban Corporation. 
‘‘(3) NATIVES RECEIVING SHARES THROUGH IN-
HERITANCE.—If a Native received shares of stock in 
the Regional Corporation for Southeast Alaska 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
through inheritance from a decedent Native who 
originally enrolled to the Native Village of Haines, 
Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, or Wrangell and 
the decedent Native was not a shareholder in a Vil-
lage or Urban Corporation, the Native shall receive 
the identical number of shares of Settlement Com-
mon Stock in the Urban Corporation for Haines, 
Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, or Wrangell as the 
number of shares inherited by that Native from the 
decedent Native who would have been eligible to be 
enrolled to the respective Urban Corporation. 
‘‘(4) EFFECT
ON
ENTITLEMENT
TO
LAND.— 
Nothing in this subsection affects entitlement to 
land of any Regional Corporation pursuant to sec-
tion 12(b) or 14(h)(8).’’. 
SEC. 5. DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS. 
Section 7 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1606) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (j)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(j) During’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(j) DISTRIBUTION
OF CORPORATE FUNDS
AND 
OTHER NET INCOME.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—During’’; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(B) by striking ‘‘Not less’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(2) MINIMUM ALLOCATION.—Not less’’; 
(C) by striking ‘‘In the case’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(3) THIRTEENTH REGIONAL CORPORATION.— 
In the case’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) NATIVE
VILLAGES
OF
HAINES, KETCH-
IKAN, PETERSBURG, TENAKEE, AND WRANGELL.— 
Native members of the Native Villages of Haines, 
Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell who 
become shareholders in an Urban Corporation for 
such a Native Village shall continue to be eligible to 
receive distributions under this subsection as at- 
large shareholders of the Regional Corporation for 
Southeast Alaska.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(s) EFFECT OF AMENDATORY ACT.—The Unrecog-
nized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition 
and Compensation Act and the amendments made by that 
Act shall not affect— 
‘‘(1) the ratio for determination of revenue dis-
tribution among Native Corporations under this sec-
tion; or 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(2) the settlement agreement among Regional 
Corporation or Village Corporations or other provi-
sions of subsection (i) or (j).’’. 
SEC. 6. COMPENSATION. 
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 
1601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 43. URBAN CORPORATIONS FOR HAINES, KETCHIKAN, 
PETERSBURG, TENAKEE, AND WRANGELL. 
‘‘(a) OFFER OF COMPENSATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—On incorporation of the 
Urban Corporations for Haines, Ketchikan, Peters-
burg, Tenakee, and Wrangell, the Secretary, in con-
sultation and coordination with the Secretary of 
Commerce, and in consultation with representatives 
of each such Urban Corporation and the Regional 
Corporation for Southeast Alaska, shall offer as 
compensation, pursuant to this Act, 1 township of 
land (23,040 acres) to each of the Urban Corpora-
tions for Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, 
and Wrangell, in accordance with this subsection. 
‘‘(2) LOCAL AREAS OF HISTORICAL, CULTURAL, 
TRADITIONAL, AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
offer as compensation under this subsection 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
local areas of historical, cultural, traditional, 
and economic importance to Alaska Natives 
from the Villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Peters-
burg, Tenakee, or Wrangell. 
‘‘(B) SELECTION OF LAND.—In selecting 
the land to be withdrawn and conveyed pursu-
ant to this section, the Secretary— 
‘‘(i) shall give preference to land with 
commercial purposes; and 
‘‘(ii) may include subsistence and cul-
tural sites, aquaculture sites, hydroelectric 
sites, tideland, surplus Federal property 
and eco-tourism sites. 
‘‘(C) CONTIGUOUS, COMPACT SITES.—The 
land selected pursuant to this section shall be 
contiguous and reasonably compact tracts if 
practicable. 
‘‘(D) VALID EXISTING RIGHTS.—The land 
selected pursuant to this section shall be subject 
to all valid existing rights and all other provi-
sions of section 14(g), including any lease, con-
tract, permit, right-of-way, or easement (includ-
ing a lease issued under section 6(g) of the Act 
of July 7, 1958 (commonly known as the ‘Alas-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
ka Statehood Act’) (48 U.S.C. note prec. 21; 
Public Law 85–508)). 
‘‘(b) ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION OF OFFER.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the offer of compensation from the Sec-
retary under subsection (a), each of the Urban Cor-
porations 
for 
Haines, 
Ketchikan, 
Petersburg, 
Tenakee, and Wrangell shall accept or reject the 
offer. 
‘‘(2) RESOLUTION.—To accept or reject the 
offer, each such Urban Corporation shall provide to 
the Secretary a properly executed and certified cor-
porate resolution that states that the offer proposed 
by the Secretary was voted on, and either approved 
or rejected, by a majority of the shareholders of the 
Urban Corporation. 
‘‘(3) REJECTION OF OFFER.—If the offer is re-
jected— 
‘‘(A) the Secretary, in consultation with 
representatives of the Urban Corporation that 
rejected the offer and the Regional Corporation 
for Southeast Alaska, shall revise the offer; and 
‘‘(B) the Urban Corporation shall have an 
additional 180 days within which to accept or 
reject the revised offer. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
04:07 Jan 11, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H229.IH
H229
SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS