S.Amdt. 6700

The Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act is an amendment proposed by Ms. Murkowski to bill S. 4784. Its purpose is to fix the omission of five southeastern Alaska communities from eligibility under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

The amendment aims to add the following to the bill:

• Corporation Formation: It allows Alaska Natives in the communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell to form Urban Corporations.
• Land and Stock: It authorizes these communities to receive certain settlement lands and defines how shares of Settlement Common Stock will be distributed to eligible Natives and those who inherited shares.
• Land Conveyance: It directs the Secretary to convey approximately 23,040 acres of surface estate land to each of the five Urban Corporations.
• Public Access and Use: It ensures that conveyed lands remain open for noncommercial recreational hunting, fishing, subsistence uses, and public access.
• Resource Management: It establishes rules for public easements and requires the Secretary of Agriculture to seek a mutual use agreement for roads and transportation facilities.
• Community Support: It allows each Urban Corporation to create a settlement trust to support the health, education, welfare, and cultural preservation of the community, prioritizing elders and minor children.