00                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 33                                                                     
01 Encouraging the United States Congress to provide a legal resolution to inequitable                                     
02 aboriginal land claims in the state; and encouraging the Alaska delegation in Congress                                  
03 to work with affected communities in the state.                                                                         
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
05       WHEREAS the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, enacted in 1971, was intended                                  
06 to provide a legal resolution of aboriginal land claims in the state; and                                               
07       WHEREAS several Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska were excluded                                     
08 from forming village or urban corporations and therefore did not receive land entitlements                              
09 under the Act; and                                                                                                      
10 WHEREAS the Study of Five Southeast Alaska Communities, prepared by the                                               
11 University of Alaska Anchorage at the direction of the 103rd United States Congress, found                              
12 there was no clear, justifiable, or documented reason for the exclusion of five Southeast                               
13 Alaska communities; and                                                                                                 
14       WHEREAS the excluded communities, commonly referred to as "landless" Alaska                                     
15 Native communities, are Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrangell, and Tenakee; and                                       
01 WHEREAS the exclusion of these communities from land entitlements under the                                           
02 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act has resulted in long-standing disparities, including                                
03 disparities in economic opportunity, land stewardship, and community development, to the                                
04 Alaska Native residents in those communities as compared to other Alaska Native                                         
05 communities in the state; and                                                                                           
06 WHEREAS the United States Congress has periodically considered legislation to                                         
07 address this inequity by amending the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to recognize                                  
08 these Southeast Alaska Native communities and provide a path to land entitlement and                                    
09 corporate formation consistent with the intent of the original Act; and                                                 
10 WHEREAS equitable treatment of Alaska Native communities under federal law is                                         
11 essential to honoring the intent of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and supporting                              
12 long-term economic self-determination, cultural continuity, and community stability across                              
13 the state; and                                                                                                          
14 WHEREAS resolving this issue is a matter of federal law and responsibility, and state                                 
15 recognition and support can help reinforce the importance of a fair and lasting solution;                               
16 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature expresses its support for federal                                    
17 legislation that fairly and comprehensively addresses the historically unjustifiable exclusion                          
18 of Alaska Native communities in Southeast Alaska from land entitlements under the Alaska                                
19 Native Claims Settlement Act; and be it                                                                                 
20 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States                                            
21 Congress to enact legislation that provides an equitable and responsible resolution for these                           
22 landless Alaska Native communities in a manner consistent with the original purposes of the                             
23 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; and be it                                                                          
24 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages the state's                                             
25 congressional delegation to continue directly involving and working collaboratively with                                
26 affected communities, Alaska Native organizations, and other stakeholders to achieve a fair                             
27 and durable outcome.                                                                                                    
28 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President                                   
29 of the United States; the Honorable JD Vance, Vice President of the United States and                                   
30 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of                                  
31 Representatives; the Honorable Chuck Grassley, President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate; the                            
01 Honorable John Thune, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mike Lee, Chair                                 
02 of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; the Honorable Bruce                                       
03 Westerman, Chair of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources; the Honorable                                        
04 Douglas Burgum, United States Secretary of the Interior; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski                               
05 and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S.                                  
06 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.