Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025
Signed into law May 19, 2026 · Native Americans
What this law does
- Waives a requirement that Cape Fox Corporation, the Native village corporation for Saxman, Alaska, take about 185 acres near the village.
- Lets Cape Fox choose other land instead, such as about 180 acres in the Tongass National Forest, if it notifies Interior within 90 days.
- Requires the Interior Department to give the surface land to Cape Fox and the land below the surface to Sealaska Corporation.
- Keeps a public access easement on the land that is transferred.
Plain-language list by Voting On, based only on the official summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service and the bill's titles. Read the official summary.
How it became law
- IntroducedApr 10, 2025 · House
- 249 daysPassed HouseDec 15, 2025
- 73 daysPassed SenateFeb 26, 2026
- 75 daysPresented to the PresidentMay 12, 2026
- 7 daysSigned into lawMay 19, 2026
Official summary
Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025
This act waives a statutory core township selection requirement for the Cape Fox Corporation and allows Cape Fox to receive other lands to fulfill its remaining land entitlement. Cape Fox is an Alaska Native village corporation for the Alaska Native village of Saxman, Alaska.
Specifically, the act states that Cape Fox shall not be required to receive its previously selected land of approximately 185 acres located within the township in which the Alaska Native village of Saxman, Alaska, is located. Instead, the act allows Cape Fox to receive land outside of Cape Fox's current exterior selection boundary upon written notice of the new selection to the Department of the Interior.
In particular, if Cape Fox submits written notice of its selection of approximately 180 acres of surface land within the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to Interior within 90 days of the act's enactment, then Interior must convey the federal land to Cape Fox. Upon conveyance of the surface estate of the federal land to Cape Fox, Interior must convey the subsurface estate of the federal land to Sealaska Corporation (the Alaska Native regional corporation representing southeastern Alaska).
The act reserves a public access easement on the federal land conveyed to Cape Fox and Sealaska.
Summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (Public Law, May 19, 2026).
Who wrote it
Sponsor: Rep. Begich, Nicholas [R-AK-At Large]
0 cosponsors. 0 signed on the day it was introduced.
Recorded votes
No recorded roll-call votes. It passed by voice vote or unanimous consent, where individual votes are not recorded.
What was added
Amendments adopted (0)
No floor amendments were adopted. Any changes were made in committee or in a later version of the bill.
Sections in the final law that were not in the first version (Introduced in House) (1)
- 6. Valid existing rights
What was removed
Sections in the first version (Introduced in House) that did not make it into the law (0)
None. Every section heading from the first version (Introduced in House) remains in the law.
Compared by section heading between the Introduced in House text (Apr 10, 2025) and the Enrolled Bill text, both from GovInfo. Wording changes inside a section that kept its heading are not shown here; see the amendments and the text versions.
Proposed but not adopted
No amendments were voted down or withdrawn.
Full action history
Show all 29 official actions
| May 19, 2026 | Signed by President. |
| May 19, 2026 | Signed by President. |
| May 19, 2026 | Became Public Law No: 119-93. |
| May 19, 2026 | Became Public Law No: 119-93. |
| May 12, 2026 | Presented to President. |
| May 12, 2026 | Presented to President. |
| Mar 3, 2026 | Message on Senate action sent to the House. |
| Feb 26, 2026 | Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous Consent. |
| Feb 26, 2026 | Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous Consent. |
| Feb 26, 2026 | Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. |
| Feb 26, 2026 | Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S697-699) |
| Dec 16, 2025 | Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5879-5880) |
| Dec 15, 2025 | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5879-5880) |
| Dec 15, 2025 | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2815. |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5879-5880) |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Mr. Stauber moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. |
| Oct 31, 2025 | Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-354. |
| Oct 31, 2025 | Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-354. |
| Oct 31, 2025 | Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 306. |
| Sep 17, 2025 | Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs Discharged |
| Sep 17, 2025 | Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held |
| Sep 17, 2025 | Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent. |
| May 20, 2025 | Subcommittee Hearings Held |
| May 13, 2025 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs. |
| Apr 10, 2025 | Introduced in House |
| Apr 10, 2025 | Introduced in House |
| Apr 10, 2025 | Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. |
Sources: Congress.gov (bill record, sponsors, actions, amendments, CRS summary) and GovInfo (official text). Days are calendar days.