Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025
Signed into law Jul 7, 2025 · Native Americans
What this law does
- Ends the rule that Alaska Native village corporations must give certain lands to the State of Alaska to hold in trust for future local governments.
- Lets village corporations take back land already held in trust, if the corporation and village residents formally vote to end the trust.
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
- IntroducedJan 3, 2025 · House
- 32 daysPassed HouseFeb 4, 2025
- 134 daysPassed SenateJun 18, 2025
- 15 daysPresented to the PresidentJul 3, 2025
- 4 daysSigned into lawJul 7, 2025
Official summary
Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 2025
This act removes the requirement that Alaska Native village corporations must convey lands to Alaska to be held in trust for future municipal governments.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) requires all Alaska Native village corporations that receive land under the ANCSA to convey certain lands to the existing municipality in the village or, if no municipality exists, to Alaska in trust for any municipality that may be established in the future. This act removes the requirement for conveyance. Additionally, the act allows village corporations to regain title to the lands held in trust by dissolving the trust through formal resolution by the village corporation and the residents of the Native village.
Summary by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (Public Law, Jul 7, 2025).
Who wrote it
Sponsor: Rep. Begich, Nicholas [R-AK-At Large]
0 cosponsors. 0 signed on the day it was introduced.
Recorded votes
| Date | Chamber | Vote | Yeas | Nays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 4, 2025 | House | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 412 - 1 (Roll no. 28). | 412 | 1 |
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) (0)
None. Every section heading in the final law was already in the first version (Introduced in House).
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 (Jan 3, 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 21 official actions
| Jul 7, 2025 | Signed by President. |
| Jul 7, 2025 | Signed by President. |
| Jul 7, 2025 | Became Public Law No: 119-23. |
| Jul 7, 2025 | Became Public Law No: 119-23. |
| Jul 3, 2025 | Presented to President. |
| Jul 3, 2025 | Presented to President. |
| Jun 23, 2025 | Message on Senate action sent to the House. |
| Jun 18, 2025 | Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. |
| Jun 18, 2025 | Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S3459) |
| Feb 5, 2025 | Received in the Senate, read twice. |
| Feb 4, 2025 | Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection. |
| Feb 4, 2025 | Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 412 - 1 (Roll no. 28). (text: CR H445-446) |
| Feb 4, 2025 | On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 412 - 1 (Roll no. 28). (text: CR H445-446) |
| Feb 4, 2025 | Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H450-451) |
| Feb 4, 2025 | At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed. |
| Feb 4, 2025 | DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 43. |
| Feb 4, 2025 | Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H445-447) |
| Feb 4, 2025 | Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. |
| Jan 3, 2025 | Introduced in House |
| Jan 3, 2025 | Introduced in House |
| Jan 3, 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.