ANCSA Improvement Act: Course corrections for 2019.

AuthorStricker, Julie
PositionALASKA NATIVE

Last year was a big one for politics. The midterm elections garnered headlines across the nation and statewide, with big turnouts and tight races. For example, the race for House District 1 ended with a vote of 2,663 to 2,662. That one vote gave Republican Bart LeBon--who called the race and subsequent recount "one for the books"--the win and the Republican party control of the state's House. Republicans also have a majority in the state's Senate and, following another tight race, Alaska has a Republican governor.

The race for governor was no less exciting. Republican Mike Dunleavy won the governor's seat with about 51 percent of the vote compared to Democrat Mark Begich, who lost by a slim margin, garnering about 45 percent of the vote.

But the election is now in the rearview mirror, and the state's Native corporations are looking toward 2019 for change. Charlene Ostbloom. vice president of communications for Fairbanks-based Doyon, Limited, says the corporation plans to "focus on building a relationship with the new administration and legislators" in Alaska. But those relationships extend beyond Alaska's governing bodies: because these corporations were formed under ANCSA, changes--or a lack thereof--to that piece of legislation have significant effects on Alaska Native operations.

ANCSA Improvement Act

Nationally, several corporations were keeping a close eye on a Senate bill (S.1481-ANCSA Improvement Act of 2017) co-sponsored by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan that would update certain provisions of ANCSA.

"ANCSA was intended to be a living measure that would change as the needs of Alaska Natives changed," Murkowski said in a statement. "Over the years, Congress has amended the act more than forty times, and this package contains the latest series of common-sense solutions to real issues that have arisen with it. The bills we introduced will help ensure the federal government lives up to its promises to Alaska Natives, and I am eager to work with Senator Sullivan and the rest of my colleagues to advance it."

ANCSA was written to settle aboriginal land claims and allow construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline. Under the legislation, Alaska Natives received 44 million acres of land and $962 million, creating twelve regional corporations and more than 200 village corporations in the state "to provide a continuing stream of income to help improve the lives of Alaska Natives," Murkowski states.

A 13th corporation was later created for Alaska Natives living outside the state.

The 13th Regional Corporation differed from...

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