Two Alaska-focused bills authored by Representative Nick Begich III are headed to President Trump after passing the US Senate on Wednesday. Begich confirmed Friday that President Trump will likely sign both pieces of Alaska Native land legislation within the next 30 days.
House Resolutions 42 and 43 passed the Senate by voice vote after months of collaboration between Alaska’s congressional delegation and stakeholders. House Resolution 42 will help disabled Alaska Natives access federal programs by excluding certain income from eligibility calculations under federal guidelines.
House Resolution 43 will return 11,500 acres to Native village corporations by removing outdated federal landhold restrictions for new villages. The Alaska Legislature originally requested this land reform after reporting that many Native villages lacked space to build housing and infrastructure.
Begich emphasized that people often assume rural villages have land, but most lack usable parcels for new homes or public facilities. He said the housing crisis remains urgent in Native communities where multiple generations often live in crowded, unsafe, or deteriorating house structures.
Begich credited Senator Lisa Murkowski with navigating the bills through the Senate, where they passed unanimously without objection. Murkowski praised her Democratic colleagues for supporting the arrangement, which paired the Alaska bills with unrelated legislation from Nevada and Massachusetts.
Begich inherited the bills from former Representative Mary Peltola, who introduced earlier versions before losing Alaska’s House seats in 2024. Once signed, the legislation will bring lasting federal support and development opportunities to long-neglected rural Native communities statewide.
