Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act Becomes Public Law 119-22

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2026 — President signed the Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act into law today as Public Law 119-22.

The statute affects the 12 regional Alaska Native corporations and more than 200 village corporations established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. Those entities collectively hold title to roughly 44 million acres of land and manage settlement funds on behalf of approximately 140,000 Alaska Native shareholders.

The law alters the prior statutory framework that restricted which lands and assets could be transferred into Settlement Trusts. Previously only certain classes of land qualified; the new text expands the categories of real property and natural-resource interests eligible for trust placement. The expanded eligibility takes effect on the date of enactment.

Downstream the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Land Management must update their administrative guidance and approval processes within existing regulatory timelines to reflect the new eligibility criteria. Alaska Native corporations gain immediate authority to convey additional lands into trusts, which carry distinct federal tax treatment under IRC section 646 and remove the property from certain state and local tax rolls.

The change also triggers updates to corporate governance documents and shareholder communications for any corporation choosing to utilize the new authority. Congress retains oversight through its annual appropriations and authorization process for programs tied to Alaska Native lands.

This marks the latest congressional adjustment to the 1971 Claims Settlement Act framework. The original statute created the corporate structure in lieu of a reservation system; subsequent amendments have periodically refined land-transfer and trust provisions to address implementation issues identified by the corporations and federal agencies.