[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H444-H445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ALASKA NATIVE SETTLEMENT TRUST ELIGIBILITY ACT
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 42) to amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to
exclude certain payments to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives or
descendants of Alaska Natives from being used to determine eligibility
for certain programs, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 42
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Alaska Native Settlement
Trust Eligibility Act''.
SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR CERTAIN PROGRAMS.
Section 29(c) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
(43 U.S.C. 1626(c)) is amended, in the undesignated matter
following paragraph (3), by striking subparagraph (E) and
inserting the following:
``(E) an interest in a Settlement Trust and, for the 5-year
period beginning on the date of the enactment of the Alaska
Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act, an amount
distributed from or benefit provided by a Settlement Trust to
a Native or descendant of a Native who is an aged, blind, or
disabled individual (as defined in section 1614(a) of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1382c(a))).''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. Ansari)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.
General Leave
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
to add extraneous material on H.R. 42, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Arkansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, H.R. 42 would exclude the amounts distributed or
benefits provided from the Alaska Native corporation, or the ANC,
settlement trusts to Alaska Natives who are blind, disabled, 65 years
or older, or their descendants, when determining eligibility for means-
tested Federal benefits.
Federal means-tested benefits include programs such as Supplemental
Security Income, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Federal
housing benefits.
In 1988, Congress amended the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, or
ANCSA, to exclude the first $2,000 any Alaska Native individual
receives from an ANC when determining eligibility for means-tested
Federal benefits.
Additionally, the 1988 amendments authorized ANCs to establish
settlement trusts to distribute benefits to Alaska Native
beneficiaries.
Yet, benefits from settlement trusts were not excluded when
determining recipient eligibility for government assistance programs,
as with the first $2,000 of other benefits Alaska Natives can receive
from ANCs.
{time} 1615
ANCs have brought forward concerns with this discrepancy and the
impact it has on Alaska Natives, particularly those who are aged,
blind, or disabled. Often these individuals are placed in the position
of choosing between accepting the settlement trust income or qualifying
for government assistance programs.
H.R. 42 would address this oversight and exclude the amounts for
benefits distributed to aged, blind, or disabled Alaska Natives from
settlement trusts when determining eligibility for means-tested Federal
benefits.
I thank the sponsor of this legislation, our freshman Member from
Alaska, Mr. Begich, for his leadership in addressing this important
issue and for introducing this bill on the first day of the 119th
Congress so it could quickly be brought to the floor for consideration.
[[Page H445]]
Madam Speaker, I support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Ms. ANSARI. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of Representative Begich's H.R. 42, the Alaska Native
Settlement Trust Eligibility Act.
Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971 to
address land claims in the State of Alaska. Per an agreement, Alaska
Native corporations were established, and the Federal Government
transferred to them 44 million acres and $962.5 million in compensation
funds.
However, when an individual receives a distribution from an Alaska
Native settlement trust, part of this law requires that the Federal
Government include that distribution when determining the person's
eligibility for various governmental programs such as for housing and
supplemental income and nutritional assistance.
H.R. 42 would amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to
exclude from that calculation any such distributions provided to aged,
blind, or disabled Alaska Natives.
These are critical services that support the livelihoods of some of
the most vulnerable Alaska Natives. Over the years, the failure to
address this issue has often forced Alaska Natives to choose between
receiving the settlement trust fund benefits they are entitled to or
qualifying for need-based Federal benefits. H.R. 42 would solve this
problem, which is great news.
I will remind my colleagues, though, that this bill of course,
doesn't remove the risk that this administration will try to illegally
freeze or pause anyone's Federal benefits. Moreover, this bill will be
of small comfort if Republicans make good on their promises to cut
need-based Federal programs to pay for their billionaire tax breaks.
These aren't hypotheticals. The House Republican Study Committee's
budget proposal last fall called for cutting SNAP, the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program, by about 22 percent, for example.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, but I also
urge them to oppose the lawlessness we have been seeing in the
administration and to oppose cuts to programs that help the most
vulnerable people in our communities. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Alaska (Mr. Begich), who is the lead sponsor of this bill.
Mr. BEGICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R.
42, the Alaska Native Settlement Trust Eligibility Act. This
legislation makes a simple but necessary fix to Federal law, ensuring
that certain benefits distributed through Alaska Native corporation
settlement trusts do not unreasonably disqualify vulnerable Alaskans
from receiving assistance.
For decades, Alaska Native corporations have provided vital support
to their shareholders, including through settlement trusts, an
essential tool Congress authorized in 1988 to deliver benefits in a
structured, perpetual way. However, due to an oversight in the law,
payments from these trusts are counted as income when determining
eligibility for Federal programs like Supplemental Security Income,
SNAP, and housing assistance.
That means visually impaired and disabled Alaska Natives and elders
are forced to make an impossible choice: accept the benefits from their
settlement trusts or maintain their access to critical assistance.
By ensuring that these benefits are not counted as income, H.R. 42
aligns settlement trust distributions with other Alaska Native benefits
already excluded from eligibility calculations. It upholds the original
intent of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and protects the most
vulnerable in need in our Alaska Native communities.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan,
commonsense legislation. Let's ensure that no one has to choose between
their critical assistance and their well-being.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I
am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ANSARI. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, again, this legislation would ensure
that amounts distributed or benefits provided from Alaska Native
corporation settlement trusts to Alaska Natives who are blind,
disabled, or elders aged 65 and older, or their descendants, are
excluded when determining eligibility for means-tested Federal
benefits.
Again, Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Begich for his work on an important
issue for Alaska Natives, I urge the adoption of the bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 42.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________