The Alaska Senate has passed legislation to formally recognize tribes in Alaska, which supporters say is an overdue step that would create opportunities for the state and tribes to work together.
If the bill is enacted, its passage would likely bump from this year’s ballot a similar tribal recognition initiative, according to a memo from a legislative attorney. Initiatives that qualify for the ballot can be preempted if the Legislature passes substantially similar legislation first. If the bill were to stall, however, and not pass — the regular session is set to end on Wednesday — the initiative still would be on the ballot.
Having a recognition in law would allow for continuity from one state administration to the next so that Alaska could work toward long-term solutions to issues with tribes, the group said. Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky, a Bethel Democrat, sponsored the bill, HB123. There are more than 220 federally recognized tribes in Alaska.
For years, lawmakers have fought over what size dividend to pay residents from Alaska’s oil wealth fund. The check proposed by the Senate would be in line with a long-standing formula last used in 2015 and is estimated around $4,200. Many lawmakers have come to consider that formula unsustainable but the Legislature has not agreed to a new formula and instead has been setting the yearly amount, resulting in often drawn-out, divisive debates.
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