Title 43 — Public LandsRelease 119-73
§1607 Village Corporations
Title 43 › Chapter CHAPTER 33— - ALASKA NATIVE CLAIMS SETTLEMENT › § 1607
Summary
Native villagers must form a state-registered corporation (for-profit or nonprofit) before their village can receive land patents or other benefits under this chapter, unless another rule allows otherwise. The Regional Corporation must approve the initial articles, oversee changes and annual budgets for five years, and help prepare required documents; parts g, h (except paragraph 4), and o of section 1606 apply to Village, Urban, and Group Corporations.
Full Legal Text
Title 43, §1607
Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Native residents of each Native village entitled to receive lands and benefits under this chapter shall organize as a business for profit or nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State before the Native village may receive patent to lands or benefits under this chapter, except as otherwise provided.
(b)The initial articles of incorporation for each Village Corporation shall be subject to the approval of the Regional Corporation for the region in which the village is located. Amendments to the articles of incorporation and the annual budgets of the Village Corporations shall, for a period of five years, be subject to review and approval by the Regional Corporation. The Regional Corporation shall assist and advise Native villages in the preparation of articles of incorporation and other documents necessary to meet the requirements of this subsection.
(c)The provisions of subsections (g), (h) (other than paragraph (4)), and (o) of section 1606 of this title shall apply in all respects to Village Corporations, Urban Corporations, and Group Corporations.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1995—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–10 substituted “(h) (other than paragraph (4))” for “(h)”. 1988—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–241 amended subsec. (c) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) read as follows: “The provisions concerning stock alienation, annual audit, and transfer of stock ownership on death or by court decree provided for regional corporations in section 1606 of this title, including the provisions of section 1606(h)(3) of this title shall apply to Village Corporations Urban Corporations and Native Groups; except that audits need not be transmitted to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the House of Representatives or to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.” 1980—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 96–487 inserted provision making provisions of section 1606 of this title, including section 1606(h)(3) of this title, applicable to Village Corporations, Urban Corporations, and Native Groups and substituted provision that audits need not be transmitted to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs of the House of Representatives or the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate for provision that audits need not be transmitted to the Committees on Interior and Insular Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
43 U.S.C. § 1607
Title 43 — Public Lands
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73