Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a slate of bills under the House Committee on Natural Resources' jurisdiction, including three introduced by the late U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska). Committee Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"I can't think of any better way to honor Congressman Young's memory than by passing legislation that he championed during his time in the House. These bills, benefiting his home state, will advance Alaskan wildlife conservation, improve access to health care in Alaska Native communities and support scientific research into the decline of salmon populations, which are a key economic driver for Alaska. I'm proud to support these bills as part of the Dean of the House's legacy, and hope to see them quickly signed into law."

Background

The House passed a total of nine Natural Resources Committee bills, three of which were introduced by Young:

• H.R. 441, The Don Young Alaska Native Health Care Land Transfers Act of 2022,would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Indian Health Service, to convey by warranty deed and for health-related activities, 10.25 acres of land located in Tanana, Alaska, to the Tanana Tribal Council; 10.87 acres of land located in Sitka, Alaska, to the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium; and 3.5 acres of land located in Anchorage, Alaska, to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
• H.R. 6651, The Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act, would seek scientific solutions to solve salmon declines in Alaska’s fisheries.
• S. 497 (companion bill to H.R. 3128), The American Fisheries Advisory Committee Act of 2022,would reestablish an advisory committee to provide non-federal input on fisheries grant projects.