Senators urged William H. “Billy” Kirkland, if confirmed, to prioritize a longstanding probate backlog and support relocation for Alaska communities threatened by erosion and rising waters.

Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski described the probate backlog as causing families to wait years to settle estates and warned of harm when heirs risk losing homes. In remarks earlier in the hearing she said, “7 years, 7 years is absolutely too long to wait when a family risks losing their home simply because of the death of a parent or grandparent,” and later referenced an approximate 48,000 unresolved probate backlog.

Murkowski and other senators also raised the urgency of relocating communities such as Newtok and Huslia in Alaska, saying village survival “depends on continuing and building on federal assistance.” Kirkland acknowledged the problem and said he would learn more after entering the agency and prioritize probate as part of the secretary’s initiatives, noting the need for improved processes, records and staffing.

Committee members said resolving these operational, staffing and technological bottlenecks — while processing claims and probate matters — should move in parallel and be a priority for the incoming assistant secretary.