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Bill would transfer federal land in Anchorage to Southcentral Foundation to build new behavioral‑health facility
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Summary
Witnesses told the House subcommittee HR 3620 would allow Southcentral Foundation to acquire federal land in Anchorage by warranty deed, unlock a planned 40,000 sq. ft. behavioral‑health facility and expand services for people with persistent mental illness; HHS testified to concerns about deed type and retention mechanisms.
The subcommittee heard testimony on HR 3620, the South Central Foundation Land Transfer Act, which would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to convey a parcel of land in Anchorage, Alaska, to Southcentral Foundation (SCF), an Alaska Native‑run health organization, so the organization can replace aging facilities used for behavioral health services.
Representative Begich, sponsor of the bill, described SCF as a longstanding Alaska Native health provider serving more than 70,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people and said the legislation would remove ‘‘bureaucratic red tape’’ and allow the organization to modernize the Koyana Clubhouse and related services. SCF’s vice president Leandra Ross told the committee the current facilities date to the 1990s, include buildings never intended for clinical care (one was formerly a morgue), and constrain capacity. Ross said a new 40,000 square‑foot building would allow SCF to collocate intensive case management with day clubhouse programming, double the number of customer‑owners served in those programs and expand hours and services.
Daryl LaRoche, acting deputy director of the Indian Health Service at HHS, testified that the bill would require conveyance by warranty deed and completion ‘‘as soon as practicable, but no later than two years from enactment.’’ LaRoche said HHS has concerns about mandatory warranty deeds—rather than quitclaim deeds with reversionary clauses—because warranty deeds can create potential future liability if competing property interests subsequently appear. He also noted the bill does not specify the particular health programs the property must be used for and that the department prefers mechanisms that ensure property returns to federal ownership if the use condition ceases.
LaRoche said the department’s Alaska staff reported the property has cleared environmental assessments. Ross said SCF plans to build the new facility at the site, that the parcel is zoned for the proposed services, and that the organization has operated the Koyana Clubhouse on the property since 1993. Ross said SCF currently serves about 120 customer‑owners at the clubhouse and that many of SCF’s programs are funded partly through Medicaid and private payers.
Committee members asked about deed types, environmental liability protections, and whether prior similar conveyances have been implemented—LaRoche noted Congress has authorized similar transfers in the past and HHS has implemented them but requested opportunities to work on technical amendments. No committee vote occurred at the hearing.
