[1] Its jurisdiction was reporting on a variety of topics related to the territories, including legislation concerning them, and their admission as new states.
It was established with the power to look into the legislative, civil, and criminal proceedings of any of the Territories, and to devise and report to the House decisions that may be necessary to secure the rights and privileges of residents and nonresidents.
Additionally on public land in territories they had authority over railroads, public works and buildings, highways, taxes, bond issuing, education, Indian control, prohibition and wildlife.
The petitions from Alaska concerned issues of self-governance, transportation, coal, fisheries, forest reserves, interstate commerce, wagon roads and trails, new land districts, disposition of public moneys from sales of public lands for road and school funds, health regulations, aid for destitute whites, medical and sanitary relief for Alaskan Indians and natives, aids to navigation, land surveys, railways and conservation.
Requests for statehood and for distribution of public lands dominated the petitions made by Hawaii.