[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1768 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1768

    To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            November 20 (legislative day, November 2), 1993

 Mr. Murkowski introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. KAGEET POINT LAND SELECTION.

    The lands contained in the western half of Township 21 South, Range 
24 East, Copper River Meridian, commonly known as ``Kageet Point'', 
shall be considered and treated as acreage allotted to the Chugach 
Alaska Corporation for the purpose of making selections under section 
12(c) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1611(c)).

SEC. 2. RATIFICATION OF CERTAIN CASWELL AND MONTANA CREEK NATIVE 
              ASSOCIATIONS CONVEYANCES.

    The conveyance of approximately 11,520 acres to Montana Creek 
Native Association, Inc., and the conveyance of approximately 11,520 
acres to Caswell Native Association, Inc., shall be considered and 
treated as conveyances under section 14(h)(2) of the Alaska Native 
Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1613(h)(2)). The group corporations 
for Montana Creek and Caswell are hereby declared to have received 
their full entitlement and shall not be entitled to the receipt of any 
additional lands under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

SEC. 3. MINING CLAIMS AFTER LANDS PATENTED TO REGIONAL CORPORATION.

    Section 22(c) of Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 
1621(c)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(3) After the fee or subsurface lands subject to a valid mining 
claim have been patented to a Regional Corporation--
            ``(A) any person holding such valid mining claim shall 
        continue to meet all requirements of the general mining laws 
        and section 314 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
        of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1744);
            ``(B) the United States shall continue to administer the 
        mining claim, unless and until the Secretary, acting through 
        the Bureau of Land Management, waives administration in favor 
        of the Regional Corporation; and
            ``(C)(i) except as provided in clause (ii), all revenues 
        from the mining claim otherwise due the United States shall be 
        remitted to the Regional Corporation for distribution pursuant 
        to section 7(i) of this Act; and
            ``(ii) if the Regional Corporation patent does not cover 
        all land covered by the mining claim, the Regional Corporation 
        shall be entitled only to the proportion of revenues reasonably 
        allocated to the portion of the mining claim so covered.''.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS TO IMPLEMENT CONVEYANCES.

    Section 14(c) of Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 
1613(c)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as 
        subparagraphs (A) through (E), respectively;
            (2) by striking ``Each patent'' and inserting ``(1) Each 
        patent''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(2) There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as 
        are necessary to provide technical assistance to Village 
        Corporations in carrying out this subsection. The Secretary may 
        make amounts available pursuant to this subsection through 
        contracts with nonprofit organizations, whose function is to 
        provide technical assistance in planning, developing, and 
        administering assistance to Village Corporations in fulfilling 
        the requirements of this subsection.''.

SEC. 5. OPEN SEASON FOR CERTAIN NATIVE ALASKA VETERANS FOR ALLOTMENTS.

    (a) In General.--During the 1-year period beginning on the date of 
enactment of this Act, an individual described in subsection (b) is 
eligible for an allotment of not to exceed 160 acres under the Act of 
May 17, 1906 (chapter 2469; 34 Stat. 197), as such Act was in effect 
before December 18, 1971.
    (b) Eligible Individuals.--
            (1) In general.--An individual is eligible under subsection 
        (a) if the individual would have been eligible under the Act of 
        May 17, 1906 (chapter 2469; 34 Stat. 197), as such Act was in 
        effect before December 18, 1971, and the individual is a 
        veteran of the Korean conflict or the Vietnam era.
            (2) Deceased persons.--In the case of an individual 
        described in paragraph (1) who is deceased, the heirs of the 
        individual shall be treated as the individual described in 
        paragraph (1).
    (c) Conveyance Deadline.--The Secretary of the Interior shall 
complete land conveyances pursuant to this section not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (d) Implementation.--The Secretary shall prescribe such rules as 
are necessary to carry out this section.
    (e) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section, the terms 
``veteran'', ``Korean conflict'', and ``Vietnam era'' have the meaning 
given such terms in paragraphs (2), (9), and (29), respectively, of 
section 101 of title 38, United States Code.

SEC. 6. TRANSFER OF WRANGELL INSTITUTE.

    (a) Property Return.--Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated, is 
authorized to transfer to the United States the 10-acre site of the 
Wrangell Institute in Wrangell, Alaska, and the structures contained 
thereon. The Administrator of General Services shall accept title to 
such property and the structures contained thereon, on behalf of the 
United States.
    (b) Restoration of Bidding Credits.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraphs (2), (3), and (4), 
        in exchange for the land and structures at the Wrangell 
        Institute transferred pursuant to subsection (a), the 
        Administrator of General Services shall restore bidding credits 
        to the Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated property account in the 
        Treasury established pursuant to section 12(b) of Public Law 
        94-204 (43 U.S.C. 1611 note), in an amount equal to the sum 
        of--
                    (A) $382,305, plus interest; and
                    (B) the cost of legal and other expenses incurred 
                as a result of the return of the property.
            (2) Calculation of interest.--The interest credited to the 
        Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated property account pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall be compounded semiannually at the same 
        interest rate that was in effect for 5-year United States 
        Treasury bonds on November 2, 1987. The interest shall be 
        calculated for the period beginning on November 2, 1987, and 
        ending on the date that the land is conveyed to the United 
        States.
            (3) Use of restored credits.--Bidding credits restored to 
        the Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated property account pursuant 
        to paragraph (1) shall be available solely for the acquisition 
        of General Services Administration properties.
            (4) Hold harmless.--The United States shall defend and hold 
        harmless Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated, and its subsidiaries, 
        in any claim arising from Federal or Cook Inlet Region, 
        Incorporated, ownership of the land and structures, prior to 
        the return of such land and structures to the United States.

SEC. 7. LAPSED MINING CLAIMS.

    Section 22(c)(2)(A) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 
U.S.C. 1621(c)) is amended--
            (1) in clause (i)--
                    (A) by striking ``outside the boundaries of a 
                conservation system unit (as such term is defined in 
                the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act) 
                and''; and
                    (B) by striking ``The Secretary shall promptly 
                determine the validity of such claims or locations 
                within conservation system units.''; and
            (2) in clause (ii), by striking ``outside a conservation 
        system unit'' each place such phrase appears.

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