[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1851 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1851

To convey certain public lands in the State of Alaska to the University 
                   of Alaska, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 7, 1996

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To convey certain public lands in the State of Alaska to the University 
                   of Alaska, 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. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) as the beneficiary under the provisions of the Acts of 
        August 30, 1890, and March 4, 1907, designating the Alaska 
        Agricultural College and School of Mines as beneficiary, and of 
        March 4, 1915 (38 Stat. 1214), transferring certain land for 
        its location and support, the University of Alaska is a land 
        grant university;
            (2) under the Acts of March 4, 1915 (38 Stat. 1214), and 
        January 21, 1929 (45 Stat. 1091), the Congress of the United 
        States granted to the Territory of Alaska certain Federal land 
        to be held in trust for the benefit of the predecessor of the 
        University of Alaska;
            (3) the Territory was unable to receive most of the land 
        conveyed by the Act of March 4, 1915, before repeal of that Act 
        by section 6(k) of the Alaska Statehood Act (Public Law 85-508, 
        72 Stat. 339);
            (4) most land grant colleges in the Western United States 
        have obtained a larger land grant from the Federal Government 
        than the University of Alaska has received; and
            (5) an academically strong and financially secure State 
        university system is a cornerstone to the long-term development 
        of a stable population and to a healthy, diverse economy.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this bill is to fulfill the original 
commitment of Congress to establish the University of Alaska as a major 
land grant university, with holdings sufficient to establish, operate, 
and maintain a university system for the inhabitants of the State of 
Alaska by the transfer of sufficient public lands to achieve those 
purposes.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL GRANT.

    (a) Subject to valid existing rights and the conditions set forth 
in this legislation, the Secretary of the Interior shall convey to the 
University of Alaska, as a grant and in fee simple, a basic Federal 
entitlement of 350,000 acres of Federal lands in Alaska.
    (b)(1) The University of Alaska may submit to the Secretary a list 
of properties the university has selected to receive under the 
conditions of this grant. The university may submit selections that 
exceed the basic entitlement, except that such selections shall not 
exceed 385,000 acres.
    (2) Within six months of the receipt of the university's 
selections, the Secretary shall notify the university of the 
Department's acceptance, or objection to each selection, including 
reasons for any objection.
    (c) The Secretary shall not approve or convey, under this grant--
            (1) any Federal lands which, at the time of enactment of 
        this Act, are included in a Conservation System Unit as defined 
        in the Alaska National Interests Lands Conservation Act.
            (2) any Federal lands validly selected but not conveyed to 
        the State of Alaska or the corporations organized pursuant to 
        the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
    (d) If, following the Secretary's review of the grant selections by 
the university, the amount of acreage approved by the Secretary for 
conveyance is less than the amount of land authorized by this 
legislation, the Secretary and the university shall select the 
remainder of lands to satisfy the grant by mutual negotiation and 
agreement.
    (e) Lands shall be conveyed to the university only to the extent 
that the State of Alaska conveys, or has conveyed an equivalent amount 
of acreage to the university subsequent to June 7, 1996.
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