[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1670 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1670

   To amend the Alaskan Native Claims Settlement Act to provide for 
       selection of lands by certain veterans of the Vietnam era.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 24, 1998

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Alaskan Native Claims Settlement Act to provide for 
       selection of lands by certain veterans of the Vietnam era.

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

SECTION 1. VIETNAM VETERANS ALLOTMENT.

    The Alaskan Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1600, et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:

     Open Season for Certain Native Alaskan Veterans for Allotments

    ``Sec. 41. (a) In General.--(1) During the one-year period 
beginning on the date of enactment of this section, an individual 
described in subsection (b) is eligible for an allotment of not more 
than 160 acres of land under the Act of May 17, 1906 (chapter 2469; 34 
Stat. 197), as such Act was in effect before December 18, 1971.
    ``(2) Allotments selected under this section shall not be from 
existing native or non-native campsites.
    ``(3) Only Federal lands are eligible for selection and conveyance 
under this Act.
    ``(4) All conveyances are subject to valid rights.
    ``(5) All state selected lands that have not yet been conveyed are 
ineligible for selection under this Act.
    ``(6) The Secretary shall prescribe, after consultation with Alaska 
Natives groups, such rules as may be necessary to carry out this 
section.
    ``(b) Eligible Individuals.--(1) 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 
Vietnam era.
    ``(2) For purposes of this section, 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 one 
year after the end of the period referred to in subsection (a).
    ``(d) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section, the terms 
`veteran' and `Vietnam era' have the meaning given such terms by 
paragraphs (2) and (29), respectively, of section 101 of title 38, 
United States Code.''.
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