[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3182 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3182

To provide for a land conveyance to the city of Craig, Alaska, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 28, 1999

 Mr. Young of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                     to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for a land conveyance to the city of Craig, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Craig Municipal Equity Act of 
1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds and declares the following:
            (1) Section 6(a) of the Alaska Statehood Act (48 U.S.C., 
        note preceding section 21) granted 400,000 acres of national 
        forest land to the State of Alaska for the purpose of 
        furthering development of and expansion of communities. In 
        1969, the State of Alaska selected 17,040 acres of this Federal 
        land grant at the request of the city of Craig, Alaska, but 
        this and other selections were not approved by the United 
        States Forest Service.
            (2) On December 18, 1971, the Alaska Native Claims 
        Settlement Act (48 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) was enacted to settle 
        outstanding Native aboriginal claims to lands in the State of 
        Alaska. The settlement included the direction to convey certain 
        lands to Alaska Native village corporations located in 
        Southeast Alaska. These conveyances included all of the public 
        land in the vicinity of the city of Craig that was selected by 
        the State of Alaska in 1969.
            (3) Pursuant to ANCSA, the Federal Government conveyed 
        3,960 acres of public land within the city of Craig, and all 
        public land surrounding the community, to 2 Native village 
        corporations. These adjoining conveyances occupy 93 percent of 
        the 4,258 acres within the city limits of the city of Craig. 
        Outside of the existing 200-acre Craig townsite, no other land 
        within 10 miles of the Craig city limits has been available for 
        selection under the Alaska Statehood Act.
            (4) In the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act 
        (16 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), the Congress exempted Native 
        corporations from municipal taxation of their underdeveloped 
        land, and enacted a tax recapture provision, in section 
        907(d)(5) of that Act (43 U.S.C. 1636(d)(5)), that acts as a 
        further disincentive to development of Native village 
        corporation land.
            (5) Under the laws of the State of Alaska, incorporated 
        municipalities are entitled to a share of available State land 
        within their corporate limits. However, the enactment of ANCSA 
        and circumstances experienced by no other municipality in 
        Alaska, including Federal land conveyances to 2 adjoining 
        Native village corporations, has prevented the city of Craig 
        from acquiring a State land entitlement.
            (6) Since 1971, the city of Craig has grown from a 
        population of 250 people to nearly 2,500 people and its 
        demographics have changed, making it difficult for Craig to 
        qualify for many programs enacted by the Congress to provide 
        assistance to villages with majority Alaska Native populations.
            (7) Provisions of Federal tax laws and Federal land 
        conveyances have had the unintended effect of preventing the 
        city of Craig from exercising its governmental powers to tax 93 
        percent of the land within the municipality, and to receive any 
        of the Federal land grant promised at the time of Alaska 
        statehood for community expansion and development.

SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT TO CONVEY LANDS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall, subject to 
valid existing rights, convey to the city of Craig, Alaska, all right, 
title, and interest of the United States in and to the lands described 
in subsection (b).
    (b) Legal Description.--The lands referred to in subsection (a) are 
all Federal lands in the following described protracted and partially 
surveyed townships in the Copper River Meridian, Alaska:

                     copper river meridian, alaska

            T. 71 S., R. 81 E.
                    Section 24, E\1/2\;
                    Section 25, E\1/2\, S\1/2\SW\1/4\;
                    Section 36.
    Containing 1360 acres, more or less.
            T. 71 S., R. 82 E.
                    Section 19, S\1/2\SW\1/4\;
                    Section 29, W\1/4\NW\1/4\, N\1/2\SW\1/4\;
                    Section 30, All;
                    Section 31, All.
    Containing 1500 acres, more or less.
            T. 72 S., R. 82 E.
                    Section 5, SW\1/4\NW\1/4\, W\1/2\, SW\1/4\;
                    Section 6, All;
                    Section 7, NE\1/4\NE\1/4\;
                    Section 8, W\1/2\, SW\1/4\SE\1/4\;
                    Section 17, NW\1/4\NW\1/4\, E\1/2\NW\1/4\, NE\1/
                4\SW\1/4\, W\1/2\NE\1/4\, NW\1/4\SE\1/4\, S\1/2\SE\1/
                4\;
                    Section 20, NE\1/4\.
    Containing 1672 acres, more or less.
    Aggregating 4532 acres, more or less.
    (c) Deadline.--The Secretary shall complete all conveyances 
required by subsection (a) within 90 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act.
    (d) Escrow Account.--
            (1) In general.--All amounts received by the United States 
        on or after the date of enactment of this Act as proceeds of 
        contracts, leases, permits, rights-of-way, or easements 
        pertaining to the land to be conveyed under subsection (a) 
        shall be deposited into a separate account in the Treasury.
            (2) Investment.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall invest 
        moneys in the account in public debt securities with maturities 
        suitable to the needs of the account, as determined by the 
        Secretary of the Treasury, and bearing interest at rates 
        determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, taking into 
        consideration current market yields on outstanding marketable 
        obligations of the United States of comparable maturity. 
        Amounts earned on such investments shall be deposited in the 
        account.
            (3) Use.--Amounts in the account shall, subject to 
        appropriations, be paid by the Secretary to the city of Craig 
        at the time of conveyance under subsection (a) of lands from 
        which the amounts are derived.
    (e) Timber Export Restriction.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, timber harvested from land conveyed to the city of Craig under 
this section shall not be transported from Alaska by any person as 
unprocessed logs, and shall not be conveyed by any person for purposes 
of such transport.
    (f) Relation to Other Requirements.--Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the land conveyed to the city of Craig under this 
section shall be considered in lieu of land not conveyed under the 
Alaska Statehood Act for the purpose of furthering development of and 
expansion of the city of Craig. Such conveyance is not subject to the 
provisions of the Alaska Statehood Act, nor does it limit or restrict 
the State of Alaska's land entitlement under section 6(a) of that Act.
    (g) Maps.--
            (1) Filing.--Maps depicting lands to be conveyed under this 
        section shall be maintained on file and available for public 
        inspection--
                    (A) in the District of Columbia, in the Office of 
                the Chief of the United States Forest Service and in 
                the Office of the Secretary of the Interior; and
                    (B) in Craig, Alaska, in the office of the Craig 
                Ranger District.
            (2) Controlling effect.--The acreages cited in subsection 
        (b) are approximate. If there is any discrepancy between any 
        such cited acreage and the land depicted on the maps, the maps 
        shall control. The maps shall not be construed to convey State 
        of Alaska or private land.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) ANCSA.--The term ``ANCSA'' means the Alaska Native 
        Claims Settlement Act (48 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
            (2) Alaska statehood act.--The term ``Alaska Statehood 
        Act'' means Public Law 85-508 (48 U.S.C., note preceding 
        section 21).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
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