[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4194 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4194

   To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that 
  Alexander Creek, Alaska, is and shall be recognized as an eligible 
         Native village under that Act, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 8, 2012

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that 
  Alexander Creek, Alaska, is and shall be recognized as an eligible 
         Native village under that 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. ALEXANDER CREEK VILLAGE RECOGNITION.

    The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 43. ALEXANDER CREEK VILLAGE RECOGNITION.

    ``(a) Recognition of the Village of Alexander Creek.--Subject to 
the limitations of this section and notwithstanding section 1432(d) of 
the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (Public Law 96-487) 
to the contrary, Alexander Creek, located within Township 15N, Range 
7W, Seward Meridian, Alaska, is and shall be recognized as an eligible 
Native village under section 11(b)(3) of this Act.
    ``(b) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section, the following 
terms apply:
            ``(1) The term `agency' includes--
                    ``(A) any instrumentality of the United States;
                    ``(B) any element of an agency; and
                    ``(C) any wholly owned or mixed-owned corporation 
                of the United States Government identified in chapter 
                91 of title 31, United States Code.
            ``(2) The term `Alexander Creek' means Alexander Creek 
        Incorporated, an Alaska Native Group corporation, organized 
        pursuant to this Act.
            ``(3) The term `Region' means Cook Inlet Region 
        Incorporated, an Alaska Native Regional Corporation, which is 
        the appropriate Regional Corporation for Alexander Creek under 
        section 1613(h) of this Act.
    ``(c) Organization of Alexander Creek.--As soon as practicable 
after enactment of this section, Alexander Creek shall cause to be 
filed--
            ``(1) any amendments to its corporate charter in the State 
        of Alaska necessary to convert from a Native group to a Native 
        Village corporation; and
            ``(2) if necessary, any amendments to its corporate charter 
        and governing business documents that fulfill the terms of the 
        agreement authorized under this Act.
    ``(d) Authority and Direction To Negotiate.--Not later than 30 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
open discussions and subsequently negotiate and, in the Secretary's 
sole discretion on behalf of the United States, enter into an agreement 
by December 31, 2012, with the Native Village Corporation of Alexander 
Creek (hereinafter, `Alexander Creek') to settle aboriginal land claims 
and any other claims of such Native Village Corporation against the 
United States fairly, reaching an agreement in approximate parity with 
those of other Alaska Native Village Corporations, notwithstanding 
Alexander Creek's prior status as a Group Corporation.
    ``(e) Shareholder Participation.--Alexander Creek shall notify each 
member of the Native village recognized under this section that, upon 
the effective date of this section, such members shall cease to receive 
benefits from the Region as at-large shareholders pursuant to section 
7(m), and that all future resource payments from the Region shall be 
made to the Village Corporation pursuant to section 7(j). The Region 
shall not be liable under any State, Federal, or local law, or under 
State or Federal common law, for damages arising out of or related to 
the cessation of payments to such individuals under section 7(m) 
pursuant to this section.
    ``(f) Statutory Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to--
            ``(1) limit, alter, violate, breach, or otherwise affect 
        the rights of any party under a contract, settlement agreement, 
        or land exchange entered into prior to enactment of this 
        section between Alexander Creek and any party, or one or more 
        parties to any contract, settlement, agreement, or land 
        exchange predicated upon Alexander Creek's Native village 
        status under this Act; or
            ``(2) diminish or reduce the acreage entitlement to which 
        Alexander Creek became entitled to as a Group Corporation.''.
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