[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4696 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4696

    To provide for the continuation of higher education through the 
 conveyance to the University of Alaska of certain public land in the 
                State of Alaska, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 24, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide for the continuation of higher education through the 
 conveyance to the University of Alaska of certain public land in the 
                State 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``University of Alaska Fiscal 
Foundation Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

     The purpose of this Act is to establish a program within the 
Department of the Interior to fulfill the commitment of Congress to 
establish the University of Alaska as a land grant university with 
holdings sufficient to facilitate operation and maintenance of a 
university system for the State of Alaska.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Available state selected land.--The term ``available 
        State selected land'' means Federal land in the State that has 
        been selected by the State, including top-filed land, but not 
        conveyed or patented to the State, pursuant to Public Law 85-
        508 (commonly known as the ``Alaska Statehood Act'') (48 U.S.C. 
        note prec. 21).
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of 
        Land Management.
            (3) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Alaska.
            (4) University.--The term ``University'' means the 
        University of Alaska.

SEC. 4. UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA LAND GRANT.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program within 
the Bureau of Land Management to identify and convey available State 
selected land to the University for a land grant to support higher 
education.
    (b) Identification of Available State Selected Land.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the State and the University may jointly 
        identify not more than 500,000 acres of available State 
        selected land for inclusion in the program established under 
        subsection (a) for conveyance and patent to the University.
            (2) Technical assistance.--Upon the request of the State 
        and the University, the Secretary shall provide technical 
        assistance in the identification of available State selected 
        land for inclusion in the program.
            (3) Survey.--Upon notification that the State and the 
        University have identified available State selected land for 
        conveyance under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
        expeditiously survey the available State selected land.
            (4) Maps.--As soon as practicable after the date on which 
        the available State selected land is identified for conveyance 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to Congress one 
        or more maps depicting the available State selected land 
        identified for conveyance under that paragraph.
    (c) State and University Concurrence; Conveyances.--Subject to 
subsection (e), if the State and the University submit to the Secretary 
one or more joint letters stating that the State and the University 
concur with the conveyance of all or a portion of the available State 
selected land identified for conveyance under subsection (b)(1), the 
Secretary shall convey to the Board of Regents of the University, 
subject to valid existing rights, the applicable identified available 
State selected land, to be held in trust for the exclusive use and 
benefit of the University.
    (d) Administration of Conveyed Land.--All available State selected 
land conveyed to the University under this Act, together with the 
income therefrom and the proceeds from any dispositions thereof, shall 
be administered by the University in trust to meet the necessary 
expenses of higher education programs, similar to prior Federal land 
grants to the University.
    (e) Terms and Conditions.--
            (1) Maximum acreage.--The Secretary shall convey not more 
        than a total of 360,000 acres of available State selected land 
        to the University under this Act.
            (2) Letters of concurrence.--For purposes of subsection (c) 
        and subject to the maximum acreage limitation under paragraph 
        (1), the State and the University may submit to the Secretary 
        one or more joint letters of concurrence identifying parcels of 
        available State selected land for conveyance as a subset of the 
        total acres to be conveyed under this Act.
            (3) Acreage charged against alaska statehood act 
        entitlement.--The total acreage of all parcels of available 
        State selected land conveyed to the University under this Act 
        shall be charged against the remaining entitlement of the State 
        under Public Law 85-508 (commonly known as the ``Alaska 
        Statehood Act'') (48 U.S.C. note prec. 21).
            (4) Survey costs.--In accordance with Public Law 85-508 
        (commonly known as the ``Alaska Statehood Act'') (48 U.S.C. 
        note prec. 21), the Secretary shall be responsible for the 
        costs of the survey under subsection (b)(3).
    (f) Intent of Congress.--It is the intent of Congress that any 
conveyance requested through a joint letter of concurrence under 
subsection (c) be finalized not later than 1 year after the date on 
which the letter is received by the Secretary.
    (g) State and University Participation.--Nothing in this Act 
requires the State or the University--
            (1) to participate in the program established under 
        subsection (a); or
            (2) to submit joint letters of concurrence under subsection 
        (c) or (e)(2).

SEC. 5. CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.

    On conveyance and patent to the University of the available State 
selected land under this Act, the Secretary shall notify the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on 
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives of the conveyance.
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