[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7022 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7022

     To provide equitable treatment for the people of the Village 
 Corporation established for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 17, 2024

 Mrs. Peltola introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To provide equitable treatment for the people of the Village 
 Corporation established for the Native Village of Saxman, 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.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Cape Fox Corporation is a Village Corporation for 
        the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, organized pursuant to the 
        Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.);
            (2) similar to other Village Corporations in southeast 
        Alaska, under section 16 of that Act (43 U.S.C. 1615), Cape Fox 
        could select only 23,040 acres from land withdrawn for the 
        purpose of that selection;
            (3) under section 22(l) of that Act (43 U.S.C. 1621(l))--
                    (A) the Village Corporations in southeast Alaska, 
                other than Cape Fox, were restricted with respect to 
                the selection of land within 2 miles of a home rule 
                city (as that term is used in that Act); and
                    (B) to protect the watersheds in the vicinity, Cape 
                Fox was restricted with respect to the selection of 
                land within 6 miles of the boundary of the home rule 
                city of Ketchikan, Alaska;
            (4) the 6-mile restriction described in paragraph (3)(B) 
        precluded Cape Fox from selecting valuable industrial sites and 
        other commercial property located--
                    (A) within the townships in which the Native 
                Village of Saxman is located, more particularly 
                described as T.75 S., T.76 S., R.91 E., Copper River 
                Meridian; and
                    (B) on surrounding land that is far removed from 
                Ketchikan, Alaska, and its watersheds;
            (5) as a result of the restriction described in paragraph 
        (3)(B), only the remote, mountainous, northeast corner of the 
        property described in paragraph (4)(A), which is nonproductive 
        and has no known economic value, was available for selection by 
        Cape Fox, as required under section 16(b) of the Alaska Native 
        Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1615(b));
            (6) land selections by Cape Fox under that Act were further 
        limited by the fact that--
                    (A) the Annette Island Indian Reservation is 
                located within the applicable selection area; and
                    (B) land of that Reservation is unavailable for 
                selection by Cape Fox;
            (7) Cape Fox is the only Village Corporation affected by 
        the restrictions described in paragraphs (3)(B) and (6); and
            (8) the Secretary has advised Congress that the predicament 
        of Cape Fox is sufficiently unique to warrant the legislative 
        remedy provided by this Act.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Cape fox.--The term ``Cape Fox'' means the Cape Fox 
        Village Corporation, a Village Corporation for the Native 
        Village of Saxman, Alaska, organized pursuant to the Alaska 
        Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
            (2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means the 
        approximately 180 acres of surface land within the Tongass 
        National Forest in the State of Alaska, as generally depicted 
        on the Map.
            (3) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map entitled ``Cape 
        Fox Village Corporation Final Selection'' and dated December 
        18, 2023.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 3. WAIVER OF CORE TOWNSHIP REQUIREMENT FOR CERTAIN LAND.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 16(b) of the Alaska Native 
Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1615(b)), Cape Fox shall not be 
required to select or receive conveyance of the approximately 185 acres 
of unconveyed land described in subsection (b) located within the 
township in which the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, is located.
    (b) Land Described.--The land referred to in subsection (a) is as 
follows:
            (1) Approximately 40 acres in T. 74 S., R.90 E., sec. 10, 
        SWNE, Copper River Meridian.
            (2) Approximately 144.57 acres in T.75 S., R.91 E., sec. 1, 
        lots 1, 3, and 4, Copper River Meridian.

SEC. 4. SELECTION OUTSIDE EXTERIOR SELECTION BOUNDARY.

    (a) Selection and Conveyance of Surface Estate.--Not later than 90 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, if Cape Fox submits to 
the Secretary a written notice of selection of the Federal land, the 
Secretary shall, on receiving that written notice, convey the Federal 
land to Cape Fox.
    (b) Conveyance of Subsurface Estate.--On conveyance to Cape Fox of 
the surface estate to the Federal land under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall convey to Sealaska Corporation the subsurface estate to 
that Federal land.
    (c) Timing.--It is the intent of Congress that the Secretary 
complete the conveyances to Cape Fox and Sealaska Corporation under 
subsections (a) and (b), respectively, as soon as practicable after the 
date on which the Secretary receives a written notice of the selection 
of Cape Fox under subsection (a), but not later than 180 days after the 
date on which the Secretary receives that written notice.
    (d) Entitlement Fulfilled.--The conveyance of Federal land to Cape 
Fox and the subsurface interest in the Federal land to Sealaska 
Corporation under subsections (a) and (b), respectively, shall be 
considered to fulfill the entitlement of--
            (1) Cape Fox under section 16 of the Alaska Native Claims 
        Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1615); and
            (2) Sealaska Corporation to any subsurface interest in the 
        Federal land under section 14(f) of that Act (43 U.S.C. 
        1613(f)).
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