[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2615 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2615

   To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that 
 Village Corporations shall not be required to convey land in trust to 
 the State of Alaska for the establishment of Municipal Corporations, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2023

 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 amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide that 
 Village Corporations shall not be required to convey land in trust to 
 the State of Alaska for the establishment of Municipal Corporations, 
                        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 ``Alaska Native Village Municipal 
Lands Restoration Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. REVERSION OF CERTAIN LAND CONVEYED IN TRUST TO THE STATE OF 
              ALASKA.

    Section 14(c) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 
1613(c)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as 
        subparagraphs (A) through (E), respectively, and indenting 
        appropriately;
            (2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) (as so 
        redesignated), by striking ``(c) Each patent'' and inserting 
        the following:
    ``(c) Conveyance of Certain Land by Village Corporation.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each patent'';
            (3) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), in the 
        undesignated matter following subparagraph (E) (as so 
        redesignated), in the first sentence--
                    (A) by striking ``section 14(c) of this Act'' and 
                inserting ``this subsection''; and
                    (B) by striking ``There is authorized'' and 
                inserting the following:
            ``(2) Technical assistance.--
                    ``(A) In general.--There are authorized'';
            (4) in paragraph (2)(A) (as so redesignated), in the second 
        sentence, by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting the 
        following:
                    ``(B) Form of funding.--The Secretary''; and
            (5) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)--
                    (A) in each of subparagraphs (A) and (B) (as so 
                redesignated)--
                            (i) by striking ``the'' the first place it 
                        appears and inserting ``The''; and
                            (ii) by striking the semicolon at the end 
                        and inserting a period;
                    (B) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesignated), by 
                striking ``the'' the first place it appears and 
                inserting ``The'';
                    (C) by striking ``existed as of'' in subparagraph 
                (D) (as so redesignated) and all that follows through 
                ``for'' in subparagraph (E) (as so redesignated) and 
                inserting the following: ``existed as of December 18, 
                1971.
                    ``(E) For''; and
                    (D) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated)--
                            (i) by striking the semicolon at the end 
                        and inserting a period;
                            (ii) by striking ``in trust: Provided, 
                        however, That the word'' and all that follows 
                        through ``sentence,'' and inserting the 
                        following: ``in trust.
                                    ``(II) Definition of sale.--For 
                                purposes of subclause (I), the term 
                                `sale''';
                            (iii) by striking ``one thousand two 
                        hundred and eighty acres: Provided further, 
                        That any net'' and inserting the following: 
                        ``1,280 acres.
                            ``(iii) Net revenues.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--Any net'';
                            (iv) by striking ``community needs: 
                        Provided, That the'' and inserting the 
                        following: ``community needs.
                            ``(ii) Minimum acreage.--The'';
                            (v) by striking ``(C) the Village 
                        Corporation'' and inserting the following:
                    ``(C) Conveyance to municipal corporation or the 
                state in trust.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Village 
                        Corporation''; and
                            (vi) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iv) Cases in which conveyance shall not 
                        be required.--
                                    ``(I) In general.--Notwithstanding 
                                any other provision of this 
                                subparagraph, if a Village Corporation, 
                                prior to the date of enactment of the 
                                Alaska Native Village Municipal Lands 
                                Restoration Act of 2023, conveyed to 
                                the State in trust all or a portion of 
                                the acreage of land required to be 
                                conveyed under this subparagraph for 
                                the establishment of a Municipal 
                                Corporation in the future, and a 
                                Municipal Corporation has not been 
                                established as of that date of 
                                enactment, on formal resolution by the 
                                Village Corporation and the residents 
                                of the Native village requesting 
                                dissolution of the trust, the trust 
                                shall be dissolved and title to the 
                                land shall revert to the Village 
                                Corporation, subject to subclause 
                                (III).
                                    ``(II) Additional land.--
                                Notwithstanding any other provision of 
                                this subparagraph, as of the date of 
                                enactment of the Alaska Native Village 
                                Municipal Lands Restoration Act of 
                                2023, a Village Corporation shall not 
                                be required to convey any additional 
                                land in trust under this subparagraph 
                                for the establishment of a Municipal 
                                Corporation in the future.
                                    ``(III) Requirements.--In 
                                accordance with subsection (g)--
                                            ``(aa) the reversion of 
                                        land to a Village Corporation 
                                        pursuant to subclause (I) shall 
                                        be subject to--

                                                    ``(AA) valid 
                                                existing rights created 
                                                by the applicable 
                                                trust; and

                                                    ``(BB) any existing 
                                                easements, rights-of-
                                                way necessary for 
                                                public roadway access, 
                                                or rights-of-way for 
                                                access of holders of 
                                                valid existing rights; 
                                                and

                                            ``(bb) the Village 
                                        Corporation shall assume the 
                                        obligations of the applicable 
                                        trust with respect to any lease 
                                        or other use agreement 
                                        applicable to the land on 
                                        reversion of the land to the 
                                        Village Corporation pursuant to 
                                        subclause (I).''.
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