Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act

Summary: Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act  (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) to declare that any allotment application pending before the Department of the Interior on December 18, 1971, that was closed by Interior pursuant to the civil action Shields v. United States shall be reopened and considered to be approved. (Sec. 3) The bill revises the eligibility of Alaska Native Vietnam veterans for an allotment. Eligibility for allotments is extended to veterans who served between August 5, 1964, and May 7, 1975. Eligible persons may file for allotments of up to two parcels of federal land (as under current law) totaling up to 160 acres.  The bill eliminates the limitation of these allotments to lands that were vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved on the date when the person eligible for the allotment first used and occupied them.  Allotments may be selected from vacant federal lands or lands that have been selected by or conveyed to the state of Alaska or a Native corporation, if the state or corporation voluntarily relinquishes or conveys the land to the United States for allotment.  The lands excluded from allotment are revised to: (1) lands in the right-of-way of the TransAlaska Pipeline; (2) the inner or outer corridor of such a right-of-way; or (3) a unit of the National Park System, a National Preserve, or a National Monument.   The heir of a deceased eligible veteran, regardless of the cause of death, may apply for and receive an allotment. Persons who made an allotment selection under ANCSA and were not conveyed the allotment before enactment of this bill may reselect land.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Alaska Native Veterans Land 
Allotment Equity Act''.

SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION REGARDING OCCUPANCY OF NATIVE ALLOTMENTS IN 
              NATIONAL FORESTS.

    Section 18(a) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 
1617(a)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(a) No Native'' and inserting the 
        following:
    ``(a) Revocation.--
            ``(1) In general.--No Native'';
            (2) in the second sentence, by striking ``Further, the'' 
        and inserting the following:
            ``(2) Repeal.--The'';
            (3) in the third sentence, by striking ``Notwithstanding 
        the foregoing provisions of this section, any'' and inserting 
        the following:
            ``(3) Applications for allotment.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding paragraphs (1) 
                and (2), any''; and
            (4) in paragraph (3) (as designated by paragraph (3)), by 
        adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Certain applications approved.--Any allotment 
                application pending before the Department of the 
                Interior on December 18, 1971, that was closed by the 
                Department pursuant to the civil action styled `Shields 
                v. United States' (698 F.2d 987 (9th Cir. 1983), cert. 
                denied (104 S. Ct. 73 (1983))) shall be reopened and 
                considered to be approved pursuant to this 
                paragraph.''.

SEC. 3. OPEN SEASON FOR CERTAIN ALASKA NATIVE VETERANS FOR ALLOTMENTS.

    Section 41 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 
1629g) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``In 
                General'' and inserting ``Alaska Native Veteran 
                Allotments'';
                    (B) by striking paragraphs (1) through (4) and 
                inserting the following:
            ``(1) Allotments.--
                    ``(A) Eligible recipients.--Any person described in 
                paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b) shall be 
                eligible to receive an allotment under the Act of May 
                17, 1906 (34 Stat. 197, chapter 2469) (as in effect 
                before December 18, 1971), of not more than 2 parcels 
                of Federal land, the total area of which shall not 
                exceed 160 acres. Any person described in paragraph (1) 
                and (2) of subsection (b) who, prior to the date on 
                which the Secretary promulgates regulations pursuant to 
                section 4 of the Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment 
                Equity Act, received an allotment that has a total area 
                of less than 160 acres shall be eligible to receive an 
                allotment under the Act of May 17, 1906 (34 Stat. 197, 
                chapter 2469) (as in effect before December 18, 1971), 
                of not more than 1 parcel of Federal land, the total 
                area of which shall not exceed the difference in acres 
                between 160 acres and the total area of the allotment 
                that the person previously received under the Act.
                    ``(B) Filing deadline.--An allotment shall be filed 
                for an eligible recipient not later than 3 years after 
                the date on which the Secretary promulgates regulations 
                pursuant to section 4 of the Alaska Native Veterans 
                Land Allotment Equity Act.
            ``(2) Land available for allotments.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (C), an 
                allotment under this section shall be selected from 
                land that is--
                            ``(i)(I) vacant; and
                            ``(II) owned by the United States;
                            ``(ii) selected by, or conveyed to, the 
                        State of Alaska, if the State voluntarily 
                        relinquishes or conveys to the United States 
                        the land for the allotment; or
                            ``(iii) selected by, or conveyed to, a 
                        Native Corporation, if the Native Corporation 
                        voluntarily relinquishes or conveys to the 
                        United States the land for the allotment.
                    ``(B) Relinquishment by native corporation.--If a 
                Native Corporation relinquishes land under subparagraph 
                (A)(iii), the Native Corporation may select appropriate 
                Federal land, as determined by the Secretary, the area 
                of which is equal to the area of the land relinquished 
                by the Native Corporation, to replace the relinquished 
                land.
                    ``(C) Exclusions.--An allotment under this section 
                shall not be selected from land that is located 
                within--
                            ``(i) a right-of-way of the TransAlaska 
                        Pipeline;
                            ``(ii) an inner or outer corridor of such a 
                        right-of-way; or
                            ``(iii) a unit of the National Park System, 
                        a National Preserve, or a National Monument.
            ``(3) Alternative allotments.--A person described in 
        paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b) who qualifies for an 
        allotment under this section on land described in paragraph 
        (2)(C) may select an alternative allotment from land that is--
                    ``(A) located within the boundaries of land 
                described in paragraph (2)(C);
                    ``(B)(i)(I) withdrawn under section 11(a)(1)(C); 
                and
                    ``(II) not selected, or relinquished after 
                selection, under section 11(a)(3);
                    ``(ii) contiguous to an outer boundary of land 
                withdrawn under section 11(a)(1)(C); or
                    ``(iii) vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved; and
                    ``(C) not a unit of the National Park System, a 
                National Preserve, or a National Monument.''; and
                    (C) by redesignating paragraphs (5) and (6) as 
                paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively;
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraph (B) 
                and inserting the following:
            ``(B) is a veteran who served during the period beginning 
        on August 5, 1964, and ending on May 7, 1975.'';
                    (B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(2) Deceased persons.--If an individual who would 
        otherwise have been eligible for an allotment under this 
        section dies before applying for an allotment, an heir of the 
        person may apply for, and receive, an allotment under this 
        section, on behalf of the estate of the person.''; and
                    (C) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(3) Limitations.--No person who received an allotment or 
        has a pending allotment under the Act of May 17, 1906, may 
        receive an allotment under this section, other than--
                    ``(A) an heir who applies for, and receives, an 
                allotment on behalf of the estate of a deceased person 
                under paragraph (2); and
                    ``(B) a person who, prior to the date on which the 
                Secretary promulgates regulations pursuant to section 4 
                of the Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment Equity 
                Act, received an allotment under the Act of May 17, 
                1906 (34 Stat. 197, chapter 2469), that has a total 
                area of less than 160 acres.'';
            (3) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as subsections 
        (f) and (g), respectively;
            (4) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d) Approval of Allotments.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to any valid right in existence 
        on the date of enactment of the Alaska Native Veterans Land 
        Allotment Equity Act, and except as provided in paragraph (3), 
        not later than December 31, 2020, the Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) approve any application for an allotment 
                filed in accordance with subsection (a); and
                    ``(B) issue a certificate of allotment under such 
                terms, conditions, and restrictions as the Secretary 
                determines to be appropriate.
            ``(2) Notification.--Not later than December 31, 2017, on 
        receipt of an application for an allotment under this section, 
        the Secretary shall provide to any person or entity that has an 
        interest in land described in subsection (a)(2) that is 
        potentially adverse to the interest of the applicant a notice 
        of the right of the person or entity, by not later than 90 days 
        after the date of receipt of the notice--
                    ``(A) to initiate a private contest of the 
                allotment; or
                    ``(B) to file a protest against the allotment in 
                accordance with procedures established by the 
                Secretary.
            ``(3) Action by secretary.--If a private contest or protest 
        relating to an application for an allotment is initiated or 
        filed under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall not issue a 
        certificate for the allotment under paragraph (1)(B) until a 
        final determination has been made with respect to the private 
        contest or protest.
    ``(e) Reselection.--A person that selected an allotment under this 
section may withdraw that selection and reselect land in accordance 
with this section after the date of enactment of the Alaska Native 
Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act, if the land originally selected--
            ``(1) was selected before the date of enactment of the 
        Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act; and
            ``(2) as of the date of enactment of that Act, was not 
        conveyed to the person.''; and
            (5) by striking subsection (f), as designated by paragraph 
        (3) and inserting:
    ``(f) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
            ``(1) The term `veteran' means a person who served in the 
        active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged 
        or released therefrom.
            ``(2) The term `Vietnam era' has the meaning given the term 
        by paragraph (29) of section 101 of title 38.''.

SEC. 4. REGULATIONS.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of the Interior shall promulgate, after consultation with 
Alaska Native organizations, final regulations to carry out the 
amendments made by this Act. During the consultation process, the 
Secretary shall, in coordination with Alaska Native organizations and 
to the greatest extent possible, identify persons who are eligible to 
receive an allotment under section 3 of this Act. Upon promulgation of 
the final regulations, the Secretary shall contact each of these 
persons directly to provide an explanation of the process by which the 
person may apply for an allotment under section 3 of this Act.