II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3617 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 18, 2024 

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 equitable treatment for the people of the Village 

Corporation established for the Native Village of 

Saxman, Alaska, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cape Fox Land Enti5 tlement Finalization Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) the Cape Fox Corporation is a Village Cor9 poration for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, 


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1 organized pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Set2 tlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.); 

3 (2) similar to other Village Corporations in 

4 southeast Alaska, under section 16 of that Act (43 

5 U.S.C. 1615), Cape Fox could select only 23,040 

6 acres from land withdrawn for the purpose of that 

7 selection; 

8 (3) under section 22(l) of that Act (43 U.S.C. 

9 1621(l))— 

10 (A) the Village Corporations in southeast 

11 Alaska, other than Cape Fox, were restricted 

12 with respect to the selection of land within 2 

13 miles of a home rule city (as that term is used 

14 in that Act); and 

15 (B) to protect the watersheds in the vicin16 ity, Cape Fox was restricted with respect to the 

17 selection of land within 6 miles of the boundary 

18 of the home rule city of Ketchikan, Alaska; 

19 (4) the 6-mile restriction described in para20 graph (3)(B) precluded Cape Fox from selecting val21 uable land, industrial sites, and other commercial 

22 property located— 

23 (A) within the townships in which the Na24 tive Village of Saxman is located, more particuVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:53 Jan 25, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3617.IS S3617

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1 larly described as T.75 S., T.76 S., R.91 E., 

2 Copper River Meridian; and 

3 (B) on surrounding land that is far re4 moved from Ketchikan, Alaska, and its water5 sheds; 

6 (5) as a result of the restriction described in 

7 paragraph (3)(B), only the remote, mountainous, 

8 northeast corner of the property described in para9 graph (4)(A), which is nonproductive and has no 

10 known economic value, was available for selection by 

11 Cape Fox, as required under section 16(b) of the 

12 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 

13 1615(b)); 

14 (6) land selections by Cape Fox under that Act 

15 were further limited by the fact that— 

16 (A) the Annette Island Indian Reservation 

17 is located within the applicable selection area; 

18 and 

19 (B) land of that Reservation is unavailable 

20 for selection by Cape Fox; 

21 (7) Cape Fox is the only Village Corporation af22 fected by the restrictions described in paragraphs 

23 (3)(B) and (6); and 


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1 (8) the Secretary has advised Congress that the 

2 predicament of Cape Fox is sufficiently unique to 

3 warrant the legislative remedy provided by this Act. 

4 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) CAPE FOX.—The term ‘‘Cape Fox’’ means 

7 the Cape Fox Village Corporation, a Village Cor8 poration for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, 

9 organized pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Set10 tlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). 

11 (2) FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Federal land’’ 

12 means the approximately 180 acres of surface land 

13 within the Tongass National Forest in the State of 

14 Alaska, as generally depicted on the Map. 

15 (3) MAP.—The term ‘‘Map’’ means the map en16 titled ‘‘Cape Fox Village Corporation Final Selec17 tion’’ and dated December 18, 2023. 

18 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

19 the Secretary of the Interior. 

20 SEC. 4. WAIVER OF CORE TOWNSHIP REQUIREMENT FOR 

21 CERTAIN LAND. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 16(b) of 

23 the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 

24 1615(b)), Cape Fox shall not be required to select or re25 ceive conveyance of the approximately 185 acres of 


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1 unconveyed land described in subsection (b) located within 

2 the township in which the Native Village of Saxman, Alas3 ka, is located. 

4 (b) LAND DESCRIBED.—The land referred to in sub5 section (a) is as follows: 

6 (1) Approximately 40 acres in T. 74 S., R.90 

7 E., sec. 10, SWNE, Copper River Meridian. 

8 (2) Approximately 144.57 acres in T.75 S., 

9 R.91 E., sec. 1, lots 1, 3, and 4, Copper River Me10 ridian. 

11 SEC. 5. SELECTION OUTSIDE EXTERIOR SELECTION 

12 BOUNDARY. 

13 (a) SELECTION AND CONVEYANCE OF SURFACE ES14 TATE.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enact15 ment of this Act, if Cape Fox submits to the Secretary 

16 a written notice of selection of the Federal land, the Sec17 retary shall, on receiving that written notice, convey the 

18 Federal land to Cape Fox. 

19 (b) CONVEYANCE OF SUBSURFACE ESTATE.—On 

20 conveyance to Cape Fox of the surface estate to the Fed21 eral land under subsection (a), the Secretary shall convey 

22 to Sealaska Corporation the subsurface estate to that Fed23 eral land. 

24 (c) TIMING.—It is the intent of Congress that the 

25 Secretary complete the conveyances to Cape Fox and 


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1 Sealaska Corporation under subsections (a) and (b), re2 spectively, as soon as practicable after the date on which 

3 the Secretary receives a written notice of the selection of 

4 Cape Fox under subsection (a), but not later than 180 

5 days after the date on which the Secretary receives that 

6 written notice. 

7 (d) ENTITLEMENT FULFILLED.—The conveyance of 

8 Federal land to Cape Fox and the subsurface interest in 

9 the Federal land to Sealaska Corporation under sub10 sections (a) and (b), respectively, shall be considered to 

11 fulfill the entitlement of— 

12 (1) Cape Fox under section 16 of the Alaska 

13 Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1615); and 

14 (2) Sealaska Corporation to any subsurface in15 terest in the Federal land under section 14(f) of that 

16 Act (43 U.S.C. 1613(f)). 

Æ 


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