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106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 748

To improve Native hiring and contracting by the Federal Government within

the State of Alaska, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MARCH 25, 1999

Mr. MURKOWSKI introduced the following bill; which was read twice and

referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

A BILL

To improve Native hiring and contracting by the Federal

Government within the State of 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. REPORT.

4 (a) Within six months after the enactment of this Act

5 the Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as

6 the ‘‘Secretary’’ shall submit a report detailing the

7 progress the Department has made in the implementation

8 of the provisions of sections 1307 and 1308 of the Alaska

9 National Interest Lands Conservation Act and section 638

10 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assist-
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1 ance Act. The report shall include a detailed action plan

2 on the future implementation of the provisions of sections

3 1307 and 1308 of the Alaska National Interest Lands

4 Conservation Act and section 638 of the Indian Self-De5 termination and Education Assistance Act. The report

6 shall describe, in detail, the measures and actions that will

7 be taken, along with a description of the anticipated re8 sults to be achieved during the next three fiscal years. The

9 report shall focus on lands under the jurisdiction of the

10 Department of the Interior in Alaska and shall also ad11 dress any laws, rules, regulations and policies which act

12 as a deterrent to hiring Native Alaskans or contracting

13 with Native Alaskans to perform and conduct activities

14 and programs of those agencies and bureaus under the

15 jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior.

16 (b) The report shall be completed within existing ap17 propriations and shall be transmitted to the Committee

18 on Resources of the United States Senate; and the Com19 mittee on Resources of the United States House of Rep20 resentatives.

21 SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM.

22 (a) In furtherance of the goals of sections 1307 and

23 1308 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation

24 Act and the provisions of the Indian Self-Determination

25 and Education Assistance Act, the Secretary shall—
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1 (1) implement pilot programs to employ resi2 dents of local communities at the following units of

3 the National Park System located in northwest Alas4 ka:

5 (A) Bering Land Bridge National Pre6 serve,

7 (B) Cape Krusenstern National Monu8 ment,

9 (C) Kobuk Valley National Park, and

10 (D) Noatak National Preserve; and

11 (2) report on the results of the programs within

12 one year to the Committee on Energy and Natural

13 Resources of the United States and the Committee

14 on Resources of the House of Representatives.

15 (b) In implementing the programs, the Secretary

16 shall consult with the Native Corporations, non-profit or17 ganizations, and Tribal entities in the immediate vicinity

18 of such units and shall also, to the extent practicable, in19 volve such groups in the development of interpretive mate20 rials and the pilot programs relating to such units.

21 (c) The objective of such programs shall be, to the

22 extent possible, to establish cooperative arrangements,

23 through contracts or other means, that will allow local

24 communities and residents to assume administrative and

25 management responsibilities for those units, or portions
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1 of those units, of the National Park System in a manner

2 that will accomplish the purposes for which the units were

3 established and consistent with policies set forth in the

4 Act of August 23, 1916 (39 Stat. 535, 16 U.S.C. 1).

5 (d) PARK SERVICE EMPLOYEES.—(1) Any career em6 ployee of the National Park Service, employed at one of

7 the Alaska northwest parks at the time of the transfer

8 of an operation or program to a local Native entity by

9 contract, shall not be separated from the Service by reason

10 of such transfer.

11 (2) Any career employee of he National Park Service

12 employed at any one of the parks in northwest Alaska at

13 the time of the transfer of an operation or program to

14 a local Native entity shall be given priority placement for

15 any available position within the National Park Service

16 System notwithstanding any priority reemployment lists,

17 directives, rules, regulations or other orders from the De18 partment of the Interior, the Office of Management and

19 Budget, or other Federal agencies.

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