II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1955 

To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide for equitable 

allotment of land to Alaska Native veterans. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 5, 2015 

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 for equitable allotment of land to Alaska Native 

veterans. 

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 ‘‘Alaska Native Vet5 erans Land Allotment Equity Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION REGARDING OCCUPANCY OF NA7 TIVE ALLOTMENTS IN NATIONAL FORESTS. 

8 Section 18(a) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement 

9 Act (43 U.S.C. 1617(a)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘(a) No Native’’ and inserting 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(a) REVOCATION.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—No Native’’; 

5 (2) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘Fur6 ther, the’’ and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(2) REPEAL.—The’’; 

8 (3) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘Notwith9 standing the foregoing provisions of this section, 

10 any’’ and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS FOR ALLOTMENT.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding 

13 paragraphs (1) and (2), any’’; and 

14 (4) in paragraph (3) (as designated by para15 graph (3)), by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(B) CERTAIN APPLICATIONS AP17 PROVED.—Any allotment application pending 

18 before the Department of the Interior on De19 cember 18, 1971, that was closed by the De20 partment pursuant to the civil action styled 

21 ‘Shields v. United States’ (698 F.2d 987 (9th 

22 Cir. 1983), cert. denied (104 S. Ct. 73 (1983))) 

23 shall be reopened and considered to be approved 

24 pursuant to this paragraph.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. OPEN SEASON FOR CERTAIN ALASKA NATIVE VET2 ERANS FOR ALLOTMENTS. 

3 Section 41 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement 

4 Act (43 U.S.C. 1629g) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)— 

6 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

7 ‘‘IN GENERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘ALASKA NATIVE

8 VETERAN ALLOTMENTS’’; 

9 (B) by striking paragraphs (1) through (4) 

10 and inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(1) ALLOTMENTS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.—Any person 

13 described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection 

14 (b) shall be eligible to receive an allotment 

15 under the Act of May 17, 1906 (34 Stat. 197, 

16 chapter 2469) (as in effect before December 18, 

17 1971), of not more than 2 parcels of Federal 

18 land, the total area of which shall not exceed 

19 160 acres. 

20 ‘‘(B) FILING DEADLINE.—An allotment 

21 shall be filed for an eligible recipient not later 

22 than 3 years after the date on which the Sec23 retary promulgates regulations pursuant to sec24 tion 4 of the Alaska Native Veterans Land Al25 lotment Equity Act. 

26 ‘‘(2) LAND AVAILABLE FOR ALLOTMENTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara2 graph (C), an allotment under this section shall 

3 be selected from land that is— 

4 ‘‘(i)(I) vacant; and 

5 ‘‘(II) owned by the United States; 

6 ‘‘(ii) selected by, or conveyed to, the 

7 State of Alaska, if the State voluntarily re8 linquishes or conveys to the United States 

9 the land for the allotment; or 

10 ‘‘(iii) selected by, or conveyed to, a 

11 Native Corporation, if the Native Corpora12 tion voluntarily relinquishes or conveys to 

13 the United States the land for the allot14 ment. 

15 ‘‘(B) RELINQUISHMENT BY NATIVE COR16 PORATION.—If a Native Corporation relin17 quishes land under subparagraph (A)(iii), the 

18 Native Corporation may select appropriate Fed19 eral land, as determined by the Secretary, the 

20 area of which is equal to the area of the land 

21 relinquished by the Native Corporation, to re22 place the relinquished land. 

23 ‘‘(C) EXCLUSIONS.—An allotment under 

24 this section shall not be selected from land that 

25 is located within— 


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1 ‘‘(i) a right-of-way of the TransAlaska 

2 Pipeline; 

3 ‘‘(ii) an inner or outer corridor of 

4 such a right-of-way; or 

5 ‘‘(iii) a unit of the National Park Sys6 tem, a National Preserve, or a National 

7 Monument. 

8 ‘‘(3) ALTERNATIVE ALLOTMENTS.—A person 

9 described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b) 

10 who qualifies for an allotment under this section on 

11 land described in paragraph (2)(C) may select an al12 ternative allotment from land that is— 

13 ‘‘(A) located within the boundaries of land 

14 described in paragraph (2)(C); 

15 ‘‘(B)(i)(I) withdrawn under section 

16 11(a)(1)(C); and 

17 ‘‘(II) not selected, or relinquished after se18 lection, under section 11(a)(3); 

19 ‘‘(ii) contiguous to an outer boundary of 

20 land withdrawn under section 11(a)(1)(C); or 

21 ‘‘(iii) vacant, unappropriated, and unre22 served; and 

23 ‘‘(C) not a unit of the National Park Sys24 tem, a National Preserve, or a National Monu25 ment.’’; and 


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1 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (5) and 

2 (6) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; 

3 (2) in subsection (b)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara5 graph (B) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(B) is a veteran who served during the period 

7 beginning on August 5, 1964, and ending on May 7, 

8 1975.’’; 

9 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert10 ing the following: 

11 ‘‘(2) DECEASED INDIVIDUALS.—If an individual 

12 who would otherwise have been eligible for an allot13 ment under this section dies before applying for an 

14 allotment, an heir of the individual may apply for, 

15 and receive, an allotment under this section, on be16 half of the estate of the individual.’’; and 

17 (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting before 

18 the period at the end the following: ‘‘, other 

19 than an heir who applies for, and receives, an 

20 allotment on behalf of the estate of a deceased 

21 individual under paragraph (2)’’; 

22 (3) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as 

23 subsections (f) and (g), respectively; and 

24 (4) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(d) APPROVAL OF ALLOTMENTS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to any valid right 

3 in existence on the date of enactment of the Alaska 

4 Native Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act, and ex5 cept as provided in paragraph (3), not later than 

6 December 31, 2020, the Secretary shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) approve any application for an allot8 ment filed in accordance with subsection (a); 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(B) issue a certificate of allotment under 

11 such terms, conditions, and restrictions as the 

12 Secretary determines to be appropriate. 

13 ‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than December 

14 31, 2017, on receipt of an application for an allot15 ment under this section, the Secretary shall provide 

16 to any person or entity that has an interest in land 

17 described in subsection (a)(2) that is potentially ad18 verse to the interest of the applicant a notice of the 

19 right of the person or entity, by not later than 90 

20 days after the date of receipt of the notice— 

21 ‘‘(A) to initiate a private contest of the al22 lotment; or 

23 ‘‘(B) to file a protest against the allotment 

24 in accordance with procedures established by 

25 the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(3) ACTION BY SECRETARY.—If a private con2 test or protest relating to an application for an allot3 ment is initiated or filed under paragraph (2), the 

4 Secretary shall not issue a certificate for the allot5 ment under paragraph (1)(B) until a final deter6 mination has been made with respect to the private 

7 contest or protest. 

8 ‘‘(e) RESELECTION.—A person that selected an allot9 ment under this section may withdraw that selection and 

10 reselect land in accordance with this section after the date 

11 of enactment of the Alaska Native Veterans Land Allot12 ment Equity Act, if the land originally selected— 

13 ‘‘(1) was selected before the date of enactment 

14 of the Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment Eq15 uity Act; and 

16 ‘‘(2) as of the date of enactment of that Act, 

17 was not conveyed to the person.’’. 

18 SEC. 4. REGULATIONS. 

19 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

20 of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall promulgate 

21 final regulations to carry out the amendments made by 

22 this Act. 

Æ 


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