I

104TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 3973

To provide for a study of the recommendations of the Joint Federal-State

Commission on Policies and Programs Affecting Alaska Natives.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

AUGUST 2, 1996

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Resources

A BILL

To provide for a study of the recommendations of the Joint

Federal-State Commission on Policies and Programs Affecting Alaska Natives.

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

3 SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND DECLARA4 TION OF POLICY.

5 The Congress finds and declares the following:

6 (1) The Joint Federal-State Commission on

7 Policies and Programs Affecting Alaska Natives

8 (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Alaska Na9 tives Commission’’) was established by Public Law

10 101–379 (42 U.S.C. 2991a note) following the publi-
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1 cation in 1989 of the ‘‘Report on the Status of Alas2 ka Natives: A Call for Action’’ by the Alaska Fed3 eration of Natives and after extensive congressional

4 hearings which focused on the need for the first

5 comprehensive assessment of the social, cultural, and

6 economic condition of Alaska’s 86,000 Natives since

7 the enactment of the Alaska Native Claims Settle8 ment Act, Public Law 92–203.

9 (2) The 14 member Alaska Natives Commission

10 held 15 regional hearings throughout Alaska be11 tween July 1992 and October 1993, and 2 statewide

12 hearings in Anchorage coinciding with the Conven13 tions of 1992 and 1993 of the Alaska Federation of

14 Natives. In May 1994, the Alaska Natives Commis15 sion issued its 3 volume, 440 page report. As re16 quired by Public Law 101–379, the report was for17 mally conveyed to the Congress, the President of the

18 United States, and the Governor of Alaska.

19 (3) The Alaska Natives Commission found that

20 many Alaska Native individuals, families, and com21 munities were experiencing a social, cultural, and

22 economic crisis marked by rampant unemployment,

23 lack of economic opportunity, alcohol abuse, depres24 sion, and morbidity and mortality rates that have
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1 been described by health care professionals as ‘‘stag2 gering’’.

3 (4) The Alaska Natives Commission found that

4 due to the high rate of unemployment and lack of

5 economic opportunities for Alaska Natives, govern6 ment programs for the poor have become the foun7 dation of many village economies. Displacing tradi8 tional Alaska Native social safety nets, these well9 meaning programs have undermined the healthy

10 interdependence and self-sufficiency of Native tribes

11 and families and have put Native tribes and families

12 at risk of becoming permanent dependencies of Gov13 ernment.

14 (5) Despite these seemingly insurmountable

15 problems, the Alaska Natives Commission found

16 that Alaska Natives, building on the Alaska Native

17 Claims Settlement Act, had begun a unique process

18 of critical self-examination which, if supported by

19 the United States Congress through innovative legis20 lation, and effective public administration at all lev21 els including traditional Native governance, could

22 provide the basis for an Alaska Native social, cul23 tural, economic, and spiritual renewal.
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1 (6) The Alaska Natives Commission recognized

2 that the key to the future well-being of Alaska Na3 tives lay in—

4 (A) the systematic resumption of respon5 sibility by Alaska Natives for the well-being of

6 their members,

7 (B) the strengthening of their economies,

8 (C) the strengthening, operation, and con9 trol of their systems of governance, social serv10 ices, education, health care, and law enforce11 ment, and

12 (D) exercising rights they have from their

13 special relationship with the Federal Govern14 ment and as citizens of the United States and

15 Alaska.

16 (7) The Alaska Natives Commission recognized

17 that the following 3 basic principles must be re18 spected in addressing the myriad of problems facing

19 Alaska Natives:

20 (A) Self-reliance.

21 (B) Self-determination.

22 (C) Integrity of Native cultures.

23 (8) There is a need to address the problems

24 confronting Alaska Natives. This should be done

25 rapidly, with certainty, and in conformity with the
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1 real economic, social, and cultural needs of Alaska

2 Natives.

3 (9) Congress retains and has exercised its con4 stitutional authority over Native affairs in Alaska

5 subsequent to the Treaty of Cession and does so now

6 through this Act.

7 SEC. 2. ALASKA NATIVE IMPLEMENTATION STUDY.

8 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds and declares

9 that—

10 (1) the Alaska Natives Commission adopted

11 certain recommendations raising important policy

12 questions which are unresolved in Alaska and which

13 require further study and review before Congress

14 considers legislation to implement solutions to ad15 dress these recommendations; and

16 (2) the Alaska Federation of Natives is the rep17 resentative body of statewide Alaska Native interests

18 best suited to further investigate and report to Con19 gress with proposals to implement the recommenda20 tions of the Alaska Natives Commission.

21 (b) GRANT.—The Secretary of the Interior shall

22 make a grant to the Alaska Federation of Natives to con23 duct the study and submit the report required by this sec24 tion. Such grant may only be made if the Alaska Federa-
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1 tion of Natives agrees to abide by the requirements of this

2 section.

3 (c) STUDY.—Pursuant to subsection (b), the Alaska

4 Federation of Natives shall—

5 (1) examine the recommendations of the Alaska

6 Natives Commission;

7 (2) examine initiatives in the United States,

8 Canada, and elsewhere for successful ways that is9 sues similar to the issues addressed by the Alaska

10 Natives Commission have been addressed;

11 (3) conduct hearings within the Alaska Native

12 community on further ways in which the Commis13 sion’s recommendations might be implemented; and

14 (4) recommend enactment of specific provisions

15 of law and other actions the Congress should take

16 to implement such recommendations.

17 (d) CONSIDERATION OF LOCAL CONTROL.—In devel18 oping its recommendations pursuant to subsection (c)(4),

19 the Alaska Federation of Natives shall give specific atten20 tion to the ways in which the recommendations may be

21 achieved at the local level with maximum local control of

22 the implementation of the recommendations.

23 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 12 months after the

24 date on which the grant is made under subsection (b), the

25 Alaska Federation of Natives shall submit a report on the
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1 study conducted under this section, together with the rec2 ommendations developed pursuant to subsection (c)(4), to

3 the President and the Congress and to the Governor and

4 legislature of the State of Alaska. In addition, the Alaska

5 Federation of Natives shall make the report available to

6 Alaska Native villages and organizations and to the gen7 eral public.

8 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is

9 authorized to be appropriated $350,000 for the grant

10 under subsection (b).

11 (g) ADDITIONAL STATE FUNDING.—The Congress

12 encourages the State of Alaska to provide the additional

13 funding necessary for the completion of the study under

14 this section.

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