I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1867 
To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to provide for equitable 
allotment of land to Alaska Native veterans. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 3, 2017 
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act to pro-
vide for equitable allotment of land to Alaska Native 
veterans. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Alaska Native Vet-
erans Land Allotment Equity Act’’. 
SEC. 2. OPEN SEASON FOR CERTAIN ALASKA NATIVE VET-
ERANS FOR ALLOTMENTS. 
Section 41 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement 
Act (43 U.S.C. 1629g) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
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(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 paragraphs 
(1) and (2) of subsection (b) who, prior to the 
date on which the Secretary promulgates regu-
lations pursuant to section 3 of the Alaska Na-
tive Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act, re-
ceived an allotment that has a total area of less 
than 160 acres shall be eligible to receive an al-
lotment 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 
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acres and the total area of the allotment that 
the person previously received under the Act. 
‘‘(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The civil 
action styled ‘Shields v. United States’ (698 
F.2d 987 (9th Cir. 1983), cert. denied (104 S. 
Ct. 73 (1983))) shall not be construed to dimin-
ish or modify the eligibility of any person de-
scribed in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection 
(b). 
‘‘(C) FILING
DEADLINE.—An allotment 
shall be filed for an eligible recipient not later 
than 3 years after the date on which the Sec-
retary promulgates regulations pursuant to sec-
tion 3 of the Alaska Native Veterans Land Al-
lotment Equity Act. 
‘‘(2) LAND AVAILABLE FOR ALLOTMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (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 re-
linquishes or conveys to the United States 
the land for the allotment; or 
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‘‘(iii) selected by, or conveyed to, a 
Native Corporation, if the Native Corpora-
tion voluntarily relinquishes or conveys to 
the United States the land for the allot-
ment. 
‘‘(B) RELINQUISHMENT BY NATIVE COR-
PORATION.—If a Native Corporation relin-
quishes land under subparagraph (A)(iii), the 
Native Corporation may select appropriate Fed-
eral land, as determined by the Secretary, the 
area of which is equal to the area of the land 
relinquished by the Native Corporation, to re-
place 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 Sys-
tem, a National Preserve, or a National 
Monument. 
‘‘(D) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The civil 
action styled ‘Shields v. United States’ (698 
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F.2d 987 (9th Cir. 1983), cert. denied (104 S. 
Ct. 73 (1983))) shall not be construed to limit 
the land that is eligible for allotment under this 
paragraph. 
‘‘(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 al-
ternative 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 se-
lection, 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 unre-
served; and 
‘‘(C) not a unit of the National Park Sys-
tem, a National Preserve, or a National Monu-
ment.’’; and 
(C) by redesignating paragraphs (5) and 
(6) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
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(A) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara-
graph (B) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(B) is a veteran who served during the 
period beginning on August 5, 1964, and end-
ing on May 7, 1975.’’; 
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(2) DECEASED
PERSONS.—If an individual 
who would otherwise have been eligible for an allot-
ment 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 insert-
ing 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 de-
ceased person under paragraph (2); and 
‘‘(B) a person who, prior to the date on 
which the Secretary promulgates regulations 
pursuant to section 3 of the Alaska Native Vet-
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erans 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 fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(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 ex-
cept as provided in paragraph (3), not later than 5 
years after the date of the enactment of the Alaska 
Native Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act, the 
Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) approve any application for an allot-
ment 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 2 years 
after the date of the enactment of the Alaska Native 
Veterans Land Allotment Equity Act, on receipt of 
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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 al-
lotment; or 
‘‘(B) to file a protest against the allotment 
in accordance with procedures established by 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(3) ACTION BY SECRETARY.—If a private con-
test or protest relating to an application for an allot-
ment is initiated or filed under paragraph (2), the 
Secretary shall not issue a certificate for the allot-
ment under paragraph (1)(B) until a final deter-
mination has been made with respect to the private 
contest or protest. 
‘‘(e) RESELECTION.—A person that selected an allot-
ment 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 Allot-
ment Equity Act, if the land originally selected— 
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‘‘(1) was selected before the date of enactment 
of the Alaska Native Veterans Land Allotment Eq-
uity 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. 3. 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 section 
2. During the consultation process, the Secretary shall, 
in coordination with Alaska Native organizations and to 
the greatest extent possible, identify persons who are eligi-
ble to receive an allotment under the amendments made 
by section 2. Upon promulgation of the final regulations, 
the Secretary shall contact each of these persons directly 
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to provide an explanation of the process by which the per-
son may apply for an allotment under the amendments 
made by section 2. 
Æ 
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