Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans Land Allotment Extension and Fulfillment Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7785 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7785

 To make additional Federal public land available for selection under 
the Alaska Native Vietnam era veterans land allotment program, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 21, 2024

 Mrs. Peltola introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To make additional Federal public land available for selection under 
the Alaska Native Vietnam era veterans land allotment program, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans 
Land Allotment Extension and Fulfillment Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF THE ALASKA NATIVE VIETNAM ERA VETERANS LAND 
              ALLOTMENT PROGRAM.

    Section 1119(b)(3)(B) of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, 
Management, and Recreation Act (43 U.S.C. 1629g-1(b)(3)(B)) is amended 
by striking ``5-year period'' and inserting ``10-year period''.

SEC. 3. MAKING ADDITIONAL LAND AVAILABLE FOR SELECTION UNDER THE ALASKA 
              NATIVE VIETNAM ERA VETERANS LAND ALLOTMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) Wildlife Refuge System Land.--All Federal land identified as 
suitable for allotment selection in the report under subsection (c)(1) 
of section 1119 of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, 
and Recreation Act (43 U.S.C. 1629g-1), and published by the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service in the report entitled 
``Identification of National Wildlife Refuge System Lands in Alaska 
That Should Be Made Available for Allotment Selection by Eligible 
Alaska Native Vietnam Era Veterans'' (November 2020), shall be made 
immediately available by the Secretary of the Interior for selection in 
accordance with that section.
    (b) Federal Land Managed by the Forest Service.--
            (1) Definition of available federal land.--Section 
        1119(a)(1)(B) of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, 
        Management, and Recreation Act (43 U.S.C. 1629g-1(a)(1)(B)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) by striking clause (v); and
                    (B) by redesignating clauses (vi) through (x) as 
                clauses (v) through (ix), respectively.
            (2) Identification of federal land.--Section 1119 of the 
        John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation 
        Act (43 U.S.C. 1629g-1) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:
    ``(e) Identification of Federal Land Administered by the Forest 
Service.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this subsection, the Secretary of Agriculture, in 
        consultation with the Secretary, the State, Regional 
        Corporations, and Village Corporations, shall identify 
        available Federal land within units of the National Forest 
        System in the State that should be made available for allotment 
        selection by eligible individuals.
            ``(2) Exclusions.--In identifying available Federal land 
        within units of the National Forest System in the State that 
        should be made available for allotment selection under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary shall not identify any available 
        Federal land in a unit of the National Forest System--
                    ``(A) the conveyance of which, independently or as 
                part of a group of allotments, could--
                            ``(i) significantly interfere with 
                        biological, physical, cultural, scenic, 
                        recreational, or subsistence values; or
                            ``(ii) interfere with the management plan 
                        of the unit;
                    ``(B) that is located within 300 feet from the 
                shore of a navigable body of water;
                    ``(C) that is not consistent with the purposes for 
                which the unit was established; or
                    ``(D) that is designated by Congress as wilderness.
            ``(3) Availability of land.--All available Federal land 
        identified as suitable for allotment selection under this 
        subsection shall be made immediately available for selection in 
        accordance with this section.''.
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