03/09/1998 03:43 PM Senate RES

                    HJR 51 - SUPPORT H.R. 2924                                 
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN HALFORD announced HJR 51 to be up for consideration.                  
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE BEVERLY MASEK said this resolution is based on a                
House bill Representative Don Young introduced in Congress.  During            
the Vietnam era, between 800 - 2,000 Alaska native veterans serving            
our armed forces missed out on their opportunity to make their land            
selections under the Native Allotment Act.  These veterans were                
either fighting in combat zones or were simply overlooked by the               
BIA.  HJR 51 says the Alaska legislature supports Congressman                  
Young's efforts to correct the situation by amending the Alaska                
Native Claims Settlement Act(ANCSA) to allow the overlooked                    
veterans to make their land selections and to restore 50,000 acres             
to the Elim Native Corporation. In Elim, the land was improperly               
withdrawn from the Norton Bay reservation in 1927 by Presidential              
Executive Order.                                                               
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN HALFORD said he is familiar with the situation, but he                
wanted more information on Elim.                                               
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE MASEK said HJR 51 reflects Congressman Young's bill,            
H.R. 2924 which says the lands were withdrawn by Presidential                  
Executive order.                                                               
                                                                               
MR. DON STOLWORTHY, Staff to Representative Masek, said in 1917                
President Wilson withdrew lands for the Norton Bay Reservation and             
in 1923 Congress said the President couldn't withdraw public lands;            
that only Congress had that authority.  Although, in WWI there was             
homesteading going on by veterans and President Hoover in 1927 to              
prevent these natives from being able to select lands within the               
Norton Bay Reservation withdrew 50,000 acres by Presidential                   
Executive Order.  However, none of the veterans ever tried to                  
choose any of that land.  Congress is trying to go back and restore            
that 50,000 acres, but 11,000 acres has already been selected by               
the Koyuk Village Corporation.  So the Department of Interior and              
Congress need to resolve that issue.                                           
                                                                               
SENATOR TORGERSON asked if they are authorizing them to pick                   
acreage under new geographic boundaries.                                       
                                                                               
MR. STOLWORTHY answered that he didn't know.                                   
                                                                               
SENATOR TORGERSON said he was wondering if the original application            
was for mining.                                                                
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN HALFORD said historically there was an argument going on              
in the country with regard to reservations.  This may have been the            
President's action and then Congressional action to change his                 
action.  Congress from 1900 - 1930 was kind of schizophrenic with              
regard to how they intended to treat aboriginal claims.                        
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN HALFORD said staff would research their questions                     
regarding what happened and why and then bring the bill up at                  
another meeting.  He adjourned the meeting at 4:10 p.m.