Bill would open suitable federal land to Alaska Native veterans

The Interior Secretary would have to make the listed refuge land available for allotment selection. This covers all federal land identified as suitable in a November 2020 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report. Selections would have to follow the Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans land allotment program rules cited in the proposal. The Interior Secretary would have to make the listed refuge land available immediately after enactment.

The Agriculture Secretary would identify national forest land in Alaska after consulting federal, state, and Alaska Native corporation officials. The identified land would be available for allotment selection by eligible Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans. The Secretary could not identify land whose transfer could interfere with the forest's management plan, land within 300 feet of waters Alaska says are navigable, congressionally designated wilderness, or land the Forest Service considers suitable for timber. The identification deadline would be one year after enactment, and each suitable parcel would become available immediately after identification.