Bill Summary
The University of Alaska Fiscal Foundation Act is a bill that aims to provide ongoing support for higher education by granting public land in the State of Alaska to the University of Alaska. This act was created to fulfill Congress' commitment to establish the University of Alaska as a land grant university, meaning that the university will receive land to fund its operations and maintenance. The bill includes a program to identify and convey available state selected land to the university, with a maximum acreage of 360,000 acres. The state and university can work together to jointly identify parcels of land for conveyance and must submit joint letters of concurrence to the Secretary. The Secretary will survey the land and once it is conveyed and patented to the University, the university will administer it for the exclusive use and benefit of higher education programs, similar to previous federal land grants. The total acreage of the conveyed land will be charged against the state's remaining entitlement under the Alaska Statehood Act. The Secretary must inform the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Natural Resources once the land has been conveyed to the university. The bill also allows the state and university to choose whether or not they want to participate in the program and submit joint letters of concurrence.
Possible Impacts
1. This bill could potentially affect the students and faculty of the University of Alaska, as it establishes a program to provide the university with land for a land grant to support higher education. This could impact the university's resources, funding, and overall operations.
2. The legislation could also have an impact on the State of Alaska, as it involves the conveyance and patent of certain public land to the University. This could potentially affect the state's land usage and management.
3. The bill could also have an impact on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, as they are required to be notified of the conveyance of the available State selected land to the University. This could affect their workload and decision-making processes.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8398 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8398
To provide for the continuation of higher education through the
conveyance to the University of Alaska of certain public land in the
State of Alaska, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 24, 2020
Mr. Young introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the continuation of higher education through the
conveyance to the University of Alaska of certain public land in the
State of Alaska, 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 ``University of Alaska Fiscal
Foundation Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to establish a program within the
Department of the Interior to fulfill the commitment of Congress to
establish the University of Alaska as a land grant university with
holdings sufficient to facilitate operation and maintenance of a
university system for the State of Alaska.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Available state selected land.--The term ``available
State selected land'' means Federal land in the State that has
been selected by the State, including top-filed land, but not
conveyed or patented to the State, pursuant to Public Law 85-
508 (commonly known as the ``Alaska Statehood Act'') (48 U.S.C.
note prec. 21).
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of
Land Management.
(3) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of Alaska.
(4) University.--The term ``University'' means the
University of Alaska.
SEC. 4. UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA LAND GRANT.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a program within
the Bureau of Land Management to identify and convey available State
selected land to the University for a land grant to support higher
education.
(b) Identification of Available State Selected Land.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the State and the University may jointly
identify not more than 500,000 acres of available State
selected land for inclusion in the program established under
subsection (a) for conveyance and patent to the University.
(2) Technical assistance.--Upon the request of the State
and the University, the Secretary shall provide technical
assistance in the identification of available State selected
land for inclusion in the program.
(3) Survey.--Upon notification that the State and the
University have identified available State selected land for
conveyance under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall
expeditiously survey the available State selected land.
(4) Maps.--As soon as practicable after the date on which
the available State selected land is identified for conveyance
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to Congress 1
or more maps depicting the available State selected land
identified for conveyance under that paragraph.
(c) State and University Concurrence; Conveyances.--Subject to
subsection (e), if the State and the University submit to the Secretary
1 or more joint letters stating that the State and the University
concur with the conveyance of all or a portion of the available State
selected land identified for conveyance under subsection (b)(1), the
Secretary shall convey to the Board of Regents of the University,
subject to valid existing rights, the applicable identified available
State selected land, to be held in trust for the exclusive use and
benefit of the University.
(d) Administration of Conveyed Land.--All available State selected
land conveyed to the University under this Act, together with the
income therefrom and the proceeds from any dispositions thereof, shall
be administered by the University in trust to meet the necessary
expenses of higher education programs, similar to prior Federal land
grants to the University.
(e) Terms and Conditions.--
(1) Maximum acreage.--The Secretary shall convey not more
than a total of 360,000 acres of available State selected land
to the University under this Act.
(2) Letters of concurrence.--For purposes of subsection (c)
and subject to the maximum acreage limitation under paragraph
(1), the State and the University may submit to the Secretary 1
or more joint letters of concurrence identifying parcels of
available State selected land for conveyance as a subset of the
total acres to be conveyed under this Act.
(3) Acreage charged against alaska statehood act
entitlement.--The total acreage of all parcels of available
State selected land conveyed to the University under this Act
shall be charged against the remaining entitlement of the State
under Public Law 85-508 (commonly known as the ``Alaska
Statehood Act'') (48 U.S.C. note prec. 21).
(4) Survey costs.--In accordance with Public Law 85-508
(commonly known as the ``Alaska Statehood Act'') (48 U.S.C.
note prec. 21), the Secretary shall be responsible for the
costs of the survey under subsection (b)(3).
(f) Intent of Congress.--It is the intent of Congress that any
conveyance requested through a joint letter of concurrence under
subsection (c) be finalized not later than 1 year after the date on
which the letter is received by the Secretary.
(g) State and University Participation.--Nothing in this Act
requires the State or the University--
(1) to participate in the program established under
subsection (a); or
(2) to submit joint letters of concurrence under subsection
(c) or (e)(2).
SEC. 5. CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.
On conveyance and patent to the University of the available State
selected land under this Act, the Secretary shall notify the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives of the conveyance.
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