FINDINGS; DEFINITIONS.

SEC. 1501. FINDINGS; DEFINITIONS. (a) Findings.—The Congress finds the following: (1) Pursuant to section 14(h)(1) of ANCSA, the Secretary has the authority to withdraw and convey to the appropriate regional corporation fee title to existing cemetery sites and historical places. (2) Pursuant to section 14(h)(7) of ANCSA, lands located within a National Forest may be conveyed for the purposes set forth in section 14(h)(1) of ANCSA. (3) Chugach Alaska Corporation, the Alaska Native Regional Corporation for the Chugach Region, applied to the Secretary for the conveyance of cemetery sites and historical places pursuant to section 14(h)(1) of ANCSA in accordance with the regulations promulgated by the Secretary. (4) Among the applications filed were applications for historical places at Miners Lake (AA-41487), Coghill Point (AA-41488), College Fjord (AA-41489), Point Pakenham (AA-41490), College Point (AA-41491), Egg Island (AA-41492), and Wingham Island (AA–41494), which applications were substantively processed for 13 years and then rejected as having been untimely filed. (5) The fulfillment of the intent, purpose, and promise of ANCSA requires that applications substantively processed for 13 years should be accepted as timely, subject only to a determination that such lands and applications meet the eligibility criteria for historical places or cemetery sites, as appropriate, set forth in the Secretary’s regulations. (b) Definitions.—For the purposes of this title, the following definitions apply; (1) ANCSA.—The term “ANCSA” means the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). (2) Federal government.—The term “Federal Government” means any Federal agency of the United States. (3) Secretary.—The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior.