Dale Bumpers: “the administration had previously, and may still have, serious objections to the Murkowski amendment. But he and I had a…”

“the administration had previously, and may still have, serious objections to the Murkowski amendment. But he and I had a conversation this morning. He has modified his amendment. The modification is at the desk. For the edification of our membership, simply because this may come up again in conference or even later on the floor, in 1906 the Congress passed a law giving every Native Alaskan the right to claim 160 acres of land in Alaska. In 1971, under the Alaskan Native Settlement Claims Act, we repealed the old 1906 Act. What Senator Murkowski seeks to do is very laudable, in my opinion. He is simply saying those Native Alaskans who would have otherwise had a right to claim 160 acres under the old 1906 law, but were in Vietnam and not physically present in Alaska so they could file such a claim--he is simply saying under this bill that they will be grandfathered in. If they were in Vietnam between 1969 and 1971, they are entitled to a claim. Some of these claims would be in conservation areas. That was the first, primary objection by the administration. We have changed that so the administration can select nonconservation lands if a claim within a park or wilderness or wildlife refuge is inconsistent with the purposes of that conservation area. So that takes care of most of it. They were vitally concerned about the cost which, as I say, should be mitigated greatly by this compromise we have entered into.”