Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 91.djvu/1404

 91 STAT. 1370

43 USC 1611 °<'*®-

Regional Corporation's assignments, recognition. 43 USC 1628.

43 USC 1606.

PUBLIC LAW 95-178—NOV. 15, 1977

tary is authorized hereby to identify and reserve within two years after initial conveyance any easement he could have lawfully reserved prior to conveyance, and to issue immediately thereafter a revised conveyance reflecting such reservation, subject to the agreement of January 18, 1977, between the Secretary of the Interior, Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated, and certain of the villages contained therein. The Secretary may initiate such easement identification and reservation procedure before the tender of the State Deed of Title, but initiation of such procedure shall not affect the timely issuance of conveyance by the Secretary as provided hereby, (b) If any provision of this Act or the applicability thereof is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of this Act, of section 12 of the Act of January 2, 1976 (Public Law 94-204), as amended, of the document referred to in section 12(b) thereof, and the duties and obligations of the Secretary of the Interior, the State of Alaska, and Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated, with respect thereto, shall not be affected thereby. SEC. 4. The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (85 Stat. 688), as amended (43 U.S.C. 1601), is further amended by adding a new section at the end thereof: "§^0. 31. (a) Notwithstanding the provision of section 3477 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (31 U.S.C. 203), the Secretary is authorized to recognize validly executed assignments made by Regional Corporations of their rights to receive payments from the Alaska Native Fund. Such assignments shall only be recognized to the extent that the Regional Corporation involved is not required to distribute funds pursuant to subsection (j) or (m) of section 7 of this Act. "(b) The Secretary shall not recognize any assignment under this section which does not provide that the United States reserves the right to assert against the assignee and successors of the assignee, any setoff or counterclaim which the United States has against the assignor Corporation. "(c) No stockholder of any Regional or Village Corporation shall have any claim against the Secretary or the United States as the result of any assignment duly recognized by the Secretary pursuant to this section.". Approved November 15, 1977.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: HOUSE REPORT No. 95-712 (Comm. on Interior and Insular Affairs). CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 123 (1977): Oct. 31, considered and passed House. Nov. 1, considered and passed Senate, amended. Nov. 3, House concurred in Senate amendments.

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