“The Congress finds and declares the following:“(1) The Joint Federal-State Commission on Policies and Programs Affecting Alaska Natives (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘Alaska Natives Commission’) was established by Public Law 101–379 (42 U.S.C. 2991a note) following the publication in 1989 of the ‘Report on the Status of Alaska Natives: A Call for Action’ by the Alaska Federation of Natives and after extensive congressional hearings which focused on the need for the first comprehensive assessment of the social, cultural, and economic condition of Alaska’s 86,000 Natives since the enactment of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Public Law 92–203 [43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.].
“(2) The 14-member Alaska Natives Commission held 15 regional hearings throughout Alaska between July 1992 and October 1993, and 2 statewide hearings in Anchorage coinciding with the Conventions of 1992 and 1993 of the Alaska Federation of Natives. In May 1994, the Alaska Natives Commission issued its 3 volume, 440 page report. As required by Public Law 101–379, the report was formally conveyed to the Congress, the President of the United States, and the Governor of Alaska.
“(3) The Alaska Natives Commission found that many Alaska Native individuals, families, and communities were experiencing a social, cultural, and economic crisis marked by rampant unemployment, lack of economic opportunity, alcohol abuse, depression, and morbidity and mortality rates that have been described by health care professionals as ‘staggering’.
“(4) The Alaska Natives Commission found that due to the high rate of unemployment and lack of economic opportunities for Alaska Natives, government programs for the poor have become the foundation of many village economies. Displacing traditional Alaska Native social safety nets, these well-meaning programs have undermined the healthy interdependence and self-sufficiency of Native tribes and families and have put Native tribes and families at risk of becoming permanent dependencies of Government.
“(5) Despite these seemingly insurmountable problems, the Alaska Natives Commission found that Alaska Natives, building on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, had begun a unique process of critical self-examination which, if supported by the United States Congress through innovative legislation, and effective public administration at all levels including traditional Native governance, could provide the basis for an Alaska Native social, cultural, economic, and spiritual renewal.
“(6) The Alaska Natives Commission recognized that the key to the future well-being of Alaska Natives lay in—“(A) the systematic resumption of responsibility by Alaska Natives for the well-being of their members,
“(B) the strengthening of their economies,
“(C) the strengthening, operation, and control of their systems of governance, social services, education, health care, and law enforcement, and
“(D) exercising rights they have from their special relationship with the Federal Government and as citizens of the United States and Alaska.
“(7) The Alaska Natives Commission recognized that the following 3 basic principles must be respected in addressing the myriad of problems facing Alaska Natives:“(A) Self-reliance.
“(B) Self-determination.
“(C) Integrity of Native cultures.
“(8) There is a need to address the problems confronting Alaska Natives. This should be done rapidly, with certainty, and in conformity with the real economic, social, and cultural needs of Alaska Natives.
“(9) Congress retains and has exercised its constitutional authority over Native affairs in Alaska subsequent to the Treaty of Cession and does so now through this Act.