To modify the Forest Service Recreation Residence Program by implementing a simple, equitable, and predictable procedure for determining cabin user fees, and for other purposes.

Summary: Cabin Fee Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to set an annual fee for, and requires the payment of such fee to the United States by, an authorized owner of a privately built and owned recreational cabin located on National Forest System land.

Reduces such fee to $100 annually if access to a cabin is significantly impaired, either by natural causes or governmental actions.

 Requires payment of a transfer fee to the United States upon the transfer of a cabin between private parties for consideration.

Requires the Secretary to grant a cabin owner the right to administrative appeal of a cabin fee decision, which may be reviewed by bringing a civil action in U.S. district court.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Cabin Fee Act of 
2012''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Cabin user fees.
Sec. 4. Payment of cabin transfer fees.
Sec. 5. Right of appeal and judicial review.
Sec. 6. Effect.
Sec. 7. Regulations.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Authorization; authorize.--The terms ``authorization'' 
        and ``authorize'' mean the issuance of a special use permit for 
        the use and occupancy of National Forest System land by a cabin 
        owner under the Recreation Residence Program.
            (2) Cabin.--The term ``cabin'' means a privately built and 
        owned recreation residence and related improvements on National 
        Forest System land that--
                    (A) is authorized for private use and occupancy; 
                and
                    (B) may be sold or transferred between private 
                parties.
            (3) Cabin owner.--The term ``cabin owner'' means--
                    (A) a person authorized by the Secretary to use and 
                to occupy a cabin; and
                    (B) a trust, heir, or assign of a person described 
                in subparagraph (A).
            (4) Cabin transfer fee.--The term ``cabin transfer fee'' 
        means a fee that is paid to the United States on the transfer 
        of a cabin between private parties for money or other 
        consideration that results in the issuance of a new permit.
            (5) Cabin user fee.--The term ``cabin user fee'' means an 
        annual fee paid to the United States by a cabin owner in 
        accordance with an authorization for the use and occupancy of a 
        cabin.
            (6) Current appraisal cycle.--The term ``current appraisal 
        cycle'' means the completion of Forest Service review and 
        acceptance of--
                    (A) initial typical lot appraisals; and
                    (B) second appraisals, if ordered by cabin owners 
                and approved by the Forest Service.
            (7) Current cabin user fee.--The term ``current cabin user 
        fee'' means the most recent cabin user fee, as adjusted under 
        section 3(c).
            (8) Lot.--The term ``lot'' means a parcel of National 
        Forest System land on which a person is authorized to build, 
        use, occupy, and maintain a cabin.
            (9) National forest system.--The term ``National Forest 
        System'' has the meaning given that term in section 11 of the 
        Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 
        (16 U.S.C. 1609).
            (10) Recreation residence program.--The term ``Recreation 
        Residence Program'' means the Recreation Residence Program 
        established under the last paragraph under the heading ``FOREST 
        SERVICE'' in the Act of March 4, 1915 (16 U.S.C. 497).
            (11) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
            (12) Typical lot.--The term ``typical lot'' means a cabin 
        lot, or group of cabin lots, in a tract that is selected for 
        use in an appraisal as being representative of, and that has 
        similar value characteristics as, other lots or groups of lots 
        within the tract.

SEC. 3. CABIN USER FEES.

    (a) Payment of Cabin User Fees.--Cabin owners shall pay an annual 
cabin user fee established by the Secretary in accordance with this 
section.
    (b) Initial Cabin User Fees.--
            (1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish initial 
        cabin user fees in accordance with this subsection.
            (2) Assignment to value tiers.--On completion of the 
        current appraisal cycle, as required by paragraph (4), the 
        Secretary shall assign each permitted lot on National Forest 
        System land to 1 of 10 tiers based on the following 
        considerations:
                    (A) Before assigning the lots to tiers, all 
                appraised lot values shall be adjusted, or normalized, 
                for price changes occurring after the appraisal, in 
                accordance with the National Association of 
                Homebuilders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index.
                    (B) Second appraisal values shall supersede initial 
                lot appraisal values for the normalization and ranking 
                process under subparagraph (A).
                    (C) The tiers shall be established, on a national 
                basis, according to relative lot value, with lots 
                having the lowest adjusted appraised value assigned to 
                tier 1 and lots having the highest adjusted appraised 
                value assigned to tier 10.
                    (D) The number of lots (by percentage) assigned to 
                each tier is contained in the table set forth in 
                paragraph (3).
                    (E) Data from incomplete appraisals may not be used 
                to establish the fee tiers under this subsection.
                    (F) Until assigned to a tier under this subsection, 
                the Secretary shall assess (and may adjust annually 
                subject to clause (ii)) an interim fee for permitted 
                cabin lots (including lots with incomplete appraisals) 
                in an amount equal to the lesser of--
                            (i) $5,000; or
                            (ii) the amount of the current cabin user 
                        fee, as determined under the Cabin User Fee 
                        Fairness Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.), 
                        which amount the Secretary may increase 
                        annually by not more than 25 percent, except 
                        that the increased fee shall not exceed the 
                        otherwise scheduled fee determined under the 
                        Cabin User Fee Fairness Act of 2000.
            (3) Amount of initial cabin user fees.--The initial cabin 
        user fees, based on the assignments under paragraph (2), are as 
        follows:


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Approximate Percent of
        Fee Tier            Permits Nationally          Fee Amount
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Tier 1                5 percent                     $500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Tier 2               12 percent                   $1,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Tier 3               22 percent                   $1,500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Tier 4               22 percent                   $2,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Tier 5               10 percent                   $2,500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Tier 6                9 percent                   $3,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Tier 7                7 percent                   $3,500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Tier 8                5 percent                   $4,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Tier 9                5 percent                   $4,500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Tier 10                3 percent                   $5,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------

            (4) Deadline for completion of current appraisal cycle.--
        Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, 
        the Secretary shall complete the current appraisal cycle.
            (5) Effective date.--The initial cabin user fees required 
        by this subsection shall take effect beginning with the first 
        calendar year beginning after the completion of the current 
        appraisal cycle.
    (c) Annual Adjustments of Cabin User Fee.--Once initial cabin user 
fees have been assessed, based on the tier assignments under subsection 
(b)(2), the Secretary shall use changes in the Implicit Price Deflator 
for the Gross Domestic Product published by the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis of the Department of Commerce, applied on a 5-year rolling 
average, to assess an annual adjustment to cabin user fees.
    (d) Effect of Destruction, Substantial Damage, or Loss of Access.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall reduce the cabin user 
        fee to $100 per year for a cabin if--
                    (A) the cabin is destroyed or suffers substantial 
                damage in an amount that is greater than 50 percent of 
                replacement cost of the cabin; or
                    (B) access to the cabin is significantly impaired, 
                whether by catastrophic events, natural causes, or 
                governmental actions.
            (2) Term of reduced fee.--The reduced fee under paragraph 
        (1) shall be in effect until the later of--
                    (A) the last day of the year in which the 
                destruction or impairment occurs; or
                    (B) the date on which the cabin may be lawfully 
                reoccupied and normal access has been restored.

SEC. 4. PAYMENT OF CABIN TRANSFER FEES.

    As a condition of the issuance by the Secretary of a new 
authorization for the use and occupancy of the cabin, the cabin owner 
transferring the cabin shall pay to the Secretary a cabin transfer fee 
in the amount of $1,200.

SEC. 5. RIGHT OF APPEAL AND JUDICIAL REVIEW.

    (a) Right of Appeal.--
            (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any action of a cabin 
        owner to exercise rights in accordance with section 6, the 
        Secretary shall by regulation grant to the cabin owner the 
        right to an administrative appeal of the determination of a new 
        cabin user fee, fee tier, or whether or not to reduce a cabin 
        user fee under section 3(d).
            (2) Applicable law.--An appeal under paragraph (1) shall be 
        pursuant to the appeal process provided under subpart C of part 
        251 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor 
        regulation).
    (b) Judicial Review.--
            (1) In general.--A cabin owner that contests a final 
        decision of the Secretary under this Act may bring a civil 
        action in United States district court.
            (2) Venue.--The venue for an action brought before the 
        United States district court under this subsection shall be in 
        the Federal judicial district in which the cabin is located.
            (3) Effect on mediation.--Nothing in this Act precludes a 
        person from seeking mediation for an action under this Act.

SEC. 6. EFFECT.

    (a) In General.--Nothing in this Act limits or restricts any right, 
title, or interest of the United States in or to any land or resource.
    (b) Special Rule for Alaska.--In determining a cabin user fee in 
the State of Alaska, the Secretary shall not establish or impose a 
cabin user fee or a condition affecting a cabin user fee that is 
inconsistent with 1303(d) of the Alaska National Interest Lands 
Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3193(d)).

SEC. 7. REGULATIONS.

    Not later than December 31, 2013, the Secretary shall issue 
regulations to carry out this Act.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 10, 2012.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.