I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3824 

To reform oversight of law enforcement activities of the Forest Service and 

the Department of the Interior and to improve coordination and cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 23, 2015 

Mr. HARDY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To reform oversight of law enforcement activities of the 

Forest Service and the Department of the Interior and 

to improve coordination and cooperation with local law 

enforcement agencies, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Forest Service and 

5 Department of the Interior Law Enforcement Improve6 ment Act of 2015’’. 

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1 SEC. 2. MANAGEMENT OF FOREST SERVICE LAW ENFORCE2 MENT PERSONNEL. 

3 (a) RESPONSIBILITY OF REGIONAL FORESTER.—Ex4 cept in the case of law enforcement personnel described 

5 in subsection (b), the Regional Forester for a Forest Serv6 ice Region shall be responsible for all Forest Service law 

7 enforcement personnel assigned to that Region. The Re8 gional Forester may delegate this responsibility to Forest 

9 Supervisors and District Rangers as the Regional Forester 

10 considers appropriate and based on the capabilities of the 

11 line officer. 

12 (b) INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION.—The Chief of the 

13 Forest Service, acting through the Director of Law En14 forcement, shall remain responsible for the Investigations 

15 Division of Forest Service law enforcement. 

16 SEC. 3. FEDERAL LANDS LAW ENFORCEMENT REVIEW 

17 BOARDS. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Agriculture, 

19 with respect to the Forest Service, and the Secretary of 

20 the Interior, with respect to the land management agen21 cies of the Department of the Interior, shall establish a 

22 Federal Lands Law Enforcement Review Board. 

23 (b) COMPOSITION.—Each Federal Lands Law En24 forcement Review Board shall be composed of seven mem25 bers as follows: 

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1 (1) The applicable Director of Law Enforce2 ment. 

3 (2) A Law Enforcement Regional Special Agent 

4 in Charge, in the case of the Board established by 

5 the Secretary of Agriculture, and a State Director of 

6 Law Enforcement and Security, in the case of the 

7 Board established by the Secretary of the Interior. 

8 (3) Three line officers selected by the Secretary 

9 concerned. 

10 (4) One member of the National Sheriffs’ Asso11 ciation who resides east of the 100th meridian and 

12 is recommended by the Association. 

13 (5) One member of the National Sheriffs’ Asso14 ciation who resides west of the 100th meridian and 

15 is recommended by the Association. 

16 (c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of a Federal Lands 

17 Law Enforcement Review Board are to review and make 

18 recommendations regarding the following: 

19 (1) Law enforcement incidents of concern in20 volving law enforcement personnel of the agency. 

21 (2) Proposed changes to agency law enforce22 ment policy. 

23 (3) The cooperative law enforcement program. 

24 (4) Training of agency law enforcement per25 sonnel. 

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1 (d) ADDITIONAL BOARDS.—The Secretary of Agri2 culture, with respect to the Forest Service, and the Sec3 retary of the Interior, with respect to the land manage4 ment agencies of the Department of the Interior, may es5 tablish additional Federal Lands Law Enforcement Re6 view Boards at subordinate levels of the agency. 

7 SEC. 4. IMPROVED COORDINATION AND COOPERATION 

8 WITH LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. 

9 (a) FOREST SERVICE.—Public Law 92–82 (16 

10 U.S.C. 551a) is amended by adding at the end the fol11 lowing new sentence: ‘‘If a political subdivision of a State 

12 contains 25,000 acres or more of Federal land, all or a 

13 majority of which is National Forest System land, the Sec14 retary shall endeavor to develop a memorandum of under15 standing with the political subdivision to address the spe16 cific roles and coordination between Forest Service law en17 forcement personnel and local law enforcement.’’. 

18 (b) DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.—If a political 

19 subdivision of a State contains 25,000 acres or more of 

20 Federal land, all or a majority of which is under the juris21 diction of a land management agency of the Department 

22 of the Interior, the Secretary of the Interior shall endeavor 

23 to develop a memorandum of understanding with the polit24 ical subdivision to address the specific roles and coordinamstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 tion between Department law enforcement personnel and 

2 local law enforcement. 

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