II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1712 

To amend the Small Tract Act of 1983 to expand the authority of the 

Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange small parcels of National 

Forest System land to enhance the management of the National Forest 

System, resolve minor encroachments, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 7, 2015 

Mr. BENNET introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To amend the Small Tract Act of 1983 to expand the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to sell or exchange 

small parcels of National Forest System land to enhance 

the management of the National Forest System, resolve 

minor encroachments, 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 ‘‘National Forest Small 

5 Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY FOR SALE OR EXCHANGE 

2 OF SMALL PARCELS OF NATIONAL FOREST 

3 SYSTEM LAND. 

4 (a) INCREASE IN MAXIMUM VALUE OF SMALL PAR5 CELS.—Section 3 of Public Law 97–465 (commonly 

6 known as the ‘‘Small Tract Act of 1983’’) (16 U.S.C. 

7 521e) is amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 

8 by striking ‘‘$150,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$500,000’’. 

9 (b) ADDITIONAL CONVEYANCE PURPOSES.—Section 

10 3 of Public Law 97–465 (16 U.S.C. 521e) (as amended 

11 by subsection (a)) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and in13 serting a semicolon; 

14 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 

15 the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

16 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(4) parcels of 40 acres or less that are deter18 mined by the Secretary— 

19 ‘‘(A) to be physically isolated; 

20 ‘‘(B) to be inaccessible; or 

21 ‘‘(C) to have lost National Forest char22 acter; 

23 ‘‘(5) parcels of 10 acres or less that are not eli24 gible for conveyance under paragraph (2) but are 

25 encroached on by a permanent habitable improveVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:44 Jul 08, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1712.IS S1712

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1 ment for which there is no evidence that the en2 croachment was intentional or negligent; or 

3 ‘‘(6) parcels used as a cemetery, a landfill, or 

4 a sewage treatment plant under a special use au5 thorization issued by the Secretary.’’. 

6 (c) DISPOSITION OF PROCEEDS.—Section 2 of Public 

7 Law 97–465 (16 U.S.C. 521d) is amended— 

8 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

9 striking ‘‘The Secretary is authorized’’ and inserting 

10 the following: 

11 ‘‘(a) CONVEYANCE AUTHORITY; CONSIDERATION.— 

12 The Secretary is authorized’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (2), in the second sentence, by 

14 striking ‘‘The Secretary shall insert’’ and inserting 

15 the following: 

16 ‘‘(b) INCLUSION OF TERMS, COVENANTS, CONDI17 TIONS, AND RESERVATIONS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall in19 sert’’; 

20 (3) in subsection (b) (as so designated)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘convenants’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘covenants’’; and 

23 (B) in the second sentence by striking 

24 ‘‘The preceding sentence shall not’’ and insert25 ing the following: 


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1 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—Paragraph (1) shall not’’; 

2 and 

3 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(c) DISPOSITION OF PROCEEDS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) DEPOSIT IN SISK FUND.—The net pro6 ceeds derived from any sale or exchange conducted 

7 under paragraph (4), (5), or (6) of section 3 shall 

8 be deposited in the fund established under Public 

9 Law 90–171 (commonly known as the ‘Sisk Act’) 

10 (16 U.S.C. 484a). 

11 ‘‘(2) USE.—Amounts deposited under para12 graph (1) shall be available to the Secretary until 

13 expended for— 

14 ‘‘(A) the acquisition of land or interests in 

15 land for administrative sites for the National 

16 Forest System in the State from which the 

17 amounts were derived; 

18 ‘‘(B) the acquisition of land or interests in 

19 land for inclusion in the National Forest Sys20 tem in that State, including land or interests in 

21 land that enhance opportunities for recreational 

22 access; 

23 ‘‘(C) the performance of deferred mainte24 nance on administrative sites for the National 

25 Forest System in that State or other deferred 


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1 maintenance activities in that State that en2 hance opportunities for recreational access; or 

3 ‘‘(D) the reimbursement of the Secretary 

4 for costs incurred in preparing a sale conducted 

5 under the authority of section 3 if the sale is 

6 a competitive sale.’’. 

Æ 


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