I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3211 

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Joint Chiefs Landscape 

Restoration Partnership program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 13, 2021 

Mr. NEGUSE (for himself, Mr. ARMSTRONG, and Ms. SPANBERGER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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 require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Joint 

Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership program, 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 ‘‘Joint Chiefs Land5 scape Restoration Partnership Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. JOINT CHIEFS LANDSCAPE RESTORATION PART7 NERSHIP PROGRAM. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) CHIEFS.—The term ‘‘Chiefs’’ means the 

2 Chief of the Forest Service and the Chief of the 

3 Natural Resources Conservation Service. 

4 (2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITY.—The term ‘‘eligible 

5 activity’’ means an activity— 

6 (A) to reduce the risk of wildfire; 

7 (B) to protect water quality and supply; or 

8 (C) to improve wildlife habitat for at-risk 

9 species. 

10 (3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

11 the Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership 

12 program established under subsection (b)(1). 

13 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

14 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

15 (5) WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE.—The term 

16 ‘‘wildland-urban interface’’ has the meaning given 

17 the term in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Res18 toration Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511). 

19 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

21 a Joint Chiefs Landscape Restoration Partnership 

22 program to improve the health and resilience of for23 est landscapes across National Forest System land 

24 and State, Tribal, and private land. 


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1 (2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall ad2 minister the program by coordinating eligible activi3 ties conducted on National Forest System land and 

4 State, Tribal, or private land across a forest land5 scape to improve the health and resilience of the for6 est landscape by— 

7 (A) assisting producers and landowners in 

8 implementing eligible activities on eligible pri9 vate or Tribal land using the applicable pro10 grams and authorities administered by the 

11 Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation 

12 Service under title XII of the Food Security Act 

13 of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801 et seq.), not including 

14 the conservation reserve program established 

15 under subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D 

16 of that title (16 U.S.C. 3831 et seq.); and 

17 (B) conducting eligible activities on Na18 tional Forest System land or assisting land19 owners in implementing eligible activities on 

20 State, Tribal, or private land using the applica21 ble programs and authorities administered by 

22 the Chief of the Forest Service. 

23 (c) SELECTION OF ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—The ap24 propriate Regional Forester and State Conservationist 


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1 shall jointly submit to the Chiefs on an annual basis pro2 posals for eligible activities under the program. 

3 (d) EVALUATION CRITERIA.—In evaluating and se4 lecting proposals submitted under subsection (c), the 

5 Chiefs shall consider— 

6 (1) criteria including whether the proposal— 

7 (A) reduces wildfire risk in a municipal 

8 watershed or the wildland-urban interface; 

9 (B) was developed through a collaborative 

10 process with participation from diverse stake11 holders; 

12 (C) increases forest workforce capacity or 

13 forest business infrastructure and development; 

14 (D) leverages existing authorities and non15 Federal funding; 

16 (E) provides measurable outcomes; or 

17 (F) supports established State and re18 gional priorities; and 

19 (2) such other criteria relating to the merits of 

20 the proposals as the Chiefs determine to be appro21 priate. 

22 (e) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall provide— 

23 (1) public notice on the websites of the Forest 

24 Service and the Natural Resources Conservation 

25 Service describing— 


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1 (A) the solicitation of proposals under sub2 section (c); and 

3 (B) the criteria for selecting proposals in 

4 accordance with subsection (d); and 

5 (2) information relating to the program and ac6 tivities funded under the program to States, Indian 

7 Tribes, units of local government, and private land8 owners. 

9 (f) EXCLUSIONS.—An eligible activity may not be 

10 carried out under the program— 

11 (1) in a wilderness area or designated wilder12 ness study area; 

13 (2) in an inventoried roadless area; 

14 (3) on any Federal land on which, by Act of 

15 Congress or Presidential proclamation, the removal 

16 of vegetation is restricted or prohibited; or 

17 (4) in an area in which the eligible activity 

18 would be inconsistent with the applicable land and 

19 resource management plan. 

20 (g) ACCOUNTABILITY.— 

21 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

22 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec23 retary shall submit to Congress a report providing 

24 recommendations to Congress relating to the pro25 gram, including a review of— 


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1 (A) funding mechanisms for the program; 

2 (B) staff capacity to carry out the pro3 gram; 

4 (C) privacy laws applicable to the program; 

5 (D) data collection under the program; 

6 (E) monitoring and outcomes under the 

7 program; and 

8 (F) such other matters as the Secretary 

9 considers to be appropriate. 

10 (2) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Chiefs shall annu11 ally submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri12 tion, and Forestry and the Committee on Appropria13 tions of the Senate and the Committee on Agri14 culture and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

15 House of Representatives a report describing 

16 projects for which funding is provided under the pro17 gram, including the status and outcomes of those 

18 projects. 

19 (h) FUNDING.— 

20 (1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In 

21 addition to amounts otherwise available to the Sec22 retary to carry out the program, there is authorized 

23 to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the 

24 program $90,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 

25 through 2030. 


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1 (2) DURATION OF AVAILABILITY.—Funds made 

2 available under paragraph (1) shall remain available 

3 until expended. 

4 (3) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—Of the funds 

5 made available under paragraph (1)— 

6 (A) not less than 40 percent shall be allo7 cated to carry out eligible activities through the 

8 Natural Resources Conservation Service; 

9 (B) not less than 40 percent shall be allo10 cated to carry out eligible activities through the 

11 Forest Service; and 

12 (C) the remaining funds shall be allocated 

13 by the Chiefs to the Natural Resources Con14 servation Service or the Forest Service— 

15 (i) to carry out eligible activities; or 

16 (ii) for other purposes, such as tech17 nical assistance, project development, or 

18 local capacity building. 

Æ 


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