A bill to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convene a blue ribbon panel to review the forest inventory and analysis program of the Forest Service, and for other purposes.

Subjects: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:  <p>This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to convene a blue ribbon panel to review the forest inventory and analysis program (a program that accounts for public and private forests and their resources in the United States). </p> <p>The panel shall conduct a review of the past progress, current priorities, and future needs of such program with respect to national monitoring of forest carbon, climate change, forest health, and sustainable wood products.</p> <p>The review shall include consideration of </p> <ul> <li>the modernization of the program broadly and specifically relating to the integration of advanced remote sensing technologies and methods such as small area estimation; and </li> <li> the possibility of more public-private-academic partnerships under the program to help meet the goals of the program and external needs, particularly relating to research priorities, operational implementation of current or ongoing science, and decision support.</li> </ul> <p>The panel shall report to USDA, the Department of the Interior, and Congress describing the review by March 31, 2024.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 433 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 433

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to convene a blue ribbon panel 
   to review the forest inventory and analysis program of the Forest 
                    Service, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 15, 2023

 Mr. King (for himself and Mr. Wicker) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to convene a blue ribbon panel 
   to review the forest inventory and analysis program of the Forest 
                    Service, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. FOREST INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS PROGRAM BLUE RIBBON PANEL.

    Section 3 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research 
Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 1642) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(f) Forest Inventory and Analysis Program Blue Ribbon Panel.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of this subsection, the Secretary, in consultation 
        with the National Association of State Foresters, shall convene 
        a blue ribbon panel (referred to in this subsection as the 
        `Panel') to review the forest inventory and analysis program 
        established under this section (referred to in this subsection 
        as the `program').
            ``(2) Composition.--
                    ``(A) Number.--The Panel shall be composed of not 
                fewer than 10, and not more than 20, members.
                    ``(B) Members.--Members of the Panel shall--
                            ``(i) include recognized national leaders 
                        from across State and Federal agencies, 
                        universities, industry, and nongovernmental 
                        organizations; and
                            ``(ii) have knowledge of and expertise in 
                        forest biometrics, inventory, and remote 
                        sensing technology.
            ``(3) Duties.--
                    ``(A) Review.--The Panel shall conduct a review of 
                the past progress, current priorities, and future needs 
                of the program with respect to national monitoring of 
                forest carbon, climate change, forest health, and 
                sustainable wood products.
                    ``(B) Considerations.--The review under 
                subparagraph (A) shall include consideration of--
                            ``(i) the modernization of the program--
                                    ``(I) broadly; and
                                    ``(II) specifically relating to the 
                                integration of advanced remote sensing 
                                technologies and methods such as small 
                                area estimation; and
                            ``(ii) the possibility of more public-
                        private-academic partnerships under the program 
                        to help meet the goals of the program and 
                        external needs, particularly relating to 
                        research priorities, operational implementation 
                        of current or ongoing science, and decision 
                        support.
                    ``(C) Report.--Not later than March 31, 2024, the 
                Panel shall submit to the Secretary, the Secretary of 
                the Interior, and Congress a report describing the 
                review conducted under subparagraph (A).
            ``(4) Administrative matters.--
                    ``(A) Chairperson and vice chairperson.--The Panel 
                shall select a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from 
                among the nongovernmental members of the Panel.
                    ``(B) Committees.--The Panel may establish 1 or 
                more committees within the Panel as the Panel 
                determines to be appropriate.
                    ``(C) Compensation.--A member of the Panel shall 
                serve without compensation.
                    ``(D) Administrative support.--The Secretary shall 
                provide such administrative support as is necessary for 
                the Panel to carry out its duties.
                    ``(E) Federal advisory committee act.--The Panel 
                shall be exempt from chapter 10 of title 5, United 
                States Code (commonly referred to as the `Federal 
                Advisory Committee Act').''.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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