Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act

To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to modify the treatment of revenue from timber sale contracts and certain payments made by counties to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior under good neighbor agreements, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act 2. Modification of the treatment of certain revenue and payments under good neighbor agreements (a) Good neighbor authority Section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 ( 16 U.S.C. 2113a (1) in subsection (a)(6), by striking or Indian tribe (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting , Indian tribe, Governor (B) in paragraph (2)(C), by striking clause (i) and inserting the following: (i) In general Funds received from the sale of timber by a Governor, an Indian tribe, or a county under a good neighbor agreement shall be retained and used by the Governor, Indian tribe, or county, as applicable— (I) to carry out authorized restoration services under the good neighbor agreement; and (II) if there are funds remaining after carrying out subclause (I), to carry out authorized restoration services under other good neighbor agreements. ; (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting , Indian tribe, Governor (D) by striking paragraph (4). (b) Conforming amendments Section 8206(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 ( 16 U.S.C. 2113a(a) (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting , Indian tribe, Governor (2) in paragraph (5), by inserting , Indian tribe, Governor (c) Effective date The amendments made by this Act apply to any project initiated pursuant to a good neighbor agreement (as defined in section 8206(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 ( 16 U.S.C. 2113a(a) (1) before the date of enactment of this Act, if the project was initiated after the date of enactment of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 ( Public Law 115–334 (2) on or after the date of enactment of this Act. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act 2. Modification of the treatment of certain revenue and payments under good neighbor agreements (a) Good neighbor authority Section 8206 of the Agricultural Act of 2014 ( 16 U.S.C. 2113a (1) in subsection (a)(6), by striking or Indian tribe (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting , Indian tribe, Governor (B) in paragraph (2)(C)— (i) by striking clause (i) and inserting the following: (i) In general Funds received from the sale of timber by a Governor, an Indian tribe, or a county under a good neighbor agreement shall be retained and used by the Governor, Indian tribe, or county, as applicable— (I) to carry out authorized restoration services under the good neighbor agreement; and (II) if there are funds remaining after carrying out subclause (I), to carry out authorized restoration services under other good neighbor agreements. ; and (ii) in clause (ii), by striking 2023 2028 (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting , Indian tribe, Governor (D) by striking paragraph (4). (b) Conforming amendments Section 8206(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 ( 16 U.S.C. 2113a(a) (1) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting , Indian tribe, Governor (2) in paragraph (5), by inserting , Indian tribe, Governor (c) Effective date The amendments made by this Act apply to any project initiated pursuant to a good neighbor agreement (as defined in section 8206(a) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 ( 16 U.S.C. 2113a(a) (1) before the date of enactment of this Act, if the project was initiated after the date of enactment of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 ( Public Law 115–334 (2) on or after the date of enactment of this Act. September 8, 2023 Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources

Summary: Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act This bill revises the Good Neighbor Authority program to modify the treatment of revenue from timber sale contracts under good neighbor agreements with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior. (The Good Neighbor Authority permits USDA and Interior to enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with states, counties, and Indian tribes to perform forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration services on federal land managed by the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management.) Specifically, the bill (1) requires Indian tribes and counties to retain revenue generated from timber sales under a good neighbor agreement; and (2) allows states, counties, and Indian tribes to use such revenue for authorized restoration projects on nonfederal lands under a good neighbor agreement. (Under current law, only a state is permitted to retain the revenues, and the revenues must be used for restoration projects on federal land.) The bill also extends the Good Neighbor Authority program's expiration date to the end of FY2028; the program currently expires at the end of FY2023.