IIB 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1214 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry 
AN ACT 
To amend the Small Tracts Act 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, to resolve 
minor encroachments, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Forest Small 
Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY FOR SALE OR EXCHANGE 
OF SMALL PARCELS OF NATIONAL FOREST 
SYSTEM LAND. 
(a) INCREASE IN MAXIMUM VALUE OF SMALL PAR-
CELS.—Section 3 of Public Law 97–465 (commonly 
known as the Small Tracts Act; 16 U.S.C. 521e) is 
amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by strik-
ing ‘‘$150,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$500,000’’. 
(b) ADDITIONAL CONVEYANCE PURPOSES.—Section 
3 of Public Law 97–465 (16 U.S.C. 521e) is further 
amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘which are—’’ and inserting ‘‘which involve 
any one of the following:’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘parcels’’ and inserting 
‘‘Parcels’’; and 
(B) by striking the semicolon at the end 
and inserting a period; 
(3) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘parcels’’ the first place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘Parcels’’; and 
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(B) by striking ‘‘; or’’ at the end and in-
serting a period; 
(4) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘road’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Road’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(4) Parcels of 40 acres or less which are deter-
mined by the Secretary to be physically isolated, to 
be inaccessible, or to have lost their National Forest 
character. 
‘‘(5) Parcels of 10 acres or less which are not 
eligible for conveyance under paragraph (2), but 
which are encroached upon by permanent habitable 
improvements for which there is no evidence that the 
encroachment was intentional or negligent. 
‘‘(6) Parcels used as a cemetery, a landfill, or 
a sewage treatment plant under a special use au-
thorization issued by the Secretary. In the case of a 
cemetery expected to reach capacity within 10 years, 
the sale, exchange, or interchange may include, in 
the sole discretion of the Secretary, up to 1 addi-
tional acre abutting the permit area to facilitate ex-
pansion of the cemetery.’’. 
(c) DISPOSITION OF PROCEEDS.—Section 2 of Public 
Law 97–465 (16 U.S.C. 521d) is amended— 
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(1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary is authorized’’ 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(a) CONVEYANCE AUTHORITY; CONSIDERATION.— 
The Secretary is authorized’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall insert’’ and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(b) INCLUSION
OF TERMS, COVENANTS, CONDI-
TIONS, AND RESERVATIONS.—The Secretary shall insert’’; 
(3) by striking ‘‘convenants’’ and inserting 
‘‘covenants’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(c) DISPOSITION OF PROCEEDS.— 
‘‘(1) DEPOSIT IN SISK FUND.—The net pro-
ceeds derived from any sale or exchange conducted 
under the authority of paragraph (4), (5), or (6) of 
section 3 shall be deposited in the fund established 
by Public Law 90–171 (commonly known as the 
Sisk Act; 16 U.S.C. 484a). 
‘‘(2) USE.—Amounts deposited under para-
graph (1) shall be available to the Secretary until 
expended for— 
‘‘(A) the acquisition of land or interests in 
land for administrative sites for the National 
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Forest System in the State from which the 
amounts were derived; 
‘‘(B) the acquisition of land or interests in 
land for inclusion in the National Forest Sys-
tem in that State, including land or interests in 
land which enhance opportunities for rec-
reational access; 
‘‘(C) the performance of deferred mainte-
nance on administrative sites for the National 
Forest System in that State or other deferred 
maintenance activities in that State which en-
hance opportunities for recreational access; or 
‘‘(D) the reimbursement of the Secretary 
for costs incurred in preparing a sale conducted 
under the authority of section 3 if the sale is 
a competitive sale.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 16, 
2015. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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