I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4688 
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to make land grants-mercedes 
eligible for assistance, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 19, 2017 
Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to make land 
grants-mercedes eligible for assistance, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Land Grants-Mercedes 
Conservation Program Eligibility Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR LAND GRANTS-MERCEDES. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1201(a) of the Food Se-
curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)) is amended by 
redesignating paragraphs (17) through (27) as para-
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graphs (18) through (28), respectively, and inserting after 
paragraph (16) the following: 
‘‘(17) LAND GRANT-MERCED.—The term ‘land 
grant-merced’ means a community, town, colony, or 
pueblo— 
‘‘(A) the land of which was granted by the 
government of Spain or by the government of 
Mexico to— 
‘‘(i) the community, town, colony, or 
pueblo; or 
‘‘(ii) a person for the purpose of 
founding or establishing a community, 
town, colony, or pueblo; or 
‘‘(B) that asserted title pursuant to the 
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, through— 
‘‘(i) the Office of the Surveyor Gen-
eral for New Mexico established pursuant 
to the Act of July 22, 1854 (Chapter 103; 
10 Stat. 308); or 
‘‘(ii) the United States Court of Pri-
vate Land Claims established by the Act of 
March 3, 1891 (Chapter 539; 26 Stat. 
854) (commonly known as the Court of 
Private Land Claims Act).’’. 
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(b) ALTERNATIVE FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS
FOR 
LAND GRANTS-MERCEDES.—Section 1244 of the Food 
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(m) ALTERNATIVE FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS FOR 
LAND GRANTS-MERCEDES.— 
‘‘(1) 
ALTERNATIVE
FUNDING
ARRANGE-
MENTS.—Notwithstanding section 1001(f)(6), the 
Secretary may enter into an alternative funding ar-
rangement under any conservation program adminis-
tered by the Secretary with a land grant-merced if 
the Secretary determines that— 
‘‘(A) the goals and objectives of the appli-
cable program will be met by the arrangement; 
and 
‘‘(B) statutory limitations regarding con-
tracts with individual producers will not be ex-
ceeded by any member of the land grant- 
merced. 
‘‘(2) TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASSIST-
ANCE.—The Secretary may provide technical and 
administrative assistance, as mutually agreed by the 
parties, under an alternative funding arrangement 
entered into under paragraph (1).’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
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(1) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1201(a)(18)(B) of 
the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3801(a)(18)(B)) is amended by inserting ‘‘land 
grant-merced,’’ after ‘‘Indian tribe,’’. 
(2) CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM.— 
Section 1238G(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 
(16 U.S.C. 3838g(f)) is amended by inserting ‘‘or 
land grants-mercedes’’ after ‘‘Indian tribes’’. 
(3) ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR CON-
SERVATION
PROGRAMS.—Section 1244(a) of the 
Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844(a)) is 
amended— 
(A) in the subsection header, by inserting 
‘‘AND LAND GRANTS-MERCEDES’’ after ‘‘IN-
DIAN TRIBES’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end of paragraph (2) 
the following: 
‘‘(G) Land grants-mercedes.’’. 
(4) AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION EASEMENT 
PROGRAM.—Subtitle H of title XII of the Food Se-
curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865 et seq.) is 
amended— 
(A) in section 1265A(2)(A), by striking 
‘‘or an Indian tribe’’ and inserting ‘‘, or an In-
dian tribe or land grant-merced,’’; 
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(B) in section 1265C— 
(i) in subsection (b)(1)(D), by insert-
ing ‘‘and land grants-mercedes’’ after ‘‘In-
dian tribes’’; 
(ii) in subsection (d)(2), by striking 
‘‘or Indian tribe’’ and inserting ‘‘Indian 
tribe, or land grant-merced’’; and 
(iii) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘or 
Indian tribe’’ and inserting ‘‘Indian tribe, 
or land grant-merced’’; and 
(C) in section 1265D(a)(2), by adding ‘‘, 
other than land of a land grant-merced’’ before 
the semicolon. 
(5) REGIONAL
CONSERVATION
PARTNERSHIP 
PROGRAM.—Section 1271A(4) of the Food Security 
Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871a(4)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(I) A land grant-merced.’’. 
Æ 
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