I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 691 
To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to authorize insect 
and disease treatment programs on certain Federal land, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 18, 2019 
Mr. WALDEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Re-
sources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 
to authorize insect and disease treatment programs on 
certain Federal land, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Proven Wildfire Reduc-
tion Techniques Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. TREATMENT AREAS. 
Section 602 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act 
of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 6591a) is amended— 
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(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘DESIGNATION 
OF’’; 
(2) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) COOS BAY WAGON ROAD GRANT LANDS.— 
The term ‘Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant lands’ 
means the lands reconveyed to the United States 
pursuant to the first section of the Act of February 
26, 1919 (40 Stat. 1179). 
‘‘(2) DECLINING FOREST HEALTH.—The term 
‘declining forest health’ means a qualified forest that 
is experiencing— 
‘‘(A) substantially increased tree mortality 
due to insect or disease infestation; or 
‘‘(B) dieback due to infestation or defolia-
tion by insects or disease. 
‘‘(3) OREGON
AND
CALIFORNIA
RAILROAD 
GRANT LANDS.—The term ‘Oregon and California 
Railroad Grant lands’ means the following lands: 
‘‘(A) All lands in the State of Oregon re-
vested in the United States under the Act of 
June 9, 1916 (39 Stat. 218), that are adminis-
tered by the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
through the Bureau of Land Management, pur-
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suant to the first section of the Act of August 
28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 1181a). 
‘‘(B) All lands in that State obtained by 
the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the 
land exchanges authorized and directed by sec-
tion 2 of the Act of June 24, 1954 (43 U.S.C. 
1181h). 
‘‘(C) All lands in that State acquired by 
the United States at any time and made subject 
to the provisions of title II of the Act of August 
28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 1181f). 
‘‘(4) PUBLIC LANDS.—The term ‘public lands’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 103 of 
the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702), except that the term in-
cludes Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant lands and Or-
egon and California Railroad Grant lands. 
‘‘(5) QUALIFIED FOREST.—The term ‘qualified 
forest’ means a forest located in— 
‘‘(A) National Forest System lands; or 
‘‘(B) public lands. 
‘‘(6) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘Sec-
retary concerned’ means— 
‘‘(A) with respect to National Forest Sys-
tem lands, the Secretary of Agriculture; and 
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‘‘(B) with respect to public lands, the Sec-
retary of the Interior.’’; 
(3) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(b) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary concerned may 
carry out insect and disease treatment programs in a 
qualified forest that meets the requirements specified in 
subsection (c).’’; 
(4) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘To be des-
ignated a landscape-scale area under subsection (b), 
the area shall be’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary con-
cerned may only carry out projects under subsection 
(b) in a qualified forest that is’’; and 
(5) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘on Fed-
eral land in the areas designated’’. 
Æ 
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