I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1311
To amend title 10, United States Code, to support the Federal Excess 
Personal Property program of the Forest Service by making it a priority 
of the Department of Defense to transfer to the Forest Service excess 
personal property of the Department that is suitable to be loaned under 
the program to rural fire departments. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 18, 2003
Mr. ROSS (for himself, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. GOODE, 
Mr. CARSON of Oklahoma, Mr. FROST, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, 
Mr. BASS, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. POMEROY, Mr. SPRATT, Mr. MATHE-
SON, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. LUCAS of Kentucky, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. 
TURNER of Texas, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. ANDREWS, and Mr. NEY) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition 
to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend title 10, United States Code, to support the Fed-
eral Excess Personal Property program of the Forest 
Service by making it a priority of the Department of 
Defense to transfer to the Forest Service excess personal 
property of the Department that is suitable to be loaned 
under the program to rural fire departments.
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 ‘‘Rural Fire Department 
Equipment Priority Act of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF EXCESS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
PERSONAL PROPERTY TO SUPPORT FOREST 
SERVICE FEDERAL EXCESS PERSONAL PROP-
ERTY PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 2576b of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Subject’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law and subject’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub-
section (e); and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(d) PRIORITY FOR RURAL FIREFIGHTING AGEN-
CIES.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall enter into an 
agreement with the Secretary of Agriculture to use the 
existing property disposal program of the Forest Service, 
known as the Federal Excess Personal Property Program, 
to facilitate the reutilization of Department of Defense 
personal property described in subsection (a) by fire-
fighting agencies in rural areas. 
‘‘(2) The transfer of Department of Defense personal 
property described in subsection (a) to the Forest Service
for reutilization by firefighting agencies in rural areas 
shall be afforded a property disposal priority at least equal 
to the priority given the military departments and other 
entities within the Department of Defense.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—(1) The heading for 
such section is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 2576b. Excess personal property: reutilization to 
assist firefighting agencies ’’. 
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 
153 of such title is amended by striking the item relating 
to section 2576b and inserting the following new item:
‘‘2576b. Excess personal property: reutilization to assist firefighting agencies.’’.
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