I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5313 
To reserve a small percentage of the amounts made available to the Secretary 
of Agriculture for the farmland protection program to fund challenge 
grants to encourage the purchase of conservation easements and other 
interests in land to be held by a State agency, county, or other eligible 
entity, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 9, 2006 
Mr. GERLACH (for himself, Mr. KIRK, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, Mrs. 
BIGGERT, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, and Mr. REICHERT) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To reserve a small percentage of the amounts made available 
to the Secretary of Agriculture for the farmland protec-
tion program to fund challenge grants to encourage the 
purchase of conservation easements and other interests 
in land to be held by a State agency, county, or other 
eligible entity, 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 ‘‘Open Space and Farm-
land Preservation Act’’. 
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SEC. 
2. 
ADDITIONAL 
TITLE-HOLDING 
OPTION 
UNDER 
FARMLAND PROTECTION PROGRAM. 
(a) ADDITIONAL TITLE-HOLDING OPTION; RESERVA-
TION OF FUNDS.—Section 1238I of the Farm Security 
Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838i) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(d) OPTION FOR TITLE TO BE HELD BY ELIGIBLE 
ENTITY.— 
‘‘(1) RESERVATION OF FUNDS; PURPOSE.—Of 
the funds made available under section 1241(a)(4) 
for a fiscal year to carry out this section, the Sec-
retary shall reserve not less than 15 percent to make 
grants to support cooperative efforts by an eligible 
State agency, a county, and one or more other eligi-
ble entities to purchase conservation easements and 
other interests in eligible land under subsection (a), 
the title to which will be held by an eligible entity 
rather than the United States. 
‘‘(2) COST
SHARING.—Notwithstanding sub-
section (c)(1), the share of the cost of purchasing a 
conservation easement or other interest in eligible 
land borne by the United States under this sub-
section shall not exceed 25 percent. The State agen-
cy involved in the purchase shall contribute 25 per-
cent of the purchase price, the county involved in the 
purchase shall contribute 25 percent of the purchase 
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price, and the other eligible entities involved in the 
purchase shall contribute 25 percent of the purchase 
price. 
‘‘(3) PROHIBITION ON USE OF GRANT FUNDS.— 
Federal funds made available under this subsection 
may not be used by grant recipients for administra-
tive purposes.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect on October 1, 2006. 
Æ 
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