National Forest Small Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-1214
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Amodei, Mark E. [R-NV-2]
Introduced: 2015-03-03
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Cemeteries and funerals

Forests, forestry, trees

Government trust funds

Land transfers

Outdoor recreation

Solid waste and recycling
Latest action: action_date: 2015-09-17
text: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-03-03
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>National Forest Small Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015</b></p> <p>Amends the Small Tracts Act to permit the sale, exchange, or interchange under such Act of National Forest System (NFS) lands the sale or exchange of which is not practicable under any other authority of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) which have a value determined to be not more than $500,000. </p> <p>Includes as those lands permitted to be sold, exchanged, or interchanged under such Act: (1) parcels of 40 acres or less which are determined to be physically isolated, to be inaccessible, or to have lost their National Forest character; (2) parcels of 10 acres or less which are not eligible for conveyance under such Act, but which are encroached upon by permanent habitable improvements for which there is no evidence that the encroachment was intentional or negligent; or (3) parcels used as a cemetery, a landfill, or a sewage treatment plant under a special use authorization issued by the USDA. </p> <p>Requires any proceeds under this Act to be deposited in the special fund established under the Sisk Act and made available for: (1) the acquisition of land or interests in land for administrative sites for the NFS in the state from which the amounts were derived; (2) the acquisition of land or interests in land for inclusion in the NFS in that state, including those which enhance opportunities for recreational access; and (3) the performance of deferred maintenance on administrative sites for the NFS in that state or other deferred maintenance activities in that state which enhance opportunities for recreational access. </p>

action_date: 2015-06-08
action_desc: Reported to House amended, Part I
text: <p><b>National Forest Small Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015</b></p> <p>(Sec. 2) Amends the Small Tracts Act (the Act) to permit the sale, exchange, or interchange under such Act of National Forest System (NFS) lands the sale or exchange of which is not practicable under any other authority of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) which have a value determined to be not more than $500,000. </p> <p>Includes as those lands permitted to be sold, exchanged, or interchanged under the Act:</p> <ul> <li>parcels of 40 acres or less which are determined to be physically isolated, to be inaccessible, or to have lost their National Forest character;</li> <li>parcels of 10 acres or less which are not eligible for conveyance under such Act, but which are encroached upon by permanent habitable improvements for which there is no evidence that the encroachment was intentional or negligent; or</li> <li>parcels used as a cemetery, a landfill, or a sewage treatment plant under a special use authorization issued by the USDA. </li> </ul> <p>Requires any proceeds under this Act to be deposited in the special fund established under the Sisk Act and made available for:</p> <ul> <li>the acquisition of land or interests in land for administrative sites for the NFS in the state from which the amounts were derived;</li> <li>the acquisition of land or interests in land for inclusion in the NFS in that state, including those which enhance opportunities for recreational access;</li> <li>the performance of deferred maintenance on administrative sites for the NFS in that state or other deferred maintenance activities in that state which enhance opportunities for recreational access; and</li> <li>the reimbursement of the USDA for costs incurred in preparing a competitive sale conducted under the authority of the Act.</li> </ul>

action_date: 2015-09-16
action_desc: Passed House amended
text: <p><b>National Forest Small Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015</b></p> <p>(Sec. 2) Amends the Small Tracts Act (the Act) to permit the sale, exchange, or interchange under such Act of National Forest System (NFS) lands the sale or exchange of which is not practicable under any other authority of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) which have a value determined to be not more than $500,000. </p> <p>Includes as those lands permitted to be sold, exchanged, or interchanged under the Act:</p> <ul> <li>parcels of 40 acres or less which are determined to be physically isolated, to be inaccessible, or to have lost their National Forest character;</li> <li>parcels of 10 acres or less which are not eligible for conveyance under such Act, but which are encroached upon by permanent habitable improvements for which there is no evidence that the encroachment was intentional or negligent; and </li> <li>parcels used as a cemetery, a landfill, or a sewage treatment plant under a special use authorization issued by the USDA. </li> </ul> <p>Allows the sale, exchange, or interchange of a cemetery that is expected to reach capacity within 10 years to include, in the USDA's sole discretion, up to 1 additional acre abutting the permit area to facilitate the expansion of that cemetery. </p> <p>Requires any proceeds under this Act to be deposited in the special fund established under the Sisk Act and made available for:</p> <ul> <li>the acquisition of land or interests in land for administrative sites for the NFS in the state from which the amounts were derived;</li> <li>the acquisition of land or interests in land for inclusion in the NFS in that state, including those which enhance opportunities for recreational access;</li> <li>the performance of deferred maintenance on administrative sites for the NFS in that state or other deferred maintenance activities in that state which enhance opportunities for recreational access; and</li> <li>the reimbursement of the USDA for costs incurred in preparing a competitive sale conducted under the authority of the Act.</li> </ul>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1214 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 3, 2015 Mr. Amodei introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources , and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Forest Small Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015 . 2. Additional authority for sale or exchange of small parcels of National Forest System land (a) Increase in maximum value of small parcels 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 striking $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) by striking ; or at the end of paragraph (2) and inserting a semicolon; (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (3) and inserting a semicolon; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: (4) parcels of 40 acres or less which are determined 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; or (6) parcels used as a cemetery, a landfill, or a sewage treatment plant under a special use authorization issued by the Secretary. . (c) Disposition of proceeds Section 2 of Public Law 97–465 ( 16 U.S.C. 521d ) is amended— (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, conditions, and reservations The Secretary shall insert ; (3) by striking convenants and inserting covenants ; and (4) by adding at the end the following new subsection: (c) Disposition of proceeds (1) Deposit in sisk fund The net proceeds 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 paragraph (1) shall be available to the Secretary, without further appropriation and until expended, for— (A) the acquisition of land or interests in land for administrative sites for the National 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 System in that State, including land or interests in land which enhance opportunities for recreational access; or (C) the performance of deferred maintenance on administrative sites for the National Forest System in that State or other deferred maintenance activities in that State which enhance opportunities for recreational access. .

tv_txt: IB Union Calendar No. 100 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1214 [Report No. 114–140, Part I] IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 3, 2015 Mr. Amodei introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources , and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned June 8, 2015 Additional sponsors: Mr. Jones , Mr. Polis , and Mr. Shimkus June 8, 2015 Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic June 8, 2015 The Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March 3, 2015 A BILL 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Forest Small Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015 . 2. Additional authority for sale or exchange of small parcels of National Forest System land (a) Increase in maximum value of small parcels 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 striking $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) by striking ; or at the end of paragraph (2) and inserting a semicolon; (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (3) and inserting a semicolon; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: (4) parcels of 40 acres or less which are determined 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; or (6) parcels used as a cemetery, a landfill, or a sewage treatment plant under a special use authorization issued by the Secretary. . (c) Disposition of proceeds Section 2 of Public Law 97–465 ( 16 U.S.C. 521d ) is amended— (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, conditions, and reservations The Secretary shall insert ; (3) by striking convenants and inserting covenants ; and (4) by adding at the end the following new subsection: (c) Disposition of proceeds (1) Deposit in sisk fund The net proceeds 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 paragraph (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 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 System in that State, including land or interests in land which enhance opportunities for recreational access; (C) the performance of deferred maintenance on administrative sites for the National Forest System in that State or other deferred maintenance activities in that State which enhance 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. .

June 8, 2015 Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment June 8, 2015 The Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1214 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Forest Small Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015 . 2. Additional authority for sale or exchange of small parcels of National Forest System land (a) Increase in maximum value of small parcels 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 striking $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 (B) by striking ; or at the end and inserting a period; (4) in paragraph (3), by striking road and inserting Road ; and (5) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: (4) Parcels of 40 acres or less which are determined 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 authorization 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 additional acre abutting the permit area to facilitate expansion of the cemetery. . (c) Disposition of proceeds Section 2 of Public Law 97–465 ( 16 U.S.C. 521d ) is amended— (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, conditions, and reservations The Secretary shall insert ; (3) by striking convenants and inserting covenants ; and (4) by adding at the end the following new subsection: (c) Disposition of proceeds (1) Deposit in sisk fund The net proceeds 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 paragraph (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 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 System in that State, including land or interests in land which enhance opportunities for recreational access; (C) the performance of deferred maintenance on administrative sites for the National Forest System in that State or other deferred maintenance activities in that State which enhance 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. Karen L. Haas, Clerk.

tv_txt: 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Forest Small Tracts Act Amendments Act of 2015 . 2. Additional authority for sale or exchange of small parcels of National Forest System land (a) Increase in maximum value of small parcels 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 striking $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 (B) by striking ; or at the end and inserting a period; (4) in paragraph (3), by striking road and inserting Road ; and (5) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: (4) Parcels of 40 acres or less which are determined 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 authorization 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 additional acre abutting the permit area to facilitate expansion of the cemetery. . (c) Disposition of proceeds Section 2 of Public Law 97–465 ( 16 U.S.C. 521d ) is amended— (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, conditions, and reservations The Secretary shall insert ; (3) by striking convenants and inserting covenants ; and (4) by adding at the end the following new subsection: (c) Disposition of proceeds (1) Deposit in sisk fund The net proceeds 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 paragraph (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 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 System in that State, including land or interests in land which enhance opportunities for recreational access; (C) the performance of deferred maintenance on administrative sites for the National Forest System in that State or other deferred maintenance activities in that State which enhance 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. Karen L. Haas, Clerk