[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1089 Introduced in House (IH)]

  1st Session
                                H. R. 1089

 To ensure that the acquisition of lands for inclusion in the National 
Forest System does not result in reduced property tax revenues for the 
            county in which the acquired lands are located.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 1, 1995

 Mr. Cremeans introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

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                                 A BILL


 
 To ensure that the acquisition of lands for inclusion in the National 
Forest System does not result in reduced property tax revenues for the 
            county in which the acquired lands are located.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REQUIRED PAYMENTS TO COUNTIES IN CONNECTION WITH NATIONAL 
              FOREST SYSTEM ACQUISITIONS.

    (a) Property Tax Equivalency Payment.--Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, the Secretary of Agriculture may not acquire (by 
purchase, exchange, or other method) any non-Federal land to be managed 
by the Secretary as part of the National Forest System unless the 
Secretary agrees to pay to the county in which the acquired land is 
located an annual property tax equivalency payment in the amount 
determined under subsection (b).
    (b) Amount of Payment.--For each acre of land for which the 
Secretary is required to make a property tax equivalency payment, the 
amount of the payment for a fiscal year shall be equal to the 
difference (but not less than zero) between--
            (1) the total amount of the property tax, as determined by 
        a tax assessment satisfactory to the Secretary, that would be 
        paid for such year with respect to the land if the land 
        remained in non-Federal ownership; and
            (2) the total amount of payments with respect to the land 
        for such year under chapter 69 of title 31, United States Code, 
        the sixth paragraph under the heading ``FOREST SERVICE'' in the 
        Act of May 23, 1908, and section 13 of the Act of March 1, 1911 
        (16 U.S.C. 500).
    (c) Exception for Certain Exchanges.--Subsection (a) shall not 
apply to the acquisition of land by exchange if the acquisition of the 
land does not increase the percentage of land in Federal ownership in 
the county in which the acquired lands are located.
    (d) Definition of County.--For purposes of this section, the term 
``county'' has the same meaning given the term ``unit of general local 
government'' in section 6901(2) of title 31, United States Code.
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