[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1829 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1829

 To establish a formula for the calculation of livestock grazing fees 
   for the use of National Forest System lands in the 16 contiguous 
 Western States and public domain lands administered by the Bureau of 
                            Land Management.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 6, 1997

  Ms. Furse introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a formula for the calculation of livestock grazing fees 
   for the use of National Forest System lands in the 16 contiguous 
 Western States and public domain lands administered by the Bureau of 
                            Land Management.

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

SECTION 1. ANNUAL DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK GRAZING FEE.

    The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 is amended by 
inserting after section 401 (43 U.S.C. 1751) the following new section:

``SEC. 401A. ESTABLISHMENT OF FAIR MARKET VALUE GRAZING FEES.

    ``(a) Establishment of Annual Domestic Livestock Grazing Fee.--(1) 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of 
Agriculture, with respect to National Forest System lands in the 16 
contiguous Western States (except National Grasslands) administered by 
the Forest Service where domestic livestock grazing is permitted under 
applicable law, shall establish an annual domestic livestock grazing 
fee equal to fair market value.
    ``(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of 
the Interior, with respect to public domain lands administered by the 
Bureau of Land Management where domestic livestock grazing is permitted 
under applicable law, shall establish an annual domestic livestock 
grazing fee equal to fair market value.
    ``(b) Calculation of Fair Market Value.--(1) For purposes of 
determining the annual domestic livestock grazing fee under this 
section, the Secretary concerned shall calculate fair market value 
using the following formula:

                                                                        
                            Appraised Base Value x Forage Value Index   
   Fair Market Value=   ------------------------------------------------
                                               100                      
                                                                        

    ``(2) For purposes of the formula in paragraph (1):
            ``(A) The term `Forage Value Index' means the Forage Value 
        Index (FVI) computed annually by the Economic Research Service, 
        United States Department of Agriculture, and set with the 1997 
        FVI equal to 100; and
            ``(B) The term `Appraised Base Value' means the 1983 
        Appraisal Value conclusions for mature cattle and horses 
        (expressed in dollars per head or per month), as determined in 
        the 1986 report prepared jointly by the Secretary of 
        Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior entitled `Grazing 
        Fee Review and Evaluation', dated February 1986, on a west-wide 
        basis using the lowest appraised value of the pricing areas 
        adjusted for advanced payment and indexed to 1997.
    ``(c) Limitation on Fluctuations of Fees.--Notwithstanding the 
amount calculated under subsection (b) for a year, the domestic 
livestock grazing fee charged for any given year shall not increase nor 
decrease by more than 33.3 percent from the domestic livestock grazing 
fee for the previous year.
    ``(d) Effect on Executive Order.--Executive Order No. 12548, dated 
February 14, 1986 (51 Fed. Reg. 5985), shall not apply to grazing fees 
established pursuant to this section.
    ``(e) Effect on Grazing Advisory Boards.--The grazing advisory 
boards established pursuant to Secretarial action, notice of which was 
published in the Federal Register on May 14, 1986 (51 Fed. Reg. 17874), 
are abolished, effective as of the date of the enactment of this 
section, and the advisory functions exercised by such boards shall be 
exercised only by the appropriate councils established under section 
309 of this Act.
    ``(f) Use of Fees and Range Improvement Funds.--Funds appropriated 
pursuant to section 5 of the Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 
(43 U.S.C. 1904) or any other provision of law related to disposition 
of the Federal share of receipts from fees for grazing on public domain 
lands or National Forest lands in the 16 contiguous western States 
shall be used for restoration and enhancement of fish and wildlife 
habitat, for restoration and improved management of riparian areas, and 
for implementation and enforcement of applicable land management plans, 
allotment plans, and regulations regarding the use of such lands for 
domestic livestock grazing. Such funds shall be distributed as the 
Secretary concerned considers advisable after consultation and 
coordination with the advisory councils established pursuant to section 
309 of this Act and other interested parties.
    ``(g) Commencement Date for Fees.--The first annual domestic 
livestock grazing fee required by this section shall apply with respect 
to the grazing season commencing on March 1, 1998.''.
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