[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3765 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3765

   To gradually increase the fees paid by current holders of Forest 
    Service special use permits that authorize the construction and 
           occupancy of private recreation houses or cabins.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 1998

 Mr. Smith of Oregon introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                    to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To gradually increase the fees paid by current holders of Forest 
    Service special use permits that authorize the construction and 
           occupancy of private recreation houses or cabins.

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

SECTION 1. FEE ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM FOR CURRENT HOLDERS OF CERTAIN 
              FOREST SERVICE SPECIAL USE PERMITS.

    (a) Covered Special Use Permits.--This section applies with respect 
to a special use permit in effect after the date of the enactment of 
this Act that--
            (1) was issued by the Forest Service before the date of the 
        enactment of this Act under the authority of the last paragraph 
        under the heading ``forest service'' in the Act of March 4, 
        1915 (16 U.S.C. 497), or any other law; and
            (2) authorizes a person to construct and occupy a private 
        recreation house or cabin on National Forest System lands.
    (b) Base Fee.--For purposes of this section, the base fee for each 
special use permit described in subsection (a) shall be equal to the 
fee in effect for that special use permit on January 1, 1998. If the 
special use permit was not in existence on that date, the base fee 
shall be equal to the fee in effect for that special use permit on the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Adjustment Mechanism.--
            (1) Use required.--In the case of each special use permit 
        described in subsection (a), the procedure specified in this 
        subsection is the only method by which the fee imposed in 
        connection with the special use permit may be changed during 
        the remainder of the term of the special use permit.
            (2) Initial adjustment.--Effective January 1, 1999, the 
        Secretary of Agriculture shall increase the base fee for each 
        special use permit described in subsection (a) by the percent 
        change in the price index for the base quarter of the preceding 
        year over the price index for the base quarter of the second 
        preceding year, adjusted to the nearest \1/10\ of one percent.
            (3) Subsequent adjustments.--Effective January 1, 2000, and 
        annually thereafter during the remainder of the term of each 
        special use permit described in subsection (a), the Secretary 
        shall increase the fee in effect under this subsection for the 
        preceding year by the percent change in the price index for the 
        base quarter of the preceding year over the price index for the 
        base quarter of the second preceding year, adjusted to the 
        nearest \1/10\ of one percent.
            (4) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    (A) Base quarter.--The term ``base quarter'', means 
                the last three months of a calendar year.
                    (B) Price index.--The term ``price index'' means 
                the Consumer Price Index (all items--United States city 
                average) published monthly by the Bureau of Labor 
                Statistics. The price index for a base quarter is the 
                arithmetical mean of the index for the three months 
                comprising that base quarter.
    (d) Effect of Transfer of Permit.--
            (1) Transfer to dependents.--Subsection (c) shall continue 
        to apply to a special use permit described in subsection (a) 
        even though the person who holds the special use permit as of 
        the date of the enactment of this Act transfers the special use 
        permit to the person's spouse or to a child or grandchild of 
        the person.
            (2) Other transfers.--Notwithstanding subsection (c)(1), 
        any other transfer of a special use permit described in 
        subsection (a) shall terminate the use of subsection (c) to 
        adjust the fee for that special use permit. Thereafter, the 
        fees for that special use permit shall be established and 
        adjusted in the manner otherwise provided by law for 
        recreational special use permits issued by the Forest Service.
    (e) Treatment of Renewals.--If a special use permit described in 
subsection (a) is renewed after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
whether the renewal is sought by the person who held the special use 
permit as of such date or by a dependent of the person specified in 
subsection (d)(1), the amount of the fee last in effect under 
subsection (c) for the original special use permit shall be the initial 
fee imposed upon issuance of the new special use permit. The amount of 
the fee shall be adjusted annually thereafter in the manner provided in 
subsection (c)(3).
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