[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1001 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1001

   To amend title 31, United States Code, to address the failure to 
  appropriate sufficient funds to make full payments in lieu of taxes 
   under chapter 69 of that title by exempting certain users of the 
  National Forest System from fees imposed in connection with the use.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 10, 1997

 Mr. Smith of New Hampshire (for himself and Mr. Gregg) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 31, United States Code, to address the failure to 
  appropriate sufficient funds to make full payments in lieu of taxes 
   under chapter 69 of that title by exempting certain users of the 
  National Forest System from fees imposed in connection with the use.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Local Forest User Fairness Act''.

SEC. 2. LOCAL EXEMPTIONS FROM FOREST SERVICE USER FEES DUE TO LESS THAN 
              FULL FUNDING OF PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF TAXES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the Federal Government provides payments in lieu of 
        taxes under chapter 69 of title 31, United States Code, to 
        compensate units of general local government whose tax base is 
        diminished by Federal ownership of lands, including Federal 
        lands in the National Forest System administered by the Forest 
        Service;
            (2) amounts appropriated to provide payments in lieu of 
        taxes under that chapter have been significantly less than the 
        amounts necessary to comply fully with the payment formulas 
        contained in that chapter; and
            (3) by failing to fully fund payments in lieu of taxes to 
        units of general local government whose jurisdictions contain 
        Federal lands, including National Forest System lands, the 
        Federal Government is increasing the tax burden on local 
        property owners.
    (b) National Forest User Fee Exemption.--Section 6906 of title 31, 
United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before 
        ``Necessary''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(b) Local Exemptions From User Fees Due to Insufficient 
Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--Unless sufficient funds are appropriated 
        for a fiscal year to provide full payments under this chapter 
        to each unit of general local government eligible for the 
        payments, persons residing within the boundaries of that unit 
        of general local government shall be exempt during that fiscal 
        year from any recreational user fees imposed by the Secretary 
        of Agriculture for access to units of the National Forest 
        System that lie, in whole or in part, within the boundaries.
            ``(2) Administration.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall 
        establish a method for identifying and exempting persons 
        covered by this subsection from the user fees.''.
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