[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1311 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1311

 To amend title 10, United States Code, to support the Federal Excess 
Personal Property program of the Forest Service by making it a priority 
 of the Department of Defense to transfer to the Forest Service excess 
personal property of the Department that is suitable to be loaned under 
                 the program to rural fire departments.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 18, 2003

 Mr. Ross (for himself, Mr. Towns, Mr. McHugh, Mr. Holden, Mr. Goode, 
 Mr. Carson of Oklahoma, Mr. Frost, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. 
   Bass, Mr. LaTourette, Mr. Pomeroy, Mr. Spratt, Mr. Matheson, Mr. 
Faleomavaega, Mr. Lucas of Kentucky, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Turner of Texas, 
 Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Weldon of Pennsylvania, Mr. Israel, Mr. Andrews, 
 and Mr. Ney) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Armed Services, 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 title 10, United States Code, to support the Federal Excess 
Personal Property program of the Forest Service by making it a priority 
 of the Department of Defense to transfer to the Forest Service excess 
personal property of the Department that is suitable to be loaned under 
                 the program to rural fire departments.

    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 ``Rural Fire Department Equipment 
Priority Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF EXCESS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PERSONAL PROPERTY TO 
              SUPPORT FOREST SERVICE FEDERAL EXCESS PERSONAL PROPERTY 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 2576b of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``Subject'' and 
        inserting ``Notwithstanding any other provision of law and 
        subject'';
            (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(d) Priority for Rural Firefighting Agencies.--(1) The Secretary 
of Defense shall enter into an agreement with the Secretary of 
Agriculture to use the existing property disposal program of the Forest 
Service, known as the Federal Excess Personal Property Program, to 
facilitate the reutilization of Department of Defense personal property 
described in subsection (a) by firefighting agencies in rural areas.
    ``(2) The transfer of Department of Defense personal property 
described in subsection (a) to the Forest Service for reutilization by 
firefighting agencies in rural areas shall be afforded a property 
disposal priority at least equal to the priority given the military 
departments and other entities within the Department of Defense.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendments.--(1) The heading for such section is 
amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 2576b. Excess personal property: reutilization to assist 
              firefighting agencies ''.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 153 of such 
title is amended by striking the item relating to section 2576b and 
inserting the following new item:

``2576b. Excess personal property: reutilization to assist firefighting 
                            agencies.''.
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