[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 411 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 411

 To recognize the importance of livestock ranching to the history and 
    continued economic vitality of the western United States and to 
compensate ranchers when certain Government actions result in the loss 
or reduction in animal unit months authorized under a grazing permit or 
    lease issued by a Federal land management agency, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 26, 2005

  Mr. Renzi introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
      Committee on Resources, 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 recognize the importance of livestock ranching to the history and 
    continued economic vitality of the western United States and to 
compensate ranchers when certain Government actions result in the loss 
or reduction in animal unit months authorized under a grazing permit or 
    lease issued by a Federal land management agency, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Cattleman's Bill of Rights Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS, NATIONAL POLICY, AND DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Ranching is an important part of the culture and 
        economy of many rural communities throughout the American West, 
        and the rural West depends on a healthy and thriving ranching 
        industry.
            (2) Ranchers have a vested interest in their ranchland, and 
        much of this land has been worked by the same ranch families 
        for generations.
            (3) Congress has a responsibility both to protect the 
        environment and to ensure the continued ability of Americans to 
        produce the food and fiber needed for United States and world 
        markets, and dispersed agriculture, such as ranching, can help 
        secure this food and fiber supply.
            (4) Rangeland grazing is a humane and natural food 
        production technology.
            (5) Public land grazing permits and leases have a 
        recognized value, and the voluntary relinquishment of grazing 
        allotments on public land eliminates the infrastructure needed 
        to support a viable grazing industry in the West.
            (6) American ranchers provide betterments and improvements 
        to the land they work, providing a symbiotic relationship 
        between the land and the cattle.
            (7) Public land grazing permits and leases have a value 
        recognized by many segments of society.
            (8) The United States has a vital interest in protecting 
        and promoting the American ranching industry.
    (b) National Policy.--On the basis of the findings expressed in 
subsection (a), Congress supports a national policy of public grazing 
and appropriate compensation when ranchers are forced by law to 
relinquish their grazing permits.
    (c) Federal Land Management Agency Defined.--In this Act, the term 
``Federal land management agency'' means the National Park Service, the 
Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land 
Management.

SEC. 3. COMPENSATION AS PART OF CERTAIN FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCY 
              ACTIONS.

    Whenever a land exchange, special-use land designation, or a 
biological opinion issued pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) involving Federal land under the 
jurisdiction of a Federal land management agency results in the 
elimination or reduction in permitted grazing animal unit months, the 
Federal land management agency shall--
            (1) to the extent practicable, make available alternative, 
        suitable, functionally equivalent forage to the holder of the 
        grazing permit or lease eliminated or subject to the reduction; 
        or
            (2) compensate the holder of the grazing permit or lease 
        for the value of the permit or lease lost, when alternative 
        forage is not available under paragraph (1).

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF SUBLEASING OF GRAZING PERMITS AND LEASES.

    A Federal land management agency shall allow the holder of a 
grazing permit or lease issued by the Federal land management agency to 
sublease all or any portion of the Federal land allotment covered by 
the permit or lease, without any fee or charge imposed by the Federal 
land management agency, when the sublease will--
            (1) promote more sustainable use of forage within an area;
            (2) support ranchers who may be facing economic distress; 
        or
            (3) promote other objectives identified by the Federal land 
        management agency.

SEC. 5. SOURCE OF COMPENSATION AND DETERMINATION OF COMPENSATION 
              AMOUNT.

    (a) Source.--The Federal land management agency that reduces or 
eliminates permitted grazing use for the purposes identified in this 
Act shall pay the compensation provided for under this Act out of the 
agency's current appropriations.
    (b) Compensation Factors.--Compensation under this Act shall 
include loss of value in base property, loss of value in vested water 
rights, loss of value of improvements, and loss of business opportunity 
value.

SEC. 6. EMPLOYEE SENSITIVITY TRAINING.

    The Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of 
the Interior, shall develop, implement, and periodically update a 
training course for employees of the Federal land management agencies 
regarding the historical uses of the Federal land managed by such 
employees. The Secretary shall require range managers to attend the 
training course, which at a minimum shall incorporate the following:
            (1) Quality of life impacts on livestock ranchers.
            (2) Economic and production impacts.
            (3) Biodiversity benefits of such historical uses.
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