II 110th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1674 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 21, 2007 Mr. Salazar introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry A BILL To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to give preference to local communities in the application consideration process for the conservation reserve program.

1.

Conservation reserve program

Section 1234 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3834) is amended by adding at the end the following: (h)

Offers by resident owners and operators

In determining the acceptability of contract offers for new enrollments, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, give preference to an offer from an owner or operator that is a resident in the county in which the land is located, or in a contiguous county, if the land would provide at least equivalent conservation benefits (as determined by the Secretary) as compared to land under competing offers. .