[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2947 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2947

    To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to encourage owners and 
operators of privately held farm, ranch, and forest land to voluntarily 
 make their land available for access by the public for maple-tapping 
      activities under programs administered by States and tribal 
                              governments.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 30, 2008

  Mr. Schumer 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 encourage owners and 
operators of privately held farm, ranch, and forest land to voluntarily 
 make their land available for access by the public for maple-tapping 
      activities under programs administered by States and tribal 
                              governments.

    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 ``Maple Tapping Access Program Act of 
2008''.

SEC. 2. MAPLE TAPPING ACCESS PROGRAM.

    Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 
1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839bb et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``SEC. 1240Q. MAPLE TAPPING ACCESS PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definition of Maple Tapping.--In this section, the term 
`maple tapping' means the collection of sap from any species of tree in 
the genus Acer for the purpose of boiling to produce food.
    ``(b) Program.--The Secretary shall establish a voluntary public 
access program under which States and tribal governments may apply for 
grants to encourage owners and operators of privately held farm, ranch, 
and forest land to voluntarily make that land available for access by 
the public for maple-tapping activities under programs administered by 
the States and tribal governments.
    ``(c) Applications.--In submitting applications for a grant under 
the program, a State or tribal government shall describe--
            ``(1) the benefits that the State or tribal government 
        intends to achieve by encouraging public access to private farm 
        and ranch land for maple tapping; and
            ``(2) the methods that will be used to achieve those 
        benefits.
    ``(d) Priority.--In approving applications and awarding grants 
under the program, the Secretary shall give priority to States and 
tribal governments that propose--
            ``(1) to maximize participation by offering a program the 
        terms of which are likely to meet with widespread acceptance 
        among landowners;
            ``(2) to ensure that land enrolled under the State or 
        tribal government program has an appropriate stock of trees 
        suitable for maple tapping; and
            ``(3) to use additional Federal, State, tribal government, 
        or private resources in carrying out the program.
    ``(e) Relationship to Other Laws.--Nothing in this section preempts 
a State or tribal government law (including any State or tribal 
government liability law).
    ``(f) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate such regulations 
as are necessary to carry out this section.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2009 through 2012.''.
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