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<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-Senate" dms-id="A1" public-private="public" slc-id="S1-RYA23649-XJH-JW-H44"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
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<dc:title>118 S1361 IS: To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for floodplain easement restoration and management, and for other purposes.</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. Senate</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2023-04-27</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">II</distribution-code><congress>118th CONGRESS</congress><session>1st Session</session><legis-num>S. 1361</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES</current-chamber><action><action-date date="20230427">April 27, 2023</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="S376">Ms. Ernst</sponsor> (for herself and <cosponsor name-id="S330">Mr. Bennet</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the <committee-name committee-id="SSAF00">Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title>To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide for floodplain easement restoration and management, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body><section id="id7e161df9a15f4157af36b5f8a9547b40" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Emergency watershed program floodplain easement restoration and management</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/16/2203">16 U.S.C. 2203</external-xref>) is amended—</text><paragraph id="id2DCE630A4E3C4A3DADF09494F2DD4028"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in subsection (a)—</text><subparagraph id="idA1B8FDB606B64D4580572368A5F3AC93"><enum>(A)</enum><text>by striking the subsection designation and heading and all that follows through <quote>The Secretary</quote> and inserting the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id0D196E79757E431ABD26DCB753B5A150"><subsection id="id9391FFC3C8D6428CA7811E4FE17B1688"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Authorizations</header><paragraph id="idCF70651A6CC947FE829A46461363E550"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text>The Secretary</text></paragraph></subsection><after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idBA366D8817A54AAF9328416F6B64B155"><enum>(B)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idB9F9E59868114140BEE6B1B06805FC0C"><paragraph id="idb70c946b46d54415a56c923a79f6dff9"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Easement restoration</header><text>The Secretary may provide financial and technical assistance for restoring adapted vegetative cover and the hydrologic functions and values of wetlands on floodplain easements acquired under paragraph (1).</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id6be3c1218a49414dbd75d60c251afb4a"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Easement management</header><text>The Secretary shall have sole discretion for entering into compatible-use agreements with landowners and agreements with government agencies or nongovernmental organizations to address maintenance and management of the vegetative cover and wetlands restoration measures on floodplain easements acquired under paragraph (1).</text></paragraph><after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="idEDF2BB4EB9164F4A951794C95C384CAC"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in subsection (b), by striking the subsection designation and heading and all that follows through the <quote>The Secretary</quote> in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) and inserting the following:</text><quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id79C5F969DEC84633BCD5DF199E4716DD"><subsection id="idFF3F75DEAE83491BBEC1795BA79216A8"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Modification and termination of floodplain easements</header><paragraph id="idAA0AB9C3571148509B9745205335641B"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text>The Secretary</text></paragraph></subsection><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph></section></legis-body></bill> 

