Forest Protection and Wildfire Prevention Act of 2003

Forest Protection and Wildfire Prevention Act of 2003 - Repeals the Appeals Reform Act.

Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to develop an administrative appeals process for the Forest Service.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1679 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1679

   To repeal the so-called Forest Service Appeals Reform Act and to 
  authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to develop an administrative 
  appeals process for the Forest Service in the same manner as other 
                   Federal land management agencies.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 8, 2003

 Mr. Tancredo introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

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                                 A BILL


 
   To repeal the so-called Forest Service Appeals Reform Act and to 
  authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to develop an administrative 
  appeals process for the Forest Service in the same manner as other 
                   Federal land management agencies.

    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 ``Forest Protection and Wildfire 
Prevention Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. FOREST SERVICE ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS PROCESS.

    (a) Repeal of Appeals Reform Act.--Section 322 of the Department of 
the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 (Public Law 
102-381; 16 U.S.C. 1612 note; commonly known as the Appeals Reform 
Act), is repealed.
    (b) Authority to Establish Administrative Appeals Process.--The 
Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to issue regulations to 
establish an administrative appeals process that will serve as the 
means by which interested persons shall seek administrative redress 
regarding proposed actions of the Forest Service concerning projects 
and activities implementing land and resource management plans.
    (c) Transition.--Until such time as the administrative appeals 
process authorized by subsection (b) is established and takes effect, 
section 322 of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies 
Appropriations Act, 1993, shall continue to apply to proposed actions 
of the Forest Service concerning projects and activities implementing 
land and resource management plans notwithstanding the repeal of the 
section by subsection (a).
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