Land Grants-Mercedes Conservation Program Eligibility Act of 2017
This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to authorize the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enter into an alternative funding arrangement under any USDA conservation program with a land grant-merced.
A land grant-merced is a community, town, colony, or pueblo that: (1) includes certain land granted by Mexico or Spain; or (2) asserted title pursuant to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, through the Office of the Surveyor General for New Mexico or the U.S. Court of Private Land Claims.
(An alternative funding arrangement allows a land grant-merced to receive assistance directly from the conservation programs.) USDA may also provide technical and administrative assistance under the alternative funding arrangement.
USDA may enter into an arrangement if: (1) the goals and objectives of the applicable conservation program will be met by the arrangement, and (2) statutory limitations regarding contracts with individual producers will not be exceeded by any member of the land grant-merced.
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4688 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4688
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to make land grants-mercedes
eligible for assistance, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 19, 2017
Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to make land grants-mercedes
eligible for assistance, 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 ``Land Grants-Mercedes Conservation
Program Eligibility Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR LAND GRANTS-MERCEDES.
(a) Definitions.--Section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985
(16 U.S.C. 3801(a)) is amended by redesignating paragraphs (17) through
(27) as paragraphs (18) through (28), respectively, and inserting after
paragraph (16) the following:
``(17) Land grant-merced.--The term `land grant-merced'
means a community, town, colony, or pueblo--
``(A) the land of which was granted by the
government of Spain or by the government of Mexico to--
``(i) the community, town, colony, or
pueblo; or
``(ii) a person for the purpose of founding
or establishing a community, town, colony, or
pueblo; or
``(B) that asserted title pursuant to the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo, through--
``(i) the Office of the Surveyor General
for New Mexico established pursuant to the Act
of July 22, 1854 (Chapter 103; 10 Stat. 308);
or
``(ii) the United States Court of Private
Land Claims established by the Act of March 3,
1891 (Chapter 539; 26 Stat. 854) (commonly
known as the Court of Private Land Claims
Act).''.
(b) Alternative Funding Arrangements for Land Grants-Mercedes.--
Section 1244 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(m) Alternative Funding Arrangements for Land Grants-Mercedes.--
``(1) Alternative funding arrangements.--Notwithstanding
section 1001(f)(6), the Secretary may enter into an alternative
funding arrangement under any conservation program administered
by the Secretary with a land grant-merced if the Secretary
determines that--
``(A) the goals and objectives of the applicable
program will be met by the arrangement; and
``(B) statutory limitations regarding contracts
with individual producers will not be exceeded by any
member of the land grant-merced.
``(2) Technical and administrative assistance.--The
Secretary may provide technical and administrative assistance,
as mutually agreed by the parties, under an alternative funding
arrangement entered into under paragraph (1).''.
(c) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Definitions.--Section 1201(a)(18)(B) of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)(18)(B)) is amended by
inserting ``land grant-merced,'' after ``Indian tribe,''.
(2) Conservation stewardship program.--Section 1238G(f) of
the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3838g(f)) is amended
by inserting ``or land grants-mercedes'' after ``Indian
tribes''.
(3) Administrative requirements for conservation
programs.--Section 1244(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
U.S.C. 3844(a)) is amended--
(A) in the subsection header, by inserting ``and
Land Grants-Mercedes'' after ``Indian Tribes''; and
(B) by adding at the end of paragraph (2) the
following:
``(G) Land grants-mercedes.''.
(4) Agricultural conservation easement program.--Subtitle H
of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3865
et seq.) is amended--
(A) in section 1265A(2)(A), by striking ``or an
Indian tribe'' and inserting ``, or an Indian tribe or
land grant-merced,'';
(B) in section 1265C--
(i) in subsection (b)(1)(D), by inserting
``and land grants-mercedes'' after ``Indian
tribes'';
(ii) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ``or
Indian tribe'' and inserting ``Indian tribe, or
land grant-merced''; and
(iii) in subsection (e), by striking ``or
Indian tribe'' and inserting ``Indian tribe, or
land grant-merced''; and
(C) in section 1265D(a)(2), by adding ``, other
than land of a land grant-merced'' before the
semicolon.
(5) Regional conservation partnership program.--Section
1271A(4) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3871a(4))
is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(I) A land grant-merced.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.
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