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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 528 Engrossed in House (EH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 528
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a program for
Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Program, 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 ``Post-Disaster Reforestation and
Restoration Act''.
SEC. 2. POST-DISASTER REFORESTATION AND RESTORATION PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary, in
coordination with the heads of the covered agencies, shall identify
covered lands requiring reforestation and restoration following
unplanned disturbances that are unlikely to experience natural
regeneration without assistance.
(b) Priority Projects.--In consultation with the heads of covered
agencies, the Secretary--
(1) shall propose a list of priority projects for
reforestation and restoration for each fiscal year;
(2) may carry out priority projects through--
(A) competitively awarded grants;
(B) contracts;
(C) contracts established under the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C.
5301 et seq.); and
(D) cooperative agreements, to be awarded in
accordance with applicable requirements established by
the Secretary; and
(3) may support any grant contract or cooperative agreement
that may be necessary to ensure adequate and appropriate seed
and seedling availability to further the objectives of priority
projects.
(c) Outreach.--To fulfill requirements of this section the heads of
covered agencies shall conduct outreach to--
(1) Indian Tribes;
(2) States;
(3) territories;
(4) units of local government;
(5) Alaska Native organizations;
(6) Native Hawaiian organizations;
(7) institutions of higher education;
(8) Federal agencies with jurisdiction over Federal land
adjoining or proximal to priority projects; and
(9) other stakeholders as determined by the Secretary.
(d) Reports and Recommendations.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Secretary shall submit to the relevant Congressional Committees a
report that includes the following:
(1) An accounting of all covered lands requiring
reforestation and restoration.
(2) A list of priority projects and implementation progress
to address reforestation and restoration objectives identified.
(3) An accounting of grants, contracts, and cooperative
agreements established in furtherance of priority projects.
(4) Outreach efforts by covered agencies to advance
priority projects.
(5) Assessments of, and recommendations relating to seed,
seedling, and implementation gaps to advance priority projects
and opportunities to establish dedicated funding necessary to
address any backlog of reforestation and restoration needs.
(e) Sunset.--The authority provided under this section shall
terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of
this Act.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered agency.--The term ``covered agency'' means the
National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of
Reclamation, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
(2) Covered lands.--The term ``covered lands'' means--
(A) any Federal land or interest in land
administered by a covered agency; or
(B) Indian Forest Land or Rangeland.
(3) Indian forest land or rangeland.--The term ``Indian
Forest Land or Rangeland'' means land that--
(A) is held in trust by, or with a restriction
against alienation by, the United States for an Indian
Tribe or a member of an Indian Tribe; and
(B)(i)(I) is Indian forest land (as defined in
section 304 of the National Indian Forest Resources
Management Act (25 U.S.C. 3103)); or
(II) has a cover of grasses, brush,
or any similar vegetation; or
(ii) formerly had a forest cover or
vegetative cover that is capable of
restoration.
(4) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' means any
Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village,
or community individually identified (including
parenthetically) in the list published most recently as of the
date of enactment of this Act pursuant to section 104 of the
Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C.
5131).
(5) Natural regeneration.--The term ``natural
regeneration'' has the meaning given the term in section (e)(4)
of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of
1974 (U.S.C. 36 1601).
(6) Reforestation.--The term ``reforestation'' has the
meaning given the term in section (e)(4) of the Forest and
Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 (U.S.C. 36
1601).
(7) Restoration.--The term ``restoration'' means assisting
the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged,
or destroyed, including the reestablishment of appropriate
plant species composition and community structure.
(8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(9) Unplanned disturbance.--The term ``unplanned
disturbance'' means any unplanned disturbance that disrupts
ecosystem structure or composition and may include a wildfire,
an infestation of insects or disease, or a weather event.
Passed the House of Representatives March 16, 2026.
Attest:
Clerk.
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 528
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To require the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a program for
Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Program, and for other
purposes.