H.R. 8024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8024 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8024

To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize assistance 
for emergency measures in response to pine beetle outbreaks, and for 
other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 16, 2024

Mr. Kelly of Mississippi (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. 
Guest, and Mr. Ezell) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize assistance 
for emergency measures in response to pine beetle outbreaks, 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 ``Emergency Pine Beetle Response Act 
of 2024''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY MEASURES IN RESPONSE TO PINE BEETLE OUTBREAKS.

Section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206) 
is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Emergency Measures in Response to Pine Beetle Outbreaks.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Eligible itemized costs.--The term `eligible 
itemized costs' means expenses incurred by a timber 
service business in carrying out contractual services 
associated with outbreak response measures, including--
``(i) labor or hours for truck drivers or 
equipment operators;
``(ii) mileage or hours for use of 
equipment, such as transports, bulldozers, and 
skidders; and
``(iii) materials, such as gravel, grass 
seed, culverts, and mats.
``(B) Outbreak response measures.--The term 
`outbreak response measures' means measures necessary 
to address pine beetle outbreaks on nonindustrial 
private forest land, including--
``(i) timber harvesting or thinning;
``(ii) prescribed burning;
``(iii) debris removal;
``(iv) insecticide treatment;
``(v) establishment of buffer areas; and
``(vi) such other measures as the Secretary 
determines to be appropriate.
``(C) Timber service business.--The term `timber 
service business' means a business that derives gross 
revenue from--
``(i) cutting or transporting timber from 
forest land; or
``(ii) inspecting, planting, pruning, or 
removing trees in residential or commercial 
areas.
``(2) Assistance for owners of nonindustrial private forest 
land.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall make 
payments to an owner of nonindustrial private forest 
land who carries out outbreak response measures to 
restore forest health and forest-related resources 
after the land is damaged by a pine beetle outbreak.
``(B) Cost share requirement.--Payments made under 
subparagraph (A) shall not exceed 85 percent of the 
total cost of the outbreak response measures carried 
out by an owner of nonindustrial private forest land.
``(3) Assistance for timber service businesses.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall make 
payments to a timber service business to cover eligible 
itemized costs incurred in carrying out contractual 
services associated with outbreak response measures to 
restore forest health and forest-related resources on 
nonindustrial private forest land after the land is 
damaged by a pine beetle outbreak.
``(B) Cost share requirement.--Payments made under 
subparagraph (A) shall not exceed 50 percent of the 
total eligible itemized costs incurred by a timber 
service business.
``(4) Eligibility and provision of payments.--
``(A) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a payment 
under paragraph (2) or (3), an owner of nonindustrial 
private forest land or a timber service business, 
respectively, shall submit to the applicable local 
office of the Farm Service Agency an application 
demonstrating that--
``(i) to the satisfaction of the local 
office, the nonindustrial private forest land 
on which the outbreak response measures are 
carried out had tree cover immediately before 
the pine beetle outbreak;
``(ii) the nonindustrial private forest 
land is located in a county that the Secretary 
has designated as a primary natural disaster 
area due to drought in the most recent calendar 
year; and
``(iii) forest pest surveys conducted by 
the Forest Service or a State forestry agency 
confirm pine beetle infestations on or within a 
reasonable distance from the nonindustrial 
private forest land on which the outbreak 
response measures are carried out.
``(B) Implementation by local offices.--The local 
offices of the Farm Service Agency, in consultation 
with the applicable county committees of the Farm 
Service Agency, shall--
``(i) determine whether applicants for 
payments under paragraphs (2) and (3) are 
eligible for the payments; and
``(ii) provide payments to eligible 
applicants.
``(5) Emergency outbreak public assistance grants.--The 
Secretary may provide supplemental grants to State, Tribal, and 
local governments to aid in the response to, and repair of 
damage caused by, pine beetle outbreaks.''.

SEC. 3. EMERGENCY LOANS.

Section 321 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 
U.S.C. 1961) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
``(d) Loans to Owners of Nonindustrial Private Forest Land.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Nonindustrial private forest land.--The term 
`nonindustrial private forest land' has the meaning 
given the term in section 407(a) of the Agricultural 
Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206(a)).
``(B) Outbreak response measures.--The term 
`outbreak response measures' has the meaning given the 
term in section 407(e)(1) of the Agricultural Credit 
Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206(e)(1)).
``(2) Loans.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
subtitle, the Secretary may make an emergency loan to an owner 
of nonindustrial private forest land to carry out outbreak 
response measures.
``(3) Amount.--The amount of an emergency loan under this 
subsection shall be not less than 75 percent of the estimated 
total cost of the outbreak response measures to be carried out 
to address a pine beetle outbreak.
``(4) Loan repayment options.--In the case of an owner of 
nonindustrial private forest land who receives an emergency 
loan under this subsection and subsequently receives a cost-
share payment under section 407(e)(2) of the Agricultural 
Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206(e)(2)) with respect to the 
same pine beetle outbreak on the same land, the owner may, at 
the option of the owner, apply the amount of the cost-share 
payment to the remaining principal on the emergency loan.''.
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