To amend the Small Tracts Act to facilitate the exchange of small tracts of land, and for other purposes.

April 27, 2005

Mr. DOOLITTLE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

To amend the Small Tracts Act to facilitate the exchange of small tracts of land, 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 `Small Tracts Reform Act'.

SEC. 2. FACILITATION OF EXCHANGE OF SMALL TRACTS.

(a) Expansion of Availability of Lands for Sale or Exchange- Section 3 of Public Law 97-465 (16 U.S.C. 521e; section 3 of the Act commonly known as the Small Tracts Act) is amended--

(1) by striking `not practicable' and inserting `either not practicable or not expedient';

(2) by striking `, which have a value as determined by the Secretary of not more than $150,000,'; and

(3) in paragraph (1)--

(A) by striking `parcels of forty acres' and inserting `parcels or portions of parcels of 100 acres'; and

(B) by striking `under the mining laws'.

(b) Rules or Regulations not Required- Nothing in the amendments made by this Act shall require the Forest Service to issue rules or regulations prior to any sale, exchange, or interchange under Public Law 97-465 (16 U.S.C. 521c et seq.).

(c) Special Cases- The Forest Supervisor may complete the following interchanges under Public Law 97-465 (16 U.S.C. 521c et seq.), as amended by subsection (a):

(1) An acquisition from Irving N. Christensen of that portion of SW 1/4 NW 1/4 Section 16, T.19N., R.9E., MDM., lying southwesterly of California State Highway 49 and all that portion of S 1/2 NE 1/4 Section 17, T.19N., R.9E., MDM., lying southwesterly of California State Highway 49 and northeasterly of the North Fork Yuba River, through interchange of an approximately equal value of National Forest System land lying northerly of California State Highway 49 within the N 1/2 N 1/2 Section 17, T.19N., R.9E., MDM. The Federal land to be interchanged within the specifications of this paragraph shall be agreed upon by the Forest Supervisor and Irving N. Christensen.

(2) An acquisition from Dennis W. McCreary and Cindy M. McCreary of a portion of Lot 19, Section 35, T.20N., R.10E., MDM in Downieville, Sierra County, California, through interchange of a portion of National Forest System land in Lot 121, Section 35, T.20N., R.10E., MDM in Downieville, Sierra County, California. The Federal land to be interchanged within the specifications of this paragraph shall be agreed upon by the Forest Supervisor and Dennis W. McCreary and Cindy M. McCreary.

END