119-hr5823

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5823 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5823

To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary 
of Agriculture to carry out emergency watershed protection measures on 
 National Forest System land, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 October 24, 2025

 Mr. Neguse (for himself and Ms. Maloy) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize the Secretary 
of Agriculture to carry out emergency watershed protection measures on 
 National Forest System 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 ``Watershed Protection and Forest 
Recovery Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY FOREST WATERSHED PROGRAM.

    (a) Funding and Administration.--

Section 404

    (b) of the Agricultural 
Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2204

    (b) ) is amended by inserting ``to 
carry out 

section 401'' after ``for a fiscal year''.

    (b) Emergency Forest Watershed Program.--Title IV of the 
Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:

``

SEC. 408. EMERGENCY FOREST WATERSHED PROGRAM.

 ``

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:
 ``

    (1) Emergency watershed protection measures.--The term 
 `emergency watershed protection measures' means measures that--
 ``
        (A) are necessary to address runoff retardation, 
 soil-erosion prevention, and flood mitigation caused by 
 a natural disaster or any other natural occurrence that 
 has caused a sudden impairment to natural resources on 
 National Forest System land, and the damage, if not 
 treated--
 ``
            (i) would significantly impair or 
 endanger the natural resources on the National 
 Forest System land; and
 ``
            (ii) would pose an immediate risk to 
 water resources or loss of life or property 
 downstream of the National Forest System land; 
 and
 ``
        (B) would maintain or restore forest health and 
 forest-related resources on the National Forest System 
 land.
 ``

    (2) Natural disaster.--The term `natural disaster' has 
 the meaning given the term in 

section 407

    (a) .
 ``

    (3) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary, 
 acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
 ``

    (4) Sponsor.--The term `sponsor' means--
 ``
        (A) a State or local government;
 ``
        (B) an Indian Tribe (as defined in 

section 4 of 
 the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); and
 ``
            (C) a water district, water conservation 
 district, water utility, or special district.
 ``

    (b) Authorization.--The Secretary, acting through a sponsor, is 
authorized to undertake emergency watershed protection measures on 
National Forest System land.
 ``
            (c) Agreements; Payments.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The Secretary may enter into an 
 agreement with a sponsor and make payments to the sponsor, on 
 request of the sponsor, to carry out emergency watershed 
 protection measures.
 ``

    (2) Requirements.--
 ``
        (A) Project timelines.--
 ``
            (i) In general.--Following a natural 
 disaster or natural occurrence that 
 necessitates the carrying out of emergency 
 watershed protection measures, the Secretary 
 shall execute agreements under paragraph

    (1) as 
 expeditiously as possible.
 ``
            (ii) Timeline.--A sponsor that has 
 entered into an agreement under paragraph

    (1) shall complete all emergency watershed 
 protection measures not later than 2 years 
 after the conclusion of the applicable natural 
 disaster or natural occurrence, as determined 
 by the Secretary, that necessitated the 
 carrying out of those measures.
 ``
            (iii) Continued monitoring.--A sponsor 
 that has entered into an agreement under 
 paragraph

    (1) may monitor, maintain, repair, or 
 replace emergency watershed protection measures 
 for a period of not more than 3 years following 
 the conclusion of the natural disaster or 
 natural occurrence, as determined by the 
 Secretary, that necessitated the carrying out 
 of those measures when failure to do so would 
 result in unacceptable risk to National Forest 
 System land or downstream water users.
 ``
        (B) Payments.--The Secretary, in accordance with 
 an agreement entered into under paragraph

    (1) --
 ``
            (i) may make partial payments prior to 
 completion of the applicable project; and
 ``
            (ii) shall make final payment for the 
 project not later than 30 days after the date 
 on which the project is completed.
 ``
            (d) Waived Matching Requirements.--The Secretary shall waive any 
matching requirements for payments made under subsection
            (c) (1) .
 ``

    (e) Liability.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--A sponsor that carries out emergency 
 watershed protection measures pursuant to an agreement under 
 subsection
            (c) (1) shall not--
 ``
        (A) be required to indemnify the United States 
 for any liability resulting from carrying out emergency 
 watershed protection measures pursuant to that 
 agreement; or
 ``
        (B) except as provided in paragraph

    (2) , be 
 liable for injury, loss, or damage resulting from 
 carrying out emergency watershed protection measures 
 pursuant to that agreement.
 ``

    (2) Savings provision.--Nothing in this subsection 
 precludes liability for damages or costs relating to the 
 carrying out of emergency watershed protection measures by a 
 sponsor pursuant to an agreement entered into under subsection
            (c) (1) if the sponsor acted with willful or wanton negligence 
 or reckless conduct in carrying out those measures.
 ``

    (f) Assumption of Risk.--A sponsor that carries out emergency 
watershed protection measures prior to entering into an agreement under 
subsection
            (c) (1) shall assume the risk of incurring any cost or 
liability resulting from carrying out those measures.
 ``

    (g) Coordination.--The Chief of the Natural Resources 
Conservation Service shall coordinate on the use of funds distributed 
under this section and 

section 403.
 ``

    (h) NEPA Compliance.--Emergency watershed protection measures 
carried out pursuant to this section shall be deemed emergency response 
actions for purposes of 

section 220.4

    (b)

    (1) of title 36, Code of 
Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation).''.
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