,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dfhh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,december #ai1       
#bjag,ms4 ,michelle ,lujan ,grisham of  
,new ,mexico introduced the following   
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,agriculture  ,a ,,bill   
,to amend the ,food ,security ,act of   
#aihe to make land grants-mercedes      
eligible for assistance1 and for other  
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,land               
,grants-,mercedes ,conservation ,program
 ,eligibility ,act of #bjag4  #b4       
,eligibility for land grants-mercedes   
7a7 ,definitions ,section #abja7;a7 of  
the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe 7#af  
,u4,s4,c4 #chja7;a77 is amended by      
redesignating paragraphs 7#ag7 through  
7#bg7 as paragraphs 7#ah7 through 7#bh71
 respectively1 and inserting after      
paragraph 7#af7 the following3  7#ag7   
,land grant-merced ,the term land       
grant-merced means a community1 town1   
colony1 or pueblo-- 7,a7 the land of    

which was granted by the government of  
,spain or by the government of ,mexico  
to--  7i7 the community1 town1 colony1  
or pueblo2 or  7ii7 a person for the    
purpose of founding or establishing a   
community1 town1 colony1 or pueblo2 or  
7,b7 that asserted title pursuant to the
 ,treaty of ,guadalupe ,hidalgo1        
through-- 7i7 the ,office of the        
,surveyor ,general for ,new ,mexico     
established pursuant to the ,act of     
,july #bb1 #ahed 7,chapter #ajc2 #aj    
,stat4 #cjh72 or  7ii7 the ,united      
,states ,court of ,private ,land ,claims
 established by the ,act of ,march #c1  
#ahia 7,chapter #eci2 #bf ,stat4 #hed7  
7commonly known as the ,court of        
,private ,land ,claims ,act74  4  7b7   
,alternative funding arrangements for   
land grants-,mercedes ,section #abdd of 
the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe 7#af  
,u4,s4,c4 #chdd7 is amended by adding at
 the end the following3  7m7            
,alternative funding arrangements for   
land grants-,mercedes  7#a7 ,alternative

 funding arrangements ,notwithstanding  
section #ajja7;f77#f71 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--  7,a7 the  
goals and objectives of the applicable  
program will be met by the arrangement2 
and  7,b7 statutory limitations         
regarding contracts with individual     
producers will not be exceeded by any   
member of the land grant-merced4  7#b7  
,technical and administrative assistance
 ,the ,secretary may provide technical  
and administrative assistance1 as       
mutually agreed by the parties1 under an
 alternative funding arrangement entered
 into under paragraph 7#a74  4  7c7     
,conforming amendments  7#a7            
,definitions ,section                   
#abja7;a77#ah77;,b7 of the ,food        
,security ,act of #aihe 7#af ,u4,s4,c4  
#chja7;a77#ah77;,b77 is amended by      
inserting land grant-merced1 after      

,indian tribe14  7#b7 ,conservation     
stewardship program ,section #abch;,g7f7
 of the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe   
7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #chch;g7f77 is amended by
 inserting or land grants-mercedes after
 ,indian tribes4  7#c7 ,administrative  
requirements for conservation programs  
,section #abdd7;a7 of the ,food         
,security ,act of #aihe 7#af ,u4,s4,c4  
#chdd7;a77 is amended--  7,a7 in the    
subsection header1 by inserting and land
 grants-,mercedes after ,indian tribes2 
and  7,b7 by adding at the end of       
paragraph 7#b7 the following3  7,g7     
,land grants-mercedes4  4  7#d7         
,agricultural conservation easement     
program ,subtitle ,h of title ,,xii of  
the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe 7#af  
,u4,s4,c4 #chfe et seq47 is amended--   
7,a7 in section #abfe;,a7#b77;,a71 by   
striking or an ,indian tribe and        
inserting 1 or an ,indian tribe or land 
grant-merced12  7,b7 in section         
#abfe;,c--  7i7 in subsection           
7b77#a77;,d71 by inserting and land     

grants-mercedes after ,indian tribes2   
7ii7 in subsection 7d77#b71 by striking 
or ,indian tribe and inserting ,indian  
tribe1 or land grant-merced2 and  7iii7 
in subsection 7e71 by striking or       
,indian tribe and inserting ,indian     
tribe1 or land grant-merced2 and  7,c7  
in section #abfe;,d7a77#b71 by adding 1 
other than land of a land grant-merced  
before the semicolon4  7#e7 ,regional   
conservation partnership program        
,section #abga;,a7#d7 of the ,food      
,security ,act of #aihe 7#af ,u4,s4,c4  
#chga;a7#d77 is amended by adding at the
 end the following3  7,i7 ,a land       
grant-merced4  4