,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bgga  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #i1 #bjbe,mr4 
,garamendi 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,calvert1 
,ms4 ,bonamici1 ,mr4 ,harder of         
,california1 ,mr4 ,mullin1 and ,mr4     
,costa7 introduced the following bill2  
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,agriculture  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the  
,cooperative ,forestry ,assistance ,act 
of #aigh to authorize ,states to approve
 certain organizations to acquire1 hold1
 and manage conservation easements under
 the ,forest ,legacy ,program1 and for  
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,forest ,legacy
 ,management ,flexibility ,act4  #b4    
,authority of ,states to allow qualified
 organizations to acquire1 hold1 and    
manage conservation easements under the 
,forest ,legacy ,program  7a7 ,state    
authorization ,section #g of the        
,cooperative ,forestry ,assistance ,act 
of #aigh 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #bajc;c7 is     
amended--  7#a7 in subsection 7l7-- 7,a7

 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking         
subsection 7m7 and inserting subsection 
7o72 and  7,b7 in paragraph 7#c7-- 7i7  
in subparagraph 7,a71 by striking the   
,state of ,vermont and inserting any    
,state2 and  7ii7 in subparagraph       
7,b77ii71 in the matter preceding       
subclause 7,i71 by striking of ,vermont 
and inserting involved2  7#b7 by        
redesignating subsection 7m7 as         
subsection 7o72 and  7#c7 by inserting  
after subsection 7l7 the following3  7m7
 ,third-,party conservation easements   
7#a7 ,in general ,at the request of a   
,state1 the ,secretary shall authorize  
the ,state to approve eligible qualified
 organizations to acquire1 hold1 and    
manage conservation easements to carry  
out activities under the ,forest ,legacy
 ,program4  7#b7 ,eligibility ,to be    
eligible to acquire1 hold1 and manage a 
conservation easement under this        
subsection1 a qualified organization    
shall demonstrate to the ,secretary the 
abilities necessary to acquire1 monitor1

 and enforce interests in forestland--  
7,a7 consistent with the ,forest ,legacy
 ,program2 and  7,b7 in accordance with 
the applicable assessment of need       
submitted to the ,secretary by the      
,state in which the conservation        
easement is located4  7#c7 ,reversion   
,if the ,secretary or a ,state          
determines a condition described in     
paragraph 7#d7 is met with respect to a 
conservation easement--  7,a7 all right1
 title1 and interest of the qualified   
organization in and to the conservation 
easement shall terminate2 and  7,b7 all 
right1 title1 and interest in and to the
 conservation easement shall revert to  
the ,state or1 if approved by the       
,state1 another qualified organization  
determined eligible by the ,secretary   
under paragraph 7#b74  7#d7 ,conditions 
for reversion ,a condition described in 
this paragraph is1 with respect to a    
conservation easement acquired1 held1   
and managed by a qualified organization1
 any of the following3 7,a7 ,the        

qualified organization is unable to     
carry out the responsibilities of the   
qualified organization under the ,forest
 ,legacy ,program with respect to the   
conservation easement4  7,b7 ,the       
conservation easement has been modified 
in a way that is inconsistent with the  
purposes of the ,forest ,legacy ,program
 or the applicable assessment of need   
described in paragraph 7#b77;,b74  7,c7 
,the conservation easement has been     
conveyed to another person 7other than a
 qualified organization determined      
eligible by the ,secretary under        
paragraph 7#b7 and approved by the      
,state74  7n7 ,qualified organization   
defined ,in this section1 the term      
qualified organization means an         
organization that-- 7#a7 is a qualified 
organization1 as defined in section     
#agj7;h77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue  
,code of #aihf2  7#b7 is organized for1 
and at all times since the formation of 
the organization1 has been operated     
principally for one or more of the      

conservation purposes described in      
section #agj7;h77#d77;,a7 of such ,code2
  7#c7 has not been the subject of any  
criminal or civil enforcement action    
taken by the ,attorney ,general of the  
,united ,states or the ,commissioner of 
the ,internal ,revenue ,service         
pertaining to the charitable donation of
 conservation easements under such      
,code2 and  7#d7 has been awarded1 and  
at all times thereafter maintained1     
accredited status by the ,land ,trust   
,accreditation ,commission1 or if such  
,commission ceases to exist1 a successor
 organization that offers substantially 
similar accreditation and is approved by
 the ,secretary for purposes of this    
section4  4  7b7 ,technical corrections 
,section #g of the ,cooperative         
,forestry ,assistance ,act of #aigh 7#af
 ,u4,s4,c4 #bajc;c7 is further amended--
  7#a7 in subsection 7i71 by striking   
subsection 7b7 and inserting subsection 
7c72  7#b7 in subsection                
7l77#c77;,b77i77,,ii71 by inserting and 

after the semi-colon at the end2 and    
7#c7 in the header of subsection 7o71 as
 redesignated by this section1 by       
striking ,appropriation and inserting   
,authorization of appropriations4