,i  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #gbfd  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,january #bg1        
#bjbf,mr4 ,messmer 7for himself and ,mr4
 ,vasquez7 introduced the following     
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,agriculture  ,a ,,bill   
,to amend the ,agricultural ,credit ,act
 of #aigh to authorize the ,secretary of
 ,agriculture to provide for floodplain 
easement restoration and management1 and
 for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title  
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,restoring ,america's ,floodplains ,act4
  #b4 ,emergency watershed program      
floodplain easement restoration and     
management  7a7 ,floodplain easements   
,section #djc7;b7 of the ,agricultural  
,credit ,act of #aigh 7#af ,u4,s4,c4    
#bbjc7;b77 is amended-- 7#a7 by         
redesignating paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7  
as paragraphs 7#e7 and 7#f71            
respectively2  7#b7 by inserting after  
the subsection header the following3    
7#a7 ,easement restoration ,the         

,secretary is authorized to restore     
appropriate vegetative cover1           
hydrological functions1 and other       
functions and values of the land subject
 to a floodplain easement acquired under
 subsection 7a74  7#b7 ,easement        
maintenance ,the ,secretary is          
authorized to monitor1 maintain1 and    
enhance appropriate vegetative cover1   
hydrological functions1 and other       
restoration measures on land subject to 
a floodplain easement acquired under    
subsection 7a74  7#c7 ,contracts and    
agreements ,in carrying out paragraphs  
7#a7 and 7#b71 the ,secretary may-- 7,a7
 enter into contracts with landowners2  
and  7,b7 enter into agreements with    
,states1 nongovernmental organizations1 
and ,indian ,tribes4  7#d7 ,compatible  
use authority ,the ,secretary may       
authorize a landowner to carry out      
activities on land subject to a         
floodplain easement acquired under      
subsection 7a7 that are-- 7,a7          
compatible uses necessary to carry out  

paragraph 7#a7 or 7#b72 or  7,b7        
compatible economic uses 7including such
 activities as hunting and fishing1     
managed timber harvest1 water           
management1 or periodic haying or       
grazing7 if such uses are consistent    
with long-term protection of the        
floodplain functions and values for     
which the easement was acquired4  2 and 
7#c7 in paragraph 7#f71 as so           
redesignated1 by striking paragraph 7#a7
 and inserting paragraph 7#e7 each place
 it appears4  7b7 ,level of restoration 
,section #djc of the ,agricultural      
,credit ,act of #aigh 7#af ,u4,s4,c4    
#bbjc7 is amended by adding at the end  
the following3  7c7 ,level of           
restoration ,in carrying out this       
section1 the ,secretary may undertake   
measures that increase the level of     
protection above that which would be    
necessary to address the immediate      
impairment of the watershed if the      
,secretary determines that such         
restoration is in the best interest of  

the long-term health of the watershed   
and the long-term protection of the     
watershed from repetitive impairments4  
4