S. 661: A bill to amend the Health Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year-period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

S. 661: A bill to amend the Health Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year-period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

113th Congress · introduced 2013-03-22 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2013-03-22 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A bill to amend the Health Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year-period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

Amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) and the Secretary of the Interior, as appropriate, to implement procedures to ensure that not less than 600,000 acres of federal land each fiscal year are treated with mechanical treatments intended to produce merchantable wood. Directs the Secretary to: (1) declare that emergency circumstances exist for all federal land affected by a catastrophic event, including federal land outside urban interface areas; and (2) take actions necessary for the rehabilitation or restoration of such federal land, with highest priority given to land impacted by large-scale beetle infestations. Directs the Secretary to initiate salvage activities on federal land affected by a catastrophic event so as to prevent significant deterioration of timber values, development of significant fire hazard, or other forest mortality that would prevent such land from regenerating to forest within five years. Excludes from the provisions of this Act: (1) a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System; (2) federal land on which the removal of vegetation is prohibited or restricted by Congress, the President, or a land management plan; or (3) a wilderness study area.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A bill to amend the Health Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year-period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] reported raising $4.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113s661.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/s>

Record fed-us-cong113-s661 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113