H.R. 4751: Local Enforcement for Local Lands Act of 2016

114th Congress · introduced 2016-03-16 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2016-03-16 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Chaffetz, Jason [R-UT-3] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation 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

Local Enforcement for Local Lands Act of 2016

Plain summary

Local Enforcement for Local Lands Act of 2016 This bill declares that, by September 30, 2017, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall terminate the Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations unit and cease using Forest Service employees to perform law enforcement functions on federal lands. Also by such date, the Department of the Interior shall terminate the Bureau of Land Management Office of Law Enforcement and cease using Interior employees to perform law enforcement functions on federal lands. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as limiting the authority of Interior or USDA to authorize an employee of the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management to carry a firearm for protection while in the field. For FY2018 and each fiscal year thereafter, Interior shall make a grant to each state, determined according to a specified formula, to permit the state, directly or through subgrants with units of local government in it, to maintain law and order on federal land, protect individuals and property on federal lands, and enforce federal law. Any state or local government receiving the grant or subgrant shall enter into an agreement with Interior or USDA, as appropriate. In any such agreement Interior or USDA must waive all civil claims against the state or local government, and indemnify that government and save it harmless from all claims by third parties for property damage or personal injury that may arise out of law enforcement functions performed under the agreement. A law enforcement officer of a state or local government performing law enforcement functions pursuant to such an agreement shall not, except in certain circumstances, be deemed a federal employee with respect to hours of work, compensation rates, leave, unemployment compensation, and federal benefits, among other things.

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

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

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

Local Enforcement for Local Lands Act of 2016

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Chaffetz, Jason [R-UT-3] · 10 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Mark E. Amodei (R-NV)

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 (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
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 House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114hr4751.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hr>

Record fed-us-cong114-hr4751 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114