[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3152 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3152
To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to authorize the
Secretary of Agriculture to give preference to local contractors in
awarding contracts to carry out certain hazardous fuel reduction
projects on Federal land.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 6, 2025
Mr. Lujan (for himself and Mr. Daines) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to authorize the
Secretary of Agriculture to give preference to local contractors in
awarding contracts to carry out certain hazardous fuel reduction
projects on Federal land.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Local Employment Access for our
Forests Act of 2025'' or the ``LEAF Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. CONTRACT PREFERENCE FOR LOCAL CONTRACTORS FOR CERTAIN HAZARDOUS
FUEL REDUCTION PROJECTS.
(a) In General.--Title I of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of
2003 is amended--
(1) by redesignating sections 107 and 108 (16 U.S.C. 6517,
6518) as sections 108 and 109, respectively; and
(2) by inserting after section 106 (16 U.S.C. 6516) the
following:
``SEC. 107. CONTRACT PREFERENCE FOR LOCAL CONTRACTORS FOR CERTAIN
HAZARDOUS FUEL REDUCTION PROJECTS.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Appropriate local contractor.--The term `appropriate
local contractor' means an entity that carries out, pursuant to
a contract or agreement, 1 or more authorized projects
located--
``(A) in a State in which--
``(i) the entity has its principal place of
business, as certified by the entity or an
individual representing the entity; and
``(ii) not fewer than 26 percent of the
total workforce assigned to the applicable
contract or agreement (including subcontractors
at any tier) will reside, as certified by the
entity or an individual representing the
entity; or
``(B) within a 60-mile radius of the State in which
the entity is registered as a business or has its
principal place of business, as certified by the entity
or an individual representing the entity.
``(2) Authorized project.--The term `authorized project'
includes any of the following activities, as authorized under
this Act:
``(A) A vegetation management activity, including
mechanical thinning, mastication, prescribed burning,
cultural burning (as determined by an applicable Indian
tribe), timber harvesting, and grazing, carried out--
``(i) to control vegetation growth,
composition, health, or quality of Federal
land; or
``(ii) otherwise to reduce the risk of
wildfires on Federal land.
``(B) Creating a fuel break or fire break.
``(C) Removing hazard trees, dead trees, or dying
trees, as determined by the Secretary.
``(D) Developing, approving, or conducting routine
maintenance under a vegetation management, facility
inspection, and operation and maintenance plan under
section 512(c) of the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772(c)).
``(E) Removing trees to address overstocking or
crowding in a forest stand, consistent with achieving
the appropriate basal area of the forest stand, as
determined by the Secretary.
``(F) Using treatments to address insects or
disease or to control vegetation competition or
invasive species.
``(G) A wet-meadow, floodplain, or riparian
restoration activity that increases wildfire
resistance.
``(H) A forest stand improvement activity necessary
to protect life and property from catastrophic
wildfire, as determined by the Secretary.
``(I) Any combination of activities described in
this paragraph.
``(3) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary
of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.
``(b) Contract Preference.--Effective beginning on the date of
enactment of the LEAF Act of 2025, the Secretary shall give preference
in awarding a contract to carry out an authorized project in a State to
an appropriate local contractor, to the maximum extent practicable.
``(c) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment
of the LEAF Act of 2025, and not less frequently than annually
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that
includes--
``(1) a quantitative analysis of the number and percentage
of contracts awarded to appropriate local contractors, the
total dollar value of those contracts, and an assessment of the
economic impact of the contract preference under subsection (b)
on local employment and contractor capacity;
``(2) a description of the reasons for awarding a contract
to carry out an authorized project in a State to an individual
or entity that is not an appropriate local contractor; and
``(3) a description of the implementation by the Secretary
of this section.
``(d) Monitoring and Evaluation.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a
monitoring and evaluation process--
``(A) to assess compliance with the requirements of
this section, including the contract preference under
subsection (b); and
``(B) to support the reports required under
subsection (c).
``(2) Participants.--The process described in paragraph (1)
may include participation by--
``(A) any cooperating governmental agencies,
including Tribal governments; and
``(B) any other interested groups or
individuals.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents contained in section
1(b) of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-
148; 117 Stat. 1887) is amended by striking the items relating to
sections 107 and 108 and inserting the following:
``Sec. 107. Contract preference for local contractors for certain
hazardous fuel reduction projects.
``Sec. 108. Effect of title.
``Sec. 109. Authorization of appropriations.''.
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