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Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-102

§498 Cooperative Work Agreements: Disposal of Moneys Received; Refund of Excess; Payment From Appropriation; Conflict of Interest

Title 16 › CHAPTER 2 — NATIONAL FORESTS › SUBCHAPTER I — ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION › § 498

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Money received on or after June 30, 1914 for cooperative forest research or for protecting, managing, or improving National Forests must be put into a special Treasury fund. The Secretary of Agriculture can use that fund until it is spent to pay Forest Service costs and to refund contributors who paid more than their share. If a written agreement allows, the Forest Service may pay for that work from any of its budgets that pay for similar work, and the partner who agreed to help must repay the Forest Service in the same fiscal year. Any repayment that equals the partner’s share must go back into the budget the Forest Service used (or to a similar Forest Service budget if the original is gone). The Secretary must write rules to prevent conflicts of interest and to protect the Forest Service’s interests in these cooperative agreements.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §498

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

On or after June 30, 1914, all moneys received as contributions toward cooperative work in forest investigations, or the protection, management, and improvement of the National Forest System, shall be covered into the Treasury and shall constitute a special fund, which is appropriated and made available until expended, as the Secretary of Agriculture may direct, for the payment of the expenses of said investigations, protection, management, or improvements by the Forest Service, and for refunds to the contributors of amounts heretofore or hereafter paid in by them in excess of their share of the cost of said investigations, protection, management, or improvements. Payment for work undertaken pursuant to this section may be made from any appropriation of the Forest Service that is available for similar work if a written agreement so provides and reimbursement will be provided by a cooperator in the same fiscal year as the expenditure by the Forest Service. A reimbursement received from a cooperator that covers the proportionate share of the cooperator of the cost of the work shall be deposited to the credit of the appropriation of the Forest Service from which the payment was initially made or, if the appropriation is no longer available, to the credit of an appropriation of the Forest Service that is available for similar work. The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish written rules that establish criteria to be used to determine whether the acceptance of contributions of money under this section would adversely affect the ability of an officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to carry out a duty or program of the officer or employee in a fair and objective manner or would compromise, or appear to compromise, the integrity of the program, officer, or employee. The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish written rules that protect the interests of the Forest Service in cooperative work agreements.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–127 substituted “the protection, management, and improvement of the National Forest System” for “the protection and improvement of the national forests”, inserted “management,” after “protection,” in two places, and inserted at end “Payment for work undertaken pursuant to this section may be made from any appropriation of the Forest Service that is available for similar work if a written agreement so provides and reimbursement will be provided by a cooperator in the same fiscal year as the expenditure by the Forest Service. A reimbursement received from a cooperator that covers the proportionate share of the cooperator of the cost of the work shall be deposited to the credit of the appropriation of the Forest Service from which the payment was initially made or, if the appropriation is no longer available, to the credit of an appropriation of the Forest Service that is available for similar work. The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish written rules that establish criteria to be used to determine whether the acceptance of contributions of money under this section would adversely affect the ability of an officer or employee of the Department of Agriculture to carry out a duty or program of the officer or employee in a fair and objective manner or would compromise, or appear to compromise, the integrity of the program, officer, or employee. The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish written rules that protect the interests of the Forest Service in cooperative work agreements.” 1928—Act May 29, 1928, struck out provision which required that annual reports be made to Congress of moneys received as contributions for cooperative work.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 498

Title 16, Conservation

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102