16 U.S.C. § 6231: Findings, purpose, and…

Summary

Creates a system for charging land-use fees when public or nonprofit camps use National Forest System lands. The fees are meant to give the Federal Government a fair return while recognizing the public benefits of camps, not stopping camps from using the land, and allowing camps to invest in and maintain facilities. Congress says camps are useful for kids and people with disabilities, the 192,000,0000 acres of national forests and grasslands are a good place for them, and camps should meet building, fire, and health codes, have yearly inspections for fire and food safety, and keep safety plans for fires, medical emergencies, and wildlife encounters. Defines key words: “organizational camp” — a public or semipublic camp run by a nonprofit or government that serves youth or people with disabilities and isn’t mainly for profit; “Secretary” — the Secretary of Agriculture through the Forest Service chief; “individual with a disability” — as defined in section 705(20) of title 29; “children at risk” — children in poverty, single-parent homes, or facing parental drug abuse, homelessness, or abuse; “change in control” — selling or transferring a controlling interest or the camp.

Title 16, §6231

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Findings

Congress finds the following:

(1)Organizational camps, such as those administered by the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and faith-based and community-based organizations, provide a valuable service to young people, individuals with a disability, and their families by promoting physical, mental, and spiritual health through activities conducted in a natural environment.

(2)The 192,000,0000 acres of national forests and grasslands of the National Forest System managed for multiple uses by the Forest Service provides an ideal setting for such organizational camps.

(3)The Federal Government should charge land use fees for the occupancy and use of National Forest System lands by such organizational camps that, while based on the fair market value of the land in use, also recognize the benefits provided to society by such organizational camps, do not preclude the ability of such organizational camps from utilizing these lands, and permit capital investment in, and maintenance of, camp facilities by such organizational camps or their sponsoring organizations.

(4)Organizational camps should—

(A)ensure that their facilities meet applicable building and safety codes, including fire and health codes;

(B)have annual inspections as required by local law, including at a minimum inspections for fire and food safety; and

(C)have in place safety plans that address fire and medical emergencies and encounters with wildlife.

(b)Purpose

It is the purpose of this chapter to establish a land use fee system that provides for an equitable return to the Federal Government for the occupancy and use of National Forest System lands by organizational camps that serve young people or individuals with a disability.

(c)Definitions

In this chapter:

(1)The term “organizational camp” means a public or semipublic camp that—

(A)is developed on National Forest System lands by a nonprofit organization or governmental entity;

(B)provides a valuable service to the public by using such lands as a setting to introduce young people or individuals with a disability to activities that they may not otherwise experience and to educate them on natural resource issues; and

(C)does not have as its primary purpose raising revenue through commercial activities.

(2)The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service.

(3)The term “individual with a disability” has the meaning given the term in section 705(20) of title 29.

(4)The term “children at risk” means children who are raised in poverty or in single-parent homes or are subject to such circumstances as parental drug abuse, homelessness, or child abuse.

(5)The term “change in control” means—

(A)for a corporation, the sale or transfer of a controlling interest in the corporation;

(B)for a partnership or limited liability company, the sale or transfer of a controlling interest in the partnership or limited liability company; and

(C)for an individual, the sale or transfer or an organizational camp subject to this chapter to another party.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (b) and (c), was in the original “this Act”, which was translated as reading “this title”, meaning title V of div. F of Pub. L. 108–7, known as the National Forest Organizational Camp Fee Improvement Act of 2003, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Pub. L. 108–7, div. F, title V, § 501, Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 294, provided that: “This title [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘National Forest Organizational Camp Fee Improvement Act of 2003’.”

§6231 Findings, Purpose, and Definitions