[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7603 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7603

To amend the Act of August 28, 1937 (commonly referred to as the ``O&C 
               Act'') with respect to timber production.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 20, 2026

  Mr. Bentz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Act of August 28, 1937 (commonly referred to as the ``O&C 
               Act'') with respect to timber production.

    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 ``O&C Renewal Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. TIMBER PRODUCTION AFFIRMED AS PRIMARY PURPOSE OF O&C LANDS.

    The first sentence of the Act of August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 2601 et 
seq.; commonly referred to as the ``O&C Act'') is amended by striking 
``sustained yield'' and all that follows through the colon and 
inserting ``sustained yield. The primary purpose with respect to the 
use of such lands shall be for permanent timber production carried out 
in accordance with the principle of sustained yield to generate 
revenues to support county government services. The secondary purposes 
with respect to the use of the land are to contribute to the economic 
stability of local communities and industries, protect watersheds, 
regulate water flow, provide recreational opportunities, and reduce the 
risk of catastrophic wildfires:''.

SEC. 3. FIRE PROTECTION FOR O&C LANDS.

    Section 5 of the Act of August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.; 
commonly referred to as the ``O&C Act'') is amended by striking 
``Provided'' and all that follows through the period at the end and 
inserting ``Provided, The Secretary shall, with respect to such 
timberlands (1) meet or exceed the fire protection standards and 
capacity and readiness applicable to lands adjacent to such timberlands 
that are under the jurisdiction of the State of Oregon; (2) enter into 
fire protection agreements with the State of Oregon and applicable 
forest protective associations to meet the requirements under paragraph 
(1); and (3) provide compensation for services provided under any 
agreement entered into pursuant to paragraph (2).''.

SEC. 4. DEFINITION OF TIMBERLANDS.

    Title I of the Act of August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.; 
commonly referred to as the ``O&C Act'') is amended by adding at the 
end the following:

``SEC. 6. DEFINITION OF TIMBERLANDS.

    ``For purposes of this Act, the term `timberlands' shall include 
lands bearing or capable of bearing a growth of timber not less than 
300,000 feet board measure on each 40-acre subdivision.''.

SEC. 5. REVISION OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANS.

    Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of the Interior shall issue a record of decision revising 
each resource management plan relating to the lands under the Act of 
August 28, 1937 (43 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.; commonly referred to as the 
``O&C Act'') and designating timberlands in accordance with the 
amendments made by this Act.
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