Emergency Pine Beetle Response Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8024 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8024 To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize assistance for emergency measures in response to pine beetle outbreaks, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 16, 2024 Mr. Kelly of Mississippi (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Guest, and Mr. Ezell) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize assistance for emergency measures in response to pine beetle outbreaks, and for other purposes. 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 ``Emergency Pine Beetle Response Act of 2024''. SEC. 2. EMERGENCY MEASURES IN RESPONSE TO PINE BEETLE OUTBREAKS. Section 407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2206) is amended-- (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f); and (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following: ``(e) Emergency Measures in Response to Pine Beetle Outbreaks.-- ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection: ``(A) Eligible itemized costs.--The term `eligible itemized costs' means expenses incurred by a timber service business in carrying out contractual services associated with outbreak response measures, including-- ``(i) labor or hours for truck drivers or equipment operators; ``(ii) mileage or hours for use of equipment, such as transports, bulldozers, and skidders; and ``(iii) materials, such as gravel, grass seed, culverts, and mats. ``(B) Outbreak response measures.--The term `outbreak response measures' means measures necessary to address pine beetle outbreaks on nonindu