Cabin Fee Act of 2013
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 397.
Cabin Fee Act of 2013 - (Sec. 2) Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to set an annual fee for a special use permit for the use and occupancy of National Forest System land for recreational residence purposes.
Requires the Secretary to complete the current appraisal cycle for the recreational residences within two years in accordance with the Cabin User Fees Fairness Act of 2000. Requires the assessment of an interim annual fee from January 1, 2014, until the current appraisal is completed.
Instructs the Secretary to make a one-time adjustment to the value of each appraised lot on which a recreational residence is located to reflect any change in value occurring after the date of the most recent appraisal. Allows a permitee to arrange for a second appraisal of a lot.
Specifies the annual fee for 11 fee tiers based on the value of the lot on which the recreational residence is located, and requires annual inflation adjustments.
Allows the Secretary to suspend or reduce the annual fee if access to, or the occupancy of, the recreational residence is significantly restricted.
Requires the Secretary to report after ten years on: (1) these annual fees in order to ensure that they reflect fair value for the use of the land for recreational residential purposes, and (2) any recommendations to modify the fee system.
(Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary to establish a transfer fee of $1,200, adjusted annually for inflation, for the issuance of a new recreational residence permit due to a change in ownership of the recreational residence.
(Sec. 4) Prohibits the Secretary from establishing or imposing a fee or condition under this Act for permits in Alaska that is inconsistent with provisions regarding the renewal or continuation of permits and leases for cabins, homesites, or similar structures on federal lands under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act.
(Sec. 5) Permits the Secretary, beginning in FY2024, to retain and expend any fees collected under this Act without further appropriation. Requires the fees to be used to administer the recreational residence program and other recreation programs carried out on National Forest System land.
The summary continues for 1 more paragraph. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate with amendment(s)" stage on May 22, 2014. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 22, 2014: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 397.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Jon Tester (D-MT) introduced it on July 23, 2013, and 9 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 3 Democrats, 6 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 23, 2013, 4797 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4494 days ago, on May 22, 2014.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers