A bill to amend the Health Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year-period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

S.661 through Congress

S.661 keeps its number as it moves between the House and Senate.

SenateMar 22, 2013IntroducedOfficial record

Major milestones in the imported record. See all actions.

No House action is available in our imported record yet.

Separate related House measures (1)

These are different measures identified as related by Congress.gov. Their text and outcomes may differ; they are not the House stage of S.661.

Related House bill: H.R.1511 To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

Congressional Research Service

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Mar 22, 2013

Amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) and the Secretary of the Interior, as appropriate, to implement procedures to ensure that not less than 600,000 acres of federal land each fiscal year are treated with mechanical treatments intended to produce merchantable wood.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) declare that emergency circumstances exist for all federal land affected by a catastrophic event, including federal land outside urban interface areas; and (2) take actions necessary for the rehabilitation or restoration of such federal land, with highest priority given to land impacted by large-scale beetle infestations.

Directs the Secretary to initiate salvage activities on federal land affected by a catastrophic event so as to prevent significant deterioration of timber values, development of significant fire hazard, or other forest mortality that would prevent such land from regenerating to forest within five years.

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Excludes from the provisions of this Act: (1) a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System; (2) federal land on which the removal of vegetation is prohibited or restricted by Congress, the President, or a land management plan; or (3) a wilderness study area.

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People & committees

Who introduced it

Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] · R–SD

Committees

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee

0 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Legislative record

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

Mar 22, 2013
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Mar 22, 2013
Introduced in Senate

Primary sources

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Introduced in Senate · Mar 22, 2013 Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

HR 1511 · To amend the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

Source last updated: Dec 3, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

AI Conversation Starters

Explore the bill from different angles

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Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze S.661 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

View full prompt & sources

Discuss S.661, 113th Congress: A bill to amend the Health Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year-period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/661

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2013-03-22.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/s661/BILLS-113s661is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2025-12-03T15:54:52Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Analyze S.661 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine S.661 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

View full prompt & sources

Discuss S.661, 113th Congress: A bill to amend the Health Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year-period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/661

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2013-03-22.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/s661/BILLS-113s661is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2025-12-03T15:54:52Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Examine S.661 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine S.661 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

View full prompt & sources

Discuss S.661, 113th Congress: A bill to amend the Health Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year-period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/661

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2013-03-22.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/s661/BILLS-113s661is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2025-12-03T15:54:52Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Examine S.661 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine S.661 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

View full prompt & sources

Discuss S.661, 113th Congress: A bill to amend the Health Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to promote timely emergency rehabilitation and restoration of Federal forest land impacted by catastrophic events, to redirect for a 5-year-period funding normally made available for land acquisition to mechanical forest treatment and salvage operations due to catastrophic events, and for other purposes.

Official record: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/661

Text version to examine: Introduced in Senate · 2013-03-22.

Official full text: https://www.congress.gov/113/bills/s661/BILLS-113s661is.htm

Imported record last updated by the source: 2025-12-03T15:54:52Z. Verify current status and distinguish any later version from the version above.

Read the official text before answering. If you cannot access it, say so and ask me to provide it; do not assume a link means you have read the document. Distinguish proposals from enacted law, cite sources, and separate facts, interpretation, and uncertain predictions. Include counterarguments even when using a particular perspective.

Examine S.661 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.