Cabin Fee Act is Passed by Congress
Great news for cabin owners in the Mt. Hood National Forest! All the hard work has paid off in getting the cabin fees under future control. Here is the latest news.
CABIN FEE ACT PASSED BY CONGRESS!
The National Forest Homeowners and Cabin Coalition 2 are proud to announce that at approximately 5:00pm EST today, the U.S. Senate passed the Cabin Fee Act along with dozens of other lands bills as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. Having passed the House on Thursday, Dec. 4, the bill will now be sent to President Obama to be signed into law, which is expected to happen in the next few days. This success brings permanent and very welcome permit fee relief to cabin owners all across the country. Ring those bells and break out the champagne!!
This milestone achievement coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Recreation Residence Program on National Forest lands. Passage of the Cabin Fee Act ensures the continuation of the Cabin Program for generations to come with stable permit fees, increased only by inflation, while also protecting the value of cabin-owner improvements.
Passage of the Cabin Fee Act completes more than 7 years of work by the leadership of National Forest Homeowners and its partner organizations in the Cabin Coalition 2: Oregon Forest Homeowners, Washington State Forest Homeowners, Lake Wenatchee Summerhome Assoc., Priest Lake Permittees Assoc., Sawtooth Forest Cabin Owners, and Mt. Hood Forest Homeowners Assoc. These volunteer efforts succeeded due to the generous financial support of tract associations and individual cabin owners who contributed repeatedly in support of the cause.
Our efforts as cabin owners, thankfully received early support from Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA), our sponsor in the House and Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), our sponsor in the Senate. Both gentlemen and their staffs have been extremely helpful and unwavering in their support and dedication throughout this multi-year effort. Additionally, the Cabin Fee Act was co-sponsored in both House and Senate by many key legislators of both parties, as a result of the overwhelming number of emails and telephone calls from their constituent cabin owners. We strongly encourage cabin owners to express a personal thank you to their Representatives and Senators for acting to secure the future of the Recreation Residence Program. Contact information is provided for this purpose on the NFH website.
Finally, crucial to the drafting and passage of the Cabin Fee Act has been the cooperation and assistance of senior management of the U.S. Forest Service. Early on, the Forest Service recognized the inconsistencies and administrative problems in the existing permit fee process (CUFFA) and the opportunity that the Cabin Fee Act presented to eliminate the cumbersome and expensive appraisal-based fee system. The end result, with the passage of CFA, is a more equitable and efficient system. We are indebted to Chief Tom Tidwell and his senior staff for their unwavering support of the legislation on behalf of the cabin community and the American public.
What Happens Now?
Passage of the Cabin Fee Act has an immediate impact on cabin fees for those cabin owners whose CUFFA fee exceeds $5,600. It will take the Forest Service time to develop and issue administrative directions in accordance with the new Act. For those cabin owners with 2015 fees exceeding $5,600, you may consider delaying payment. Please refer to the NFH website for additional information.
Although the Cabin Fee Act is a relatively short and simple piece of legislation, there will be questions about process, implementation, and timing. To facilitate receiving and responding to questions, a CFA Frequently Asked Questions document has been linked to the NFH website homepage, along with a CFA Questions? form for submitting questions. We’ve also posted an easy to read CFA Summary document, summarizing the key provisions of the bill. Please check the NFH website periodically for updated information.
www.nationalforesthomeowners.org
We are excited and significantly relieved by passage of the Cabin Fee Act and completion of this seven-year-long effort. Our efforts will continue, working in cooperation with the Forest Service to ensure that the CFA is implemented as intended. Thank you all for your persistence, support and commitment to this effort. We could not have completed this journey without you.
Jay Tripathi, NFH President, for the Cabin 2 Coalition
December 12, 2014
C2 Steering Committee
Geoff Anderson Brad Aspell Barbara Bailey
Pete Bailey Dave Damron Doug Gann
Roy Glauthier Jay Tripathi Ernie Atencio, Exec Director
C2 Committee Members (past and present)
Mike Hoover Glen Hildreth Dick Almy
Al Molineux Bernie Kosola Ron Yandt
David Mead Lynn Watkins Albert Pollmar
Dick Burrows Sarah Dahl George Cardinet
Sally Goodin Fran Filer Ted Filer
Nancy Chapman Barry Davis Mary Clarke Ver Hoef
Sharon Karr Bill Kennedy Bill Johnson
C2 Washington Representatives
Aubrey King, Aubrey King & Associates
Michelle Giguere, Ball Janik LLP
Heath Heikkila, Ball Janik LLP
