54 U.S.C. § 101703 — Cooperative management agreements

(a) In General. To help run the System^*, the Secretary^* may make an agreement with an "eligible entity" that manages land and water near a System unit^*. The goal is cooperative management, either of the System unit itself or of nearby land and water, to make managing the unit more effective and efficient. But the Secretary can never transfer responsibility for actually administering a System unit under this kind of agreement.

(b) Provision of Goods and Services. (1) Under a cooperative management agreement, the Secretary can buy, accept as a donation, or exchange goods and services, and provide them to the eligible entity on a reimbursable basis — meaning the entity pays the Secretary back. Both sides use these goods and services for cooperative management of the land and water. (2) Any reimbursement the Secretary receives can be credited to whatever appropriation is current at the time.

(c) Co-location. Under the agreement, the Secretary and the eligible entity can share office space and facilities, whether owned or leased by either side.

(d) Employees. (1) The Secretary can arrange, under section 3372 of title 5, for a federal employee or an employee of the eligible entity to be assigned to work on any Federal, State, local, or Tribal land, as both sides agree. (2) This assignment can be extended for however long the Secretary and the eligible entity agree is mutually beneficial.

(e) Definitions. (1) "Eligible entity" means a State or local government entity (or any of its political subdivisions), or an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization. (2) "Indian Tribe" has the meaning given in section 4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. (3) "State" means each of the states, the District of Columbia, and each U.S. territory. (4) "Tribal organization" has the meaning given in section 4(l) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act.