The House Natural Resources Committee has passed a bill to establish a predictable fee-setting system for families who own cabins in National Forests.

The bill was reintroduced by Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., the chairman of the committee, after the Senate failed to pass it last year.

The bill would establish a tiered annual fee structure with fees adjusted annually for inflation. A flat transfer fee of $1,200 would be set for cabin sales or transfer of ownership within a family.

In Central Washington, family-owned cabins have been passed down from generation to generation, but the tradition has been threatened by soaring and unpredictable fees, Hastings said.