1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Land Grants-Mercedes Conservation Program Eligibility Act of 2017 . 2. Eligibility for land grants-mercedes (a) Definitions Section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3801(a) ) is amended by redesignating paragraphs (17) through (27) as paragraphs (18) through (28), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (16) the following: (17) Land grant-merced The term land grant-merced means a community, town, colony, or pueblo— (A) the land of which was granted by the government of Spain or by the government of Mexico to— (i) the community, town, colony, or pueblo; or (ii) a person for the purpose of founding or establishing a community, town, colony, or pueblo; or (B) that asserted title pursuant to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, through— (i) the Office of the Surveyor General for New Mexico established pursuant to the Act of July 22, 1854 (Chapter 103; 10 Stat. 308); or (ii) the United States Court of Private Land Claims established by the Act of March 3, 1891 (Chapter 539; 26 Stat. 854) (commonly known as the Court of Private Land Claims Act). . (b) Alternative funding arrangements for land grants-Mercedes Section 1244 of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3844 ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (m) Alternative funding arrangements for land grants-Mercedes (1) Alternative funding arrangements Notwithstanding section 1001(f)(6), the Secretary may enter into an alternative funding arrangement under any conservation program administered by the Secretary with a land grant-merced if the Secretary determines that— (A) the goals and objectives of the applicable program will be met by the arrangement