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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4451 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4451

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
  To require the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement 
     with the National Academy of Sciences to carry out a study on 
                 reservation systems for Federal land.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Review and Evaluation of Strategies 
for Equitable Reservations for Visitor Experiences Federal Land Act'' 
or the ``RESERVE Federal Land Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Booking window.--The term ``booking window'', with 
        respect to a Federal reservation system, means the time period 
        during which a reservation or lottery entry is available to the 
        public.
            (2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means--
                    (A) public lands (as defined in section 103 of the 
                Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 
                U.S.C. 1702));
                    (B) National Forest System land;
                    (C) units of the National Park System;
                    (D) units of the National Wildlife Refuge System;
                    (E) sites administered by the Bureau of 
                Reclamation; and
                    (F) sites administered by the Corps of Engineers.
            (3) Federal reservation system.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``Federal reservation 
                system'' means any platform or method used by managers 
                of Federal land to manage the quantity, type, 
                distribution, and timing of recreational activities.
                    (B) Inclusions.--The term ``Federal reservation 
                system'' includes reservation, permit, lottery, 
                metering, pricing, merit-based, and other similar 
                management methods via online, telephone, paper, in-
                person, or other methods.
            (4) Recreational activity.--The term ``recreational 
        activity'' includes camping, backpacking, climbing, paddling 
        sports, fishing, hiking, driving, and other recreational 
        opportunities.
            (5) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
                    (A) the Secretary of the Interior;
                    (B) the Secretary of Agriculture; and
                    (C) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the 
                Chief of Engineers.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES STUDY OF FEDERAL RESERVATION 
              SYSTEMS FOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON FEDERAL LAND.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretaries, acting jointly, shall, 
        not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
        enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences 
        to carry out a study of Federal reservation systems for 
        recreational activities on Federal land.
            (2) Requirements.--In carrying out the study under 
        paragraph (1), the National Academy of Sciences shall consult 
        with the Secretaries to carry out the following:
                    (A) A review of the history of Federal reservation 
                systems, such as recreation.gov, including a review 
                of--
                            (i) the considerations, including data, 
                        that led to the establishment of the applicable 
                        Federal reservation system;
                            (ii) the iterations of the applicable 
                        Federal reservation system over time to meet 
                        the needs of the applicable Federal agency;
                            (iii) any visitor feedback provided with 
                        respect to the applicable Federal reservation 
                        system; and
                            (iv) scientific literature or studies 
                        examining the efficacy of Federal reservation 
                        systems, including user preferences with 
                        respect to Federal reservation system design 
                        and implementation.
                    (B) Based on available data and existing research, 
                answer the following questions:
                            (i) What are the benefits and challenges of 
                        implementing Federal reservation systems to 
                        achieve management goals for Federal land, 
                        including resource protection, enjoyable 
                        visitor experiences, and sustainable operations 
                        and facility use?
                            (ii) What data are available, and what 
                        additional data are needed, to understand 
                        demand for recreation on Federal land? How can 
                        the data be used to balance visitor management 
                        and conservation goals?
                            (iii) What information is available 
                        regarding Federal land users and Federal 
                        reservation system users? What information is 
                        available or needs to be collected regarding 
                        demographics and characteristics of successful 
                        and unsuccessful applicants using the Federal 
                        reservation systems?
                            (iv) Do Federal reservation systems pose a 
                        barrier for certain communities, including 
                        international communities, and user groups to 
                        access appropriate recreation opportunities on 
                        Federal land? If so, what is the nature of any 
                        barriers identified?
                            (v) What best practices should be 
                        considered in Federal reservation system 
                        design, including visitation management system 
                        options and booking windows, options to respond 
                        to the needs specific to individual Federal 
                        land management units, and equitable access to 
                        recreational activities? What metrics can be 
                        used to record outcomes of Federal reservation 
                        system design?
                            (vi) How have fees been collected for 
                        Federal reservation systems over time to meet 
                        the needs of the applicable Federal agency? How 
                        are the revenues from fees for Federal 
                        reservation systems split between, and spent 
                        by, Federal land units, Federal agencies, and 
                        third-party contractors? How is the fee 
                        structure disseminated to users? How could 
                        dissemination of information with respect to 
                        the fee structure be improved?
                            (vii) What are the odds of success with 
                        respect to securing a reservation under Federal 
                        reservation systems? How are the odds of 
                        success disseminated to users? How could 
                        dissemination of information with respect to 
                        the odds of success be improved?
                            (viii) How are data, including data 
                        collected by contractors, on Federal 
                        reservation systems shared with Federal land 
                        managers, researchers, and the public? How can 
                        transparency be improved to inform the 
                        decisionmaking of users of Federal reservation 
                        systems?
                            (ix) How are Federal reservation systems 
                        incorporating and adapting to emerging 
                        technologies, such as geofencing, bots, or 
                        third-party websites monitoring and reselling 
                        reservations? Are Federal reservation systems 
                        resilient to cyber threats?
                            (x) How can Federal reservation systems be 
                        improved to reduce ``no shows'' and ensure that 
                        recreation sites are being used during periods 
                        of high demand? Would an increase in first-
                        come, first-served opportunities increase 
                        equitable access to outdoor recreation on 
                        Federal land?
    (b) Report.--The agreement entered into under subsection (a)(1) 
shall include a requirement that, not later than 18 months after the 
date on which the agreement is entered into, the National Academy of 
Sciences shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
report that describes the results of the study carried out under that 
subsection.

            Passed the Senate December 19 (legislative day, December 
      16), 2024.

            Attest:

                                                             Secretary.
118th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                                S. 4451

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

  To require the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement 
     with the National Academy of Sciences to carry out a study on 
                 reservation systems for Federal land.
```