II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6492 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 10, 2024 

Received 

AN ACT 

To improve recreation opportunities on, and facilitate greater 

access to, Federal public land, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experi4 ences Act’’ or the ‘‘EXPLORE Act’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

6 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—OUTDOOR RECREATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE 

Subtitle A—Outdoor Recreation Policy 

Sec. 111. Congressional declaration of policy. 

Sec. 112. Identifying opportunities for recreation. 

Sec. 113. Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation. 

Sec. 114. Recreation budget crosscut. 

Subtitle B—Public Recreation on Federal Recreational Lands and Waters 

Sec. 121. Biking on long-distance trails. 

Sec. 122. Protecting America’s rock climbing. 

Sec. 123. Range access. 

Sec. 124. Restoration of overnight campsites. 

Sec. 125. Federal interior land media. 

Sec. 126. Cape and antler preservation enhancement. 

Sec. 127. Motorized and nonmotorized access. 

Sec. 128. Aquatic resource activities assistance. 

Subtitle C—Supporting Gateway Communities and Addressing Park 

Overcrowding 

Sec. 131. Gateway communities. 

Sec. 132. Improved recreation visitation data. 

Sec. 133. Monitoring for improved recreation decision making. 

Subtitle D—Broadband Connectivity on Federal Recreational Lands and 

Waters 

Sec. 141. Connect Our Parks. 

Sec. 142. Broadband internet connectivity at developed recreation sites. 

Sec. 143. Public lands telecommunications cooperative agreements. 

Subtitle E—Public–Private Parks Partnerships 

Sec. 151. Authorization for lease of forest service administrative sites. 

Sec. 152. Partnership agreements creating tangible savings. 

Sec. 153. Partnership agreements to modernize federally owned campgrounds, 

resorts, cabins, and visitor centers on Federal recreational 

lands and waters. 


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Sec. 154. Parking and Restroom opportunities for Federal recreational lands 

and waters. 

Sec. 155. Pay-for-performance projects. 

Sec. 156. Outdoor recreation legacy partnership program. 

Sec. 157. American battlefield protection program enhancement. 

TITLE II—ACCESS AMERICA 

Sec. 201. Definitions. 

Subtitle A—Access for People With Disabilities 

Sec. 211. Accessible recreation inventory. 

Sec. 212. Trail inventory. 

Sec. 213. Trail pilot program. 

Sec. 214. Accessible trails. 

Sec. 215. Accessible recreation opportunities. 

Sec. 216. Assistive technology. 

Sec. 217. Savings clause. 

Subtitle B—Military and Veterans in Parks 

Sec. 221. Promotion of outdoor recreation for military servicemembers and veterans. 

Sec. 222. Military Veterans Outdoor Recreation Liaisons. 

Sec. 223. Partnerships to promote military and veteran recreation. 

Sec. 224. National strategy for military and veteran recreation. 

Sec. 225. Recreation resource advisory committees. 

Sec. 226. Career and volunteer opportunities for veterans. 

Subtitle C—Youth Access 

Sec. 231. Increasing youth recreation visits to Federal land. 

Sec. 232. Every Kid Outdoors Act extension. 

TITLE III—SIMPLIFYING OUTDOOR ACCESS FOR RECREATION 

Sec. 301. Definitions. 

Subtitle A—Modernizing Recreation Permitting 

Sec. 311. Special recreation permit and fee. 

Sec. 312. Permitting process improvements. 

Sec. 313. Permit flexibility. 

Sec. 314. Permit administration. 

Sec. 315. Service First Initiative; Permits for multijurisdictional trips. 

Sec. 316. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management temporary special 

recreation permits for outfitting and guiding. 

Sec. 317. Reviews for long-term permits. 

Sec. 318. Adjustment of allocated visitor-use days. 

Sec. 319. Liability. 

Sec. 320. Cost recovery reform. 

Sec. 321. Availability of Federal, State, and local recreation passes. 

Sec. 322. Online purchases and establishment of a digital version of America 

the Beautiful—The National Parks and Federal Recreational 

Lands Passes. 

Sec. 323. Savings provision. 


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Subtitle B—Making Recreation a Priority 

Sec. 331. Extension of seasonal recreation opportunities. 

Subtitle C—Maintenance of Public Land 

Sec. 341. Volunteers in the National Forests and Public Lands Act. 

Sec. 342. Reference. 

Subtitle D—Recreation Not Red Tape 

Sec. 351. Good neighbor authority for recreation. 

Sec. 352. Permit relief for picnic areas. 

Sec. 353. Interagency report on special recreation permits for underserved communities. 

Sec. 354. Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act amendments. 

Sec. 355. Savings provision. 

1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCY.— 

4 The term ‘‘Federal land management agency’’ has 

5 the meaning given the term in section 802 of the 

6 Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 

7 U.S.C. 6801). 

8 (2) FEDERAL RECREATIONAL LANDS AND

9 WATERS.—The term ‘‘Federal recreational lands and 

10 waters’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

11 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

12 Act (16 U.S.C. 6801). 

13 (3) GATEWAY COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘gate14 way community’’ means a community that serves as 

15 an entry point, or is adjacent, to a recreation des16 tination on Federal recreational lands and waters or 

17 non-Federal land at which there is consistently high, 


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1 in the determination of the Secretaries, seasonal or 

2 year-round visitation. 

3 (4) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

4 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

5 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

6 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

7 (5) LAND USE PLAN.—The term ‘‘land use 

8 plan’’ means— 

9 (A) a land use plan prepared by the Sec10 retary pursuant to section 202 of the Federal 

11 Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 

12 U.S.C. 1712); and 

13 (B) a land management plan prepared by 

14 the Forest Service for a unit of the National 

15 Forest Service pursuant to section 6 of the For16 est and Rangeland Renewable Resources Plan17 ning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604). 

18 (6) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

19 means each of— 

20 (A) the Secretary; and 

21 (B) the Secretary of Agriculture. 

22 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of the Interior. 

24 (8) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec25 retary concerned’’ means— 


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1 (A) the Secretary, with respect to land 

2 under the jurisdiction of the Secretary; or 

3 (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re4 spect to land managed by the Forest Service. 

5 (9) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

6 the several States, the District of Columbia, and 

7 each territory of the United States. 

8 TITLE I—OUTDOOR RECRE9 ATION AND INFRASTRUC10 TURE 

11 Subtitle A—Outdoor Recreation 

12 Policy 

13 SEC. 111. CONGRESSIONAL DECLARATION OF POLICY. 

14 Congress declares that it is the policy of the Federal 

15 Government to foster and encourage recreation on Federal 

16 recreational lands and waters, to the extent consistent 

17 with the laws applicable to specific areas of Federal rec18 reational lands and waters, including multiple-use man19 dates and land management planning requirements. 

20 SEC. 112. IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECREATION. 

21 (a) INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned 

23 shall— 


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1 (A) conduct an inventory and assessment 

2 of recreation resources for Federal recreational 

3 lands and waters; 

4 (B) develop the inventory and assessment 

5 with support from public comment; and 

6 (C) update the inventory and assessment 

7 as the Secretary concerned determines appro8 priate. 

9 (2) UNIQUE RECREATION VALUES.—An inven10 tory and assessment conducted under paragraph (1) 

11 shall— 

12 (A) recognize— 

13 (i) any unique recreation values and 

14 recreation opportunities; and 

15 (ii) areas of concentrated recreational 

16 use; and 

17 (B) identify, list, and map recreation re18 sources by— 

19 (i) type of recreation opportunity and 

20 type of natural or artificial recreation in21 frastructure; 

22 (ii) to the extent available, the level of 

23 use of the recreation resource as of the 

24 date of the inventory; and 


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1 (iii) identifying, to the extent prac2 ticable, any trend relating to recreation op3 portunities or use at a recreation resource 

4 identified under subparagraph (A). 

5 (3) ASSESSMENTS.—For any recreation re6 source inventoried under paragraph (1), the Sec7 retary concerned shall assess— 

8 (A) the maintenance needs of, and ex9 penses necessary to administer, the recreation 

10 resource; 

11 (B) the suitability for developing, expand12 ing, or enhancing the recreation resource; and 

13 (C) the adequacy of the current manage14 ment of the recreation resource. 

15 (b) EXISTING EFFORTS.—To the extent practicable, 

16 the Secretary concerned shall use or incorporate existing 

17 applicable research and planning decisions and processes 

18 in carrying out this section. 

19 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 200103 of 

20 title 54, United States Code, is amended— 

21 (1) by striking subsection (d); and 

22 (2) by redesignating subsections (e), (f), (g), 

23 (h), and (i) as subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), and (h), 

24 respectively. 


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1 SEC. 113. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON OUTDOOR 

2 RECREATION. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 200102 of title 54, 

4 United States Code, is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 

6 paragraphs (4) and (5) respectively; and 

7 (2) by inserting before paragraph (4), as so re8 designated, the following: 

9 ‘‘(1) COUNCIL.—The term ‘Council’ means the 

10 Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation 

11 established under section 200104. 

12 ‘‘(2) FEDERAL LAND AND WATER MANAGE13 MENT AGENCY.—The term ‘Federal land and water 

14 management agency’ means the National Park Serv15 ice, Bureau of Land Management, United States 

16 Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

17 Bureau of Reclamation, Forest Service, Corps of 

18 Engineers, and the National Oceanic and Atmos19 pheric Administration. 

20 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL RECREATIONAL LANDS AND

21 WATERS.—The term ‘Federal recreational lands and 

22 waters’ has the meaning given the term in section 

23 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

24 Act (16 U.S.C. 6801) and also includes Federal 

25 lands and waters managed by the Bureau of Indian 


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1 Affairs, Corps of Engineers, or National Oceanic 

2 and Atmospheric Administration.’’. 

3 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF COUNCIL.—Section 200104 

4 of title 54, United States Code, is amended to read as 

5 follows: 

6 ‘‘§ 200104. Federal interagency council on outdoor 

7 recreation 

8 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab9 lish an interagency council, to be known as the ‘Federal 

10 Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation’. 

11 ‘‘(b) COMPOSITION.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall be com13 posed of representatives of each of the following 

14 agencies, to be appointed by the head of the respec15 tive agency: 

16 ‘‘(A) The National Park Service. 

17 ‘‘(B) The Bureau of Land Management. 

18 ‘‘(C) The United States Fish and Wildlife 

19 Service. 

20 ‘‘(D) The Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

21 ‘‘(E) The Bureau of Reclamation. 

22 ‘‘(F) The Forest Service. 

23 ‘‘(G) The Army Corps of Engineers. 

24 ‘‘(H) The National Oceanic and Atmos25 pheric Administration. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL PARTICIPANTS.—In addition 

2 to the members of the Council appointed under 

3 paragraph (1), the Secretary may invite participa4 tion in the Council’s meetings or other activities 

5 from representatives of the following: 

6 ‘‘(A) The Council on Environmental Qual7 ity. 

8 ‘‘(B) The Natural Resources Conservation 

9 Service. 

10 ‘‘(C) Rural development programs of the 

11 Department of Agriculture. 

12 ‘‘(D) The National Center for Chronic Dis13 ease Prevention and Health Promotion. 

14 ‘‘(E) The Environmental Protection Agen15 cy. 

16 ‘‘(F) The Department of Transportation, 

17 including the Federal Highway Administration. 

18 ‘‘(G) The Tennessee Valley Authority. 

19 ‘‘(H) The Department of Commerce, in20 cluding— 

21 ‘‘(i) the Bureau of Economic Analysis; 

22 ‘‘(ii) the National Travel and Tourism 

23 Office; and 

24 ‘‘(iii) the Economic Development Ad25 ministration. 


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1 ‘‘(I) The Federal Energy Regulatory Com2 mission. 

3 ‘‘(J) An applicable State agency or office. 

4 ‘‘(K) An applicable agency or office of a 

5 local government. 

6 ‘‘(L) Other organizations or interests, as 

7 determined appropriate by the Secretary. 

8 ‘‘(3) STATE COORDINATION.—In determining 

9 additional participants under this subsection, the 

10 Secretary shall seek to ensure that States are invited 

11 and represented in the Council’s meetings or other 

12 activities. 

13 ‘‘(4) LEADERSHIP.—The leadership of the 

14 Council shall rotate every 2 years among the Council 

15 members appointed under paragraph (1), or as oth16 erwise determined by the Secretary in consultation 

17 with the Secretaries of Agriculture, Defense, and 

18 Commerce. 

19 ‘‘(5) FUNDING.—Notwithstanding section 708 

20 of title VII of division E of the Consolidated Appro21 priations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117–328), the 

22 Council members appointed under paragraph (1) 

23 may enter into agreements to share the management 

24 and operational costs of the Council. 


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1 ‘‘(c) COORDINATION.—The Council shall meet as fre2 quently as appropriate for the purposes of coordinating 

3 on issues related to outdoor recreation, including— 

4 ‘‘(1) recreation programs and management poli5 cies across Federal land and water management 

6 agencies, including activities associated with the im7 plementation of the Federal Lands Recreation En8 hancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801 et seq.), as appro9 priate; 

10 ‘‘(2) the response by Federal land and water 

11 management agencies to public health emergencies 

12 or other emergencies, including those that result in 

13 disruptions to, or closures of, Federal recreational 

14 lands and waters; 

15 ‘‘(3) investments relating to outdoor recreation 

16 on Federal recreational lands and waters, including 

17 funds made available under section 40804(b)(7) of 

18 the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (16 

19 U.S.C. 6592a(b)(7)); 

20 ‘‘(4) management of emerging technologies on 

21 Federal recreational lands and waters; 

22 ‘‘(5) research activities, including quantifying 

23 the economic impacts of recreation; 

24 ‘‘(6) dissemination to the public of recreation25 related information, in a manner that ensures the 


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1 recreation-related information is easily accessible 

2 with modern communication devices; 

3 ‘‘(7) the improvement of access to Federal rec4 reational lands and waters; and 

5 ‘‘(8) the identification and engagement of part6 ners outside the Federal Government— 

7 ‘‘(A) to promote outdoor recreation; 

8 ‘‘(B) to facilitate collaborative management 

9 of outdoor recreation; and 

10 ‘‘(C) to provide additional resources relat11 ing to enhancing outdoor recreation opportuni12 ties; and 

13 ‘‘(9) any other outdoor recreation-related issues 

14 that the Council determines necessary. 

15 ‘‘(d) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section affects the 

16 authorities, regulations, or policies of any Federal agency 

17 described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b).’’. 

18 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

19 for chapter 2001 of title 54, United States Code, is 

20 amended by striking the item relating to section 200104 

21 and inserting the following: 

‘‘200104. Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation’’. 

22 SEC. 114. RECREATION BUDGET CROSSCUT. 

23 Not later than 30 days after the end of each fiscal 

24 year, beginning with fiscal year 2025, the Director of the 

25 Office of Management and Budget shall submit to ConVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 gress and make public online a report that describes and 

2 itemizes the total amount of funding relating to outdoor 

3 recreation that was obligated in the preceding fiscal year 

4 in accounts in the Treasury for the Department of the 

5 Interior and the Department of Agriculture. 

6 Subtitle B—Public Recreation on 

7 Federal Recreational Lands and 

8 Waters 

9 SEC. 121. BIKING ON LONG-DISTANCE TRAILS. 

10 (a) IDENTIFICATION OF LONG-DISTANCE TRAILS.— 

11 Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment 

12 of this title, the Secretaries shall identify— 

13 (1) not fewer than 10 long-distance bike trails 

14 that make use of trails and roads in existence on the 

15 date of the enactment of this title; and 

16 (2) not fewer than 10 areas in which there is 

17 an opportunity to develop or complete a trail that 

18 would qualify as a long-distance bike trail. 

19 (b) PUBLIC COMMENT.—The Secretaries shall— 

20 (1) develop a process to allow members of the 

21 public to comment regarding the identification of 

22 trails and areas under subsection (a); and 

23 (2) consider the identification, development, 

24 and completion of long-distance bike trails in a geo25 graphically equitable manner. 


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1 (c) MAPS, SIGNAGE, AND PROMOTIONAL MATE2 RIALS.—For any long-distance bike trail identified under 

3 subsection (a), the Secretary concerned may— 

4 (1) publish and distribute maps, install signage, 

5 and issue promotional materials; and 

6 (2) coordinate with stakeholders to leverage any 

7 non-Federal resources necessary for the stewardship, 

8 development, or completion of trails. 

9 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

10 of the enactment of this title, the Secretaries, in partner11 ship with interested organizations, shall prepare and pub12 lish a report that lists the trails identified under sub13 section (a), including a summary of public comments re14 ceived in accordance with the process developed under sub15 section (b). 

16 (e) CONFLICT AVOIDANCE WITH OTHER USES.—Be17 fore identifying a long-distance bike trail under subsection 

18 (a), the Secretary concerned shall ensure the long-distance 

19 bike trail— 

20 (1) minimizes conflict with— 

21 (A) the uses, before the date of the enact22 ment of this title, of any trail or road that is 

23 part of that long-distance bike trail; 

24 (B) multiple-use areas where biking, hik25 ing, horseback riding, or use by pack and sadVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 dle stock are existing uses on the date of the 

2 enactment of this title; 

3 (C) the purposes for which any trail was or 

4 is established under the National Trails System 

5 Act (16 U.S.C. 1241 et seq.); and 

6 (D) any area managed under the Wilder7 ness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.); and 

8 (2) complies with land use and management 

9 plans of the Federal recreational lands and waters 

10 that are part of that long-distance bike trail. 

11 (f) EMINENT DOMAIN OR CONDEMNATION.—In car12 rying out this section, the Secretaries may not use eminent 

13 domain or condemnation. 

14 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) LONG-DISTANCE BIKE TRAIL.—The term 

16 ‘‘long-distance bike trail’’ means a continuous route, 

17 consisting of 1 or more trails or rights-of-way, 

18 that— 

19 (A) is not less than 80 miles in length; 

20 (B) primarily makes use of dirt or natural 

21 surface trails; 

22 (C) may require connections along paved 

23 or other improved roads; 

24 (D) does not include Federal recreational 

25 lands where mountain biking or related activiVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 ties are not consistent with management re2 quirements for those Federal recreational lands; 

3 and 

4 (E) to the maximum extent practicable, 

5 makes use of trails and roads that were on Fed6 eral recreational lands on or before the date of 

7 the enactment of this title. 

8 (2) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

9 means the Secretary of the Interior and the Sec10 retary of Agriculture, acting jointly. 

11 SEC. 122. PROTECTING AMERICA’S ROCK CLIMBING. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after 

13 the date of the enactment of this title, each Secretary con14 cerned shall issue guidance for recreational climbing ac15 tivities on covered Federal land. 

16 (b) APPLICABLE LAW.—The guidance issued under 

17 subsection (a) shall ensure that recreational climbing ac18 tivities comply with the laws (including regulations) appli19 cable to the covered Federal land. 

20 (c) WILDERNESS AREAS.—The guidance issued 

21 under subsection (a) shall recognize that recreational 

22 climbing (including the use, placement, and maintenance 

23 of fixed anchors) is an appropriate use within a component 

24 of the National Wilderness Preservation System, if under25 taken— 


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1 (1) in accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 

2 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.) and other applicable laws (in3 cluding regulations); and 

4 (2) subject to any terms and conditions deter5 mined by the Secretary concerned to be appropriate. 

6 (d) AUTHORIZATION.—The guidance issued under 

7 subsection (a) shall describe the requirements, if any, for 

8 the placement and maintenance of fixed anchors for rec9 reational climbing in a component of the National Wilder10 ness Preservation System, including any terms and condi11 tions determined by the Secretary concerned to be appro12 priate, which may be issued programmatically or on a 

13 case-by-case basis. 

14 (e) EXISTING ROUTES.—The guidance issued under 

15 subsection (a) shall include direction providing for the con16 tinued use and maintenance of recreational climbing 

17 routes (including fixed anchors along the routes) in exist18 ence as of the date of the enactment of this title, in accord19 ance with this Act. 

20 (f) PUBLIC COMMENT.—Before finalizing the guid21 ance issued under subsection (a), the Secretary concerned 

22 shall provide opportunities for public comment with re23 spect to the guidance. 

24 (g) COVERED FEDERAL LAND DEFINED.—In this 

25 section, the term ‘‘covered Federal land’’— 


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1 (1) means the lands described in subparagraphs 

2 (A) and (B) of paragraph (2); and 

3 (2) includes components of the National Wilder4 ness Preservation System. 

5 SEC. 123. RANGE ACCESS. 

6 (a) DEFINITION OF TARGET SHOOTING RANGE.—In 

7 this section, the term ‘‘target shooting range’’ means a 

8 developed and managed area that is authorized or oper9 ated by the Forest Service, a concessioner of the Forest 

10 Service, or the Bureau of Land Management (or their les11 see) specifically for the purposeful discharge by the public 

12 of legal firearms, firearms training, archery, or other asso13 ciated activities. 

14 (b) ASSESSMENT; IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET

15 SHOOTING RANGE LOCATIONS.— 

16 (1) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 1 year after 

17 the date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary 

18 concerned shall make available to the public a list 

19 that— 

20 (A) identifies each National Forest and 

21 each Bureau of Land Management district that 

22 has a target shooting range that meets the re23 quirements described in paragraph (3)(B); 

24 (B) identifies each National Forest and 

25 each Bureau of Land Management district that 


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1 does not have a target shooting range that 

2 meets the requirements described in paragraph 

3 (3)(B); and 

4 (C) for each National Forest and each Bu5 reau of Land Management district identified 

6 under subparagraph (B), provides a determina7 tion of whether applicable law or the applicable 

8 land use plan prevents the establishment of a 

9 target shooting range that meets the require10 ments described in paragraph (3)(B). 

11 (2) IDENTIFICATION OF TARGET SHOOTING

12 RANGE LOCATIONS.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary con14 cerned shall identify at least 1 suitable location 

15 for a target shooting range that meets the re16 quirements described in paragraph (3)(B) with17 in each National Forest and each Bureau of 

18 Land Management district with respect to 

19 which the Secretary concerned has determined 

20 under paragraph (1)(C) that the establishment 

21 of a target shooting range is not prevented by 

22 applicable law or the applicable land use plan. 

23 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretaries, in 

24 consultation with the entities described in sub25 section (d), shall, for purposes of identifying a 


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1 suitable location for a target shooting range 

2 under subparagraph (A)— 

3 (i) consider the proximity of areas fre4 quently used by recreational shooters; 

5 (ii) ensure that the target shooting 

6 range would not adversely impact a shoot7 ing range operated on non-Federal land; 

8 and 

9 (iii) consider other nearby recreational 

10 uses, including proximity to units of the 

11 National Park System, to minimize poten12 tial conflict and prioritize visitor safety. 

13 (3) ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW TARGET SHOOT14 ING RANGES.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years 

16 after the date of the enactment of this title, at 

17 1 or more suitable locations identified on each 

18 eligible National Forest and Bureau of Land 

19 Management district under paragraph (2)(A), 

20 the Secretary concerned shall— 

21 (i) subject to the availability of appro22 priations for such purpose, construct a tar23 get shooting range that meets the require24 ments described in subparagraph (B) or 

25 modify an existing target shooting range to 


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1 meet the requirements described in sub2 paragraph (B); or 

3 (ii) enter into an agreement with an 

4 entity described in subsection (d)(1), under 

5 which the entity shall establish or maintain 

6 a target shooting range that meets the re7 quirements described in subparagraph (B). 

8 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—A target shooting 

9 range established under this paragraph— 

10 (i)(I) shall be able to accommodate ri11 fles and pistols; 

12 (II) may include skeet, trap, or sport13 ing clay infrastructure; and 

14 (III) may accommodate archery; 

15 (ii) shall include appropriate public 

16 safety designs and features, including— 

17 (I) significantly modified land18 scapes, including berms, buffer dis19 tances, or other public safety designs 

20 or features; and 

21 (II) a designated firing line; and 

22 (iii) may include— 

23 (I) shade structures; 

24 (II) trash containers; 

25 (III) restrooms; 


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1 (IV) benches; and 

2 (V) any other features that the 

3 Secretary concerned determines to be 

4 necessary. 

5 (C) RECREATION AND PUBLIC PURPOSES

6 ACT.—For purposes of subparagraph (A), the 

7 Secretary concerned may consider a target 

8 shooting range that is located on land trans9 ferred or leased pursuant to the Act of June 

10 14, 1926 (commonly known as the ‘‘Recreation 

11 and Public Purposes Act’’) (44 Stat. 741, chap12 ter 578; 43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.), as a target 

13 shooting range that meets the requirements de14 scribed in subparagraph (B). 

15 (c) RESTRICTIONS.— 

16 (1) MANAGEMENT.—The management of a tar17 get shooting range shall be subject to such condi18 tions as the Secretary concerned determines are nec19 essary for the safe, responsible use of— 

20 (A) the target shooting range; and 

21 (B) the adjacent land and resources. 

22 (2) CLOSURES.—Except in emergency situa23 tions, the Secretary concerned shall seek to ensure 

24 that a target shooting range that meets the require25 ments described in subsection (b)(3)(B), or an 


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1 equivalent shooting range adjacent to a National 

2 Forest or Bureau of Land Management district, is 

3 available to the public prior to closing Federal rec4 reational lands and waters administered by the Chief 

5 of the Forest Service or the Director of the Bureau 

6 of Land Management to recreational shooting, in ac7 cordance with section 4103 of the John D. Dingell, 

8 Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act 

9 (16 U.S.C. 7913). 

10 (d) COORDINATION.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this section, 

12 the Secretaries shall coordinate with— 

13 (A) State, Tribal, and local governments; 

14 (B) nonprofit or nongovernmental organi15 zations, including organizations that are sig16 natories to the memorandum of understanding 

17 entitled ‘‘Federal Lands Hunting, Fishing, and 

18 Shooting Sports Roundtable Memorandum of 

19 Understanding’’ and signed by the Forest Serv20 ice and the Bureau of Land Management on 

21 August 17, 2006; 

22 (C) shooting clubs; 

23 (D) Federal advisory councils relating to 

24 hunting and shooting sports; and 


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1 (E) individuals or entities with authorized 

2 leases or permits in an area under consideration 

3 for a target shooting range. 

4 (2) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretaries may— 

5 (A) coordinate with an entity described in 

6 paragraph (1) to assist with the construction, 

7 modification, operation, or maintenance of a 

8 target shooting range; and 

9 (B) explore opportunities to leverage fund10 ing to maximize non-Federal investment in the 

11 construction, modification, operation, or main12 tenance of a target shooting range. 

13 (e) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 2 years after 

14 the date of the enactment of this title and annually there15 after through fiscal year 2033, the Secretaries shall sub16 mit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

17 of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources 

18 of the House of Representatives a report describing the 

19 progress made with respect to the implementation of this 

20 section. 

21 (f) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section affects 

22 the authority of the Secretary concerned to administer a 

23 target shooting range that is in addition to the target 

24 shooting ranges that meet the requirements described in 


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1 subsection (b)(3)(B) on Federal recreational lands and 

2 waters administered by the Secretary concerned. 

3 SEC. 124. RESTORATION OF OVERNIGHT CAMPSITES. 

4 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) RECREATION AREA.—The term ‘‘Recreation 

6 Area’’ means the recreation area and grounds asso7 ciated with the recreation area on the map entitled 

8 ‘‘Ouachita National Forest Camping Restoration’’ 

9 and dated November 30, 2023, on file with the For10 est Service. 

11 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

12 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

13 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 

14 (1) not later than 6 months after the date of 

15 the enactment of this title, identify 54 areas within 

16 the Recreation Area that may be suitable for over17 night camping; and 

18 (2) not later than 2 years after the date of the 

19 enactment of this title— 

20 (A) review each area identified under para21 graph (1); and 

22 (B) from the areas so identified, select and 

23 establish at least 27 campsites and related fa24 cilities within the Recreation Area for public 

25 use. 


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1 (c) REQUIREMENTS RELATED TO CAMPSITES AND

2 RELATED FACILITIES.—The Secretary shall— 

3 (1) ensure that at least 27 campsites are avail4 able under subsection (b), of which not less than 8 

5 shall have electric and water hookups; and 

6 (2) ensure that each campsite and related facil7 ity identified or established under subsection (b) is 

8 located outside of the 1 percent annual exceedance 

9 probability flood elevation. 

10 (d) REOPENING OF CERTAIN SITES.—Not later than 

11 30 days after the date of the enactment of this title, the 

12 Secretary shall open each campsite within the Recreation 

13 Area that— 

14 (1) exists on the date of the enactment of this 

15 title; 

16 (2) is located outside of the 1 percent annual 

17 exceedance probability flood elevation; 

18 (3) was in operation on June 1, 2010; and 

19 (4) would not interfere with any current (as of 

20 the date of the enactment of this title) day use 

21 areas. 

22 (e) DAY USE AREAS.—Not later than 1 year after 

23 the date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary shall 

24 take such actions as are necessary to rehabilitate and 


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1 make publicly accessible the areas in the Recreation Area 

2 identified for year-round day use, including the following: 

3 (1) Loop A. 

4 (2) Loop B. 

5 (3) The covered, large-group picnic pavilion in 

6 Loop D. 

7 (4) The parking lot in Loop D. 

8 SEC. 125. FEDERAL INTERIOR LAND MEDIA. 

9 (a) FILMING IN NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM UNITS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1009 of title 54, 

11 United States Code, is amended by striking section 

12 100905 and inserting the following: 

13 ‘‘§ 100905. Filming and still photography in System 

14 units 

15 ‘‘(a) FILMING AND STILL PHOTOGRAPHY.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 

17 that a filming or still photography activity or similar 

18 project in a System unit (referred to in this section 

19 as a ‘filming or still photography activity’) and the 

20 authorizing or permitting of a filming or still pho21 tography activity are carried out consistent with— 

22 ‘‘(A) the laws and policies applicable to the 

23 Service; and 

24 ‘‘(B) an applicable general management 

25 plan. 


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1 ‘‘(2) NO PERMITS REQUIRED.—The Secretary 

2 shall not require an authorization or a permit or as3 sess a fee, if a fee for a filming or still photography 

4 activity is not otherwise required by law, for a film5 ing or still photography activity that— 

6 ‘‘(A)(i) involves fewer than 6 individuals; 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(ii) meets each of the requirements de9 scribed in paragraph (5); or 

10 ‘‘(B) is merely incidental to, or docu11 menting, an activity or event that is allowed or 

12 authorized at the System unit, regardless of— 

13 ‘‘(i) the number of individuals partici14 pating in the allowed or authorized activity 

15 or event; or 

16 ‘‘(ii) whether any individual receives 

17 compensation for any products of the film18 ing or still photography activity. 

19 ‘‘(3) FILMING AND STILL PHOTOGRAPHY AU20 THORIZATIONS FOR DE MINIMIS USE.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

22 establish a de minimis use authorization for 

23 certain filming or still photography activities 

24 that meets the requirements described in sub25 paragraph (F). 


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1 ‘‘(B) POLICY.—For a filming or still pho2 tography activity that meets the requirements 

3 described in subparagraph (F), the Secretary— 

4 ‘‘(i) may require a de minimis use au5 thorization; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) shall not require a permit. 

7 ‘‘(C) NO FEE.—The Secretary shall not 

8 charge a fee for a de minimis use authorization 

9 under this paragraph. 

10 ‘‘(D) ACCESS.—The Secretary shall enable 

11 members of the public to apply for and obtain 

12 a de minimis use authorization under this para13 graph— 

14 ‘‘(i) through the website of the Serv15 ice; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) in person at the field office of 

17 the applicable System unit. 

18 ‘‘(E) ISSUANCES.—The Secretary shall— 

19 ‘‘(i) establish a procedure— 

20 ‘‘(I) to automate the approval of 

21 an application submitted through the 

22 website of the Service under subpara23 graph (D)(i); and 

24 ‘‘(II) to issue a de minimis use 

25 authorization under this paragraph 


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1 immediately on receipt of an applica2 tion that is submitted in person at the 

3 field office of the applicable System 

4 unit under subparagraph (D)(ii); and 

5 ‘‘(ii) if an application submitted under 

6 subparagraph (D) meets the requirements 

7 of this paragraph, immediately on receipt 

8 of the application issue a de minimis use 

9 authorization for the filming or still pho10 tography activity. 

11 ‘‘(F) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary 

12 shall only issue a de minimis use authorization 

13 under this paragraph if the filming or still pho14 tography activity— 

15 ‘‘(i) involves a group of not fewer than 

16 6 individuals and not more than 8 individ17 uals; 

18 ‘‘(ii) meets each of the requirements 

19 described in paragraph (5); and 

20 ‘‘(iii) is consistent with subsection (c). 

21 ‘‘(G) CONTENTS.—A de minimis use au22 thorization issued under this paragraph shall 

23 list the requirements described in subparagraph 

24 (F). 

25 ‘‘(4) REQUIRED PERMITS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

2 paragraph (2)(B), the Secretary may require a 

3 permit application and, if a permit is issued, as4 sess a reasonable fee, as described in subsection 

5 (b)(1), for a filming or still photography activ6 ity that— 

7 ‘‘(i) involves more than 8 individuals; 

8 or 

9 ‘‘(ii) does not meet each of the re10 quirements described in paragraph (5). 

11 ‘‘(B) WILDERNESS ACT CLARIFICATION.— 

12 No provision of this subsection is intended to or 

13 shall be construed to conflict with the provi14 sions of the Wilderness Act of 1964 (16 U.S.C. 

15 1131 et seq.). 

16 ‘‘(5) REQUIREMENTS FOR FILMING OR STILL

17 PHOTOGRAPHY ACTIVITY.—The requirements re18 ferred to in paragraphs (2)(A)(ii), (3)(F)(ii), (4)(B), 

19 and (7)(C) are as follows: 

20 ‘‘(A) A person conducts the filming or still 

21 photography activity in a manner that— 

22 ‘‘(i) does not impede or intrude on the 

23 experience of other visitors to the applica24 ble System unit; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) except as otherwise authorized, 

2 does not disturb or negatively impact— 

3 ‘‘(I) a natural or cultural re4 source; or 

5 ‘‘(II) an environmental or scenic 

6 value; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) allows for equitable allocation or 

8 use of facilities of the applicable System 

9 unit. 

10 ‘‘(B) The person conducts the filming or 

11 still photography activity at a location in which 

12 the public is allowed. 

13 ‘‘(C) The person conducting the filming or 

14 still photography activity does not require the 

15 exclusive use of a site or area. 

16 ‘‘(D) The person does not conduct the 

17 filming or still photography activity in a local18 ized area that receives a very high volume of 

19 visitation. 

20 ‘‘(E) The person conducting the filming or 

21 still photography activity does not use a set or 

22 staging equipment, subject to the limitation 

23 that handheld equipment (such as a tripod, 

24 monopod, and handheld lighting equipment) 


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1 shall not be considered staging equipment for 

2 the purposes of this subparagraph. 

3 ‘‘(F) The person conducting the filming or 

4 still photography activity complies with and ad5 heres to visitor use policies, practices, and regu6 lations applicable to the applicable System unit. 

7 ‘‘(G) The filming or still photography ac8 tivity is not likely to result in additional admin9 istrative costs being incurred by the Secretary 

10 with respect to the filming or still photography 

11 activity, as determined by the Secretary. 

12 ‘‘(H) The person conducting the filming or 

13 still photography activity complies with other 

14 applicable Federal, State (as such term is de15 fined in section 3 of the EXPLORE Act), and 

16 local laws (including regulations), including 

17 laws relating to the use of unmanned aerial 

18 equipment. 

19 ‘‘(6) CONTENT CREATION.—Regardless of dis20 tribution platform, any video, still photograph, or 

21 audio recording for commercial or noncommercial 

22 content creation in a System unit shall be considered 

23 to be a filming or still photography activity under 

24 this subsection. 

25 ‘‘(7) EFFECT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) PERMITS REQUESTED THOUGH NOT

2 REQUIRED.—On the request of a person intend3 ing to carry out a filming or still photography 

4 activity, the Secretary may issue a permit for 

5 the filming or still photography activity, even if 

6 a permit for the filming or still photography ac7 tivity is not required under this section. 

8 ‘‘(B) NO ADDITIONAL PERMITS, COMMER9 CIAL USE AUTHORIZATIONS, OR FEES FOR

10 FILMING AND STILL PHOTOGRAPHY AT AU11 THORIZED EVENTS.—A filming or still photog12 raphy activity at an activity or event that is al13 lowed or authorized, including a wedding, en14 gagement party, family reunion, or celebration 

15 of a graduate, shall be considered merely inci16 dental for the purposes of paragraph (2)(B). 

17 ‘‘(C) MONETARY COMPENSATION.—The re18 ceipt of monetary compensation by the person 

19 conducting the filming or still photography ac20 tivity shall not affect the permissibility of the 

21 filming or still photography activity. 

22 ‘‘(b) FEES AND RECOVERY COSTS.— 

23 ‘‘(1) FEES.—The reasonable fees referred to in 

24 subsection (a)(4) shall meet each of the following 

25 criteria: 


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1 ‘‘(A) The reasonable fee shall provide a 

2 fair return to the United States. 

3 ‘‘(B) The reasonable fee shall be based on 

4 the following criteria: 

5 ‘‘(i) The number of days of the film6 ing or still photography activity. 

7 ‘‘(ii) The size of the film or still pho8 tography crew present in the System unit. 

9 ‘‘(iii) The quantity and type of film or 

10 still photography equipment present in the 

11 System unit. 

12 ‘‘(iv) Any other factors that the Sec13 retary determines to be necessary. 

14 ‘‘(2) RECOVERY OF COSTS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

16 collect from the applicant for the applicable per17 mit any costs incurred by the Secretary related 

18 to a filming or still photography activity subject 

19 to a permit under subsection (a)(4), including— 

20 ‘‘(i) the costs of the review or issuance 

21 of the permit; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) related administrative and per23 sonnel costs. 

24 ‘‘(B) EFFECT ON FEES COLLECTED.—All 

25 costs recovered under subparagraph (A) shall 


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1 be in addition to the fee described in paragraph 

2 (1). 

3 ‘‘(3) USE OF PROCEEDS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) FEES.—All fees collected under this 

5 section shall— 

6 ‘‘(i) be available for expenditure by 

7 the Secretary, without further appropria8 tion; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) remain available until expended. 

10 ‘‘(B) COSTS.—All costs recovered under 

11 paragraph (2)(A) shall— 

12 ‘‘(i) be available for expenditure by 

13 the Secretary, without further appropria14 tion, at the System unit at which the costs 

15 are collected; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) remain available until expended. 

17 ‘‘(c) PROTECTION OF RESOURCES.—The Secretary 

18 shall not allow a person to undertake a filming or still 

19 photography activity if the Secretary determines that— 

20 ‘‘(1) there is a likelihood that the person would 

21 cause resource damage at the System unit, except as 

22 otherwise authorized; 

23 ‘‘(2) the person would create an unreasonable 

24 disruption of the use and enjoyment by the public of 

25 the System unit; or 


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1 ‘‘(3) the filming or still photography activity 

2 poses a health or safety risk to the public. 

3 ‘‘(d) PROCESSING OF PERMIT APPLICATIONS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab5 lish a process to ensure that the Secretary responds 

6 in a timely manner to an application for a permit for 

7 a filming or still photography activity required under 

8 subsection (a)(4). 

9 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—If a permit is required 

10 under this section for 2 or more Federal agencies or 

11 System units, the Secretary and the head of any 

12 other applicable Federal agency, as applicable, shall, 

13 to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate per14 mit processing procedures, including through the use 

15 of identifying a lead agency or lead System unit— 

16 ‘‘(A) to review the application for the per17 mit; 

18 ‘‘(B) to issue the permit; and 

19 ‘‘(C) to collect any required fees.’’. 

20 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec21 tions for chapter 1009 of title 54, United States 

22 Code, is amended by striking the item relating to 

23 section 100905 and inserting the following: 

‘‘100905. Filming and still photography in System units.’’. 


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1 (b) FILMING ON OTHER FEDERAL LAND.—Public 

2 Law 106–206 (16 U.S.C. 460l–6d) is amended by striking 

3 section 1 and inserting the following: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 1. FILMING AND STILL PHOTOGRAPHY. 

5 ‘‘(a) FILMING AND STILL PHOTOGRAPHY.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned 

7 shall ensure that a filming or still photography activ8 ity or similar project at a Federal land management 

9 unit (referred to in this section as a ‘filming or still 

10 photography activity’) and the authorizing or per11 mitting of a filming or still photography activity are 

12 carried out consistent with— 

13 ‘‘(A) the laws and policies applicable to the 

14 Secretary concerned; and 

15 ‘‘(B) an applicable general management 

16 plan. 

17 ‘‘(2) NO PERMITS REQUIRED.—The Secretary 

18 concerned shall not require an authorization or a 

19 permit or assess a fee, if a fee for a filming or still 

20 photography activity is not otherwise required by 

21 law, for a filming or still photography activity that— 

22 ‘‘(A)(i) involves fewer than 6 individuals; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(ii) meets each of the requirements de25 scribed in paragraph (5); or 


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1 ‘‘(B) is merely incidental to, or docu2 menting, an activity or event that is allowed or 

3 authorized at the Federal land management 

4 unit, regardless of— 

5 ‘‘(i) the number of individuals partici6 pating in the allowed or authorized activity 

7 or event; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) whether any individual receives 

9 compensation for any products of the film10 ing or still photography activity. 

11 ‘‘(3) FILMING AND STILL PHOTOGRAPHY AU12 THORIZATIONS FOR DE MINIMIS USE.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary con14 cerned shall establish a de minimis use author15 ization for certain filming or still photography 

16 activities that meets the requirements described 

17 in subparagraph (F). 

18 ‘‘(B) POLICY.—For a filming or still pho19 tography activity that meets the requirements 

20 described in subparagraph (F), the Secretary 

21 concerned— 

22 ‘‘(i) may require a de minimis use au23 thorization; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) shall not require a permit. 


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1 ‘‘(C) NO FEE.—The Secretary concerned 

2 shall not charge a fee for a de minimis use au3 thorization under this paragraph. 

4 ‘‘(D) ACCESS.—The Secretary concerned 

5 shall enable members of the public to apply for 

6 and obtain a de minimis use authorization 

7 under this paragraph— 

8 ‘‘(i) through the website of the De9 partment of the Interior or the Forest 

10 Service, as applicable; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) in person at the field office for 

12 the Federal land management unit. 

13 ‘‘(E) ISSUANCES.—The Secretary con14 cerned shall— 

15 ‘‘(i) establish a procedure— 

16 ‘‘(I) to automate the approval of 

17 an application submitted through the 

18 website of the Department of the In19 terior or the Forest Service, as appli20 cable, under subparagraph (D)(i); and 

21 ‘‘(II) to issue a de minimis use 

22 authorization under this paragraph 

23 immediately on receipt of an applica24 tion that is submitted in person at the 

25 field office for the Federal land manVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 agement unit under subparagraph 

2 (D)(ii); and 

3 ‘‘(ii) if an application submitted under 

4 subparagraph (D) meets the requirements 

5 of this paragraph, immediately on receipt 

6 of the application issue a de minimis use 

7 authorization for the filming or still pho8 tography activity. 

9 ‘‘(F) TERMS.—The Secretary concerned 

10 shall only issue a de minimis use authorization 

11 under this paragraph if the filming or still pho12 tography activity— 

13 ‘‘(i) involves a group of not fewer than 

14 6 individuals and not more than 8 individ15 uals; 

16 ‘‘(ii) meets each of the requirements 

17 described in paragraph (5); and 

18 ‘‘(iii) is consistent with subsection (c). 

19 ‘‘(G) CONTENTS.—A de minimis use au20 thorization issued under this paragraph shall 

21 list the requirements described in subparagraph 

22 (F). 

23 ‘‘(4) REQUIRED PERMITS.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

25 paragraph (2)(B), the Secretary concerned may 


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1 require a permit application and, if a permit is 

2 issued, assess a reasonable fee, as described in 

3 subsection (b)(1), for a filming or still photog4 raphy activity that— 

5 ‘‘(i) involves more than 8 individuals; 

6 or 

7 ‘‘(ii) does not meet each of the re8 quirements described in paragraph (5). 

9 ‘‘(B) WILDERNESS ACT CLARIFICATION.— 

10 No provision of this subsection is intended to or 

11 shall be construed to conflict with the provi12 sions of the Wilderness Act of 1964 (16 U.S.C. 

13 1131 et seq.). 

14 ‘‘(5) REQUIREMENTS FOR FILMING OR STILL

15 PHOTOGRAPHY ACTIVITY.—The requirements re16 ferred to in paragraphs (2)(A)(ii), (3)(F)(ii), (4)(B), 

17 and (7)(C) are as follows: 

18 ‘‘(A) A person conducts the filming or still 

19 photography activity in a manner that— 

20 ‘‘(i) does not impede or intrude on the 

21 experience of other visitors to the Federal 

22 land management unit; 

23 ‘‘(ii) except as otherwise authorized, 

24 does not disturb or negatively impact— 


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1 ‘‘(I) a natural or cultural re2 source; or 

3 ‘‘(II) an environmental or scenic 

4 value; and 

5 ‘‘(iii) allows for equitable allocation or 

6 use of facilities of the Federal land man7 agement unit. 

8 ‘‘(B) The person conducts the filming or 

9 still photography activity at a location in which 

10 the public is allowed. 

11 ‘‘(C) The person conducting the filming or 

12 still photography activity does not require the 

13 exclusive use of a site or area. 

14 ‘‘(D) The person does not conduct the 

15 filming or still photography activity in a local16 ized area that receives a very high volume of 

17 visitation. 

18 ‘‘(E) The person conducting the filming or 

19 still photography activity does not use a set or 

20 staging equipment, subject to the limitation 

21 that handheld equipment (such as a tripod, 

22 monopod, and handheld lighting equipment) 

23 shall not be considered staging equipment for 

24 the purposes of this subparagraph. 


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1 ‘‘(F) The person conducting the filming or 

2 still photography activity complies with and ad3 heres to visitor use policies, practices, and regu4 lations applicable to the Federal land manage5 ment unit. 

6 ‘‘(G) The filming or still photography ac7 tivity is not likely to result in additional admin8 istrative costs being incurred by the Secretary 

9 concerned with respect to the filming or still 

10 photography activity, as determined by the Sec11 retary concerned. 

12 ‘‘(H) The person conducting the filming or 

13 still photography activity complies with other 

14 applicable Federal, State (as such term is de15 fined in section 3 of the EXPLORE Act), and 

16 local laws (including regulations), including 

17 laws relating to the use of unmanned aerial 

18 equipment. 

19 ‘‘(6) CONTENT CREATION.—Regardless of dis20 tribution platform, any video, still photograph, or 

21 audio recording for commercial or noncommercial 

22 content creation at a Federal land management unit 

23 shall be considered to be a filming or still photog24 raphy activity under this subsection. 

25 ‘‘(7) EFFECT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) PERMITS REQUESTED THOUGH NOT

2 REQUIRED.—On the request of a person intend3 ing to carry out a filming or still photography 

4 activity, the Secretary concerned may issue a 

5 permit for the filming or still photography ac6 tivity, even if a permit for the filming or still 

7 photography activity is not required under this 

8 section. 

9 ‘‘(B) NO ADDITIONAL PERMITS, COMMER10 CIAL USE AUTHORIZATIONS, OR FEES FOR

11 FILMING AND STILL PHOTOGRAPHY AT AU12 THORIZED EVENTS.—A filming or still photog13 raphy activity at an activity or event that is al14 lowed or authorized, including a wedding, en15 gagement party, family reunion, or celebration 

16 of a graduate, shall be considered merely inci17 dental for the purposes of paragraph (2)(B). 

18 ‘‘(C) MONETARY COMPENSATION.—The re19 ceipt of monetary compensation by the person 

20 engaged in the filming or still photography ac21 tivity shall not affect the permissibility of the 

22 filming or still photography activity. 

23 ‘‘(b) FEES AND RECOVERY COSTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) FEES.—The reasonable fees referred to in 

2 subsection (a)(4) shall meet each of the following 

3 criteria: 

4 ‘‘(A) The reasonable fee shall provide a 

5 fair return to the United States. 

6 ‘‘(B) The reasonable fee shall be based on 

7 the following criteria: 

8 ‘‘(i) The number of days of the film9 ing or still photography activity. 

10 ‘‘(ii) The size of the film or still pho11 tography crew present at the Federal land 

12 management unit. 

13 ‘‘(iii) The quantity and type of film or 

14 still photography equipment present at the 

15 Federal land management unit. 

16 ‘‘(iv) Any other factors that the Sec17 retary concerned determines to be nec18 essary. 

19 ‘‘(2) RECOVERY OF COSTS.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary con21 cerned shall collect from the applicant for the 

22 applicable permit any costs incurred by the Sec23 retary concerned related to a filming or still 

24 photography activity subject to a permit under 

25 subsection (a)(4), including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the costs of the review or issuance 

2 of the permit; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) related administrative and per4 sonnel costs. 

5 ‘‘(B) EFFECT ON FEES COLLECTED.—All 

6 costs recovered under subparagraph (A) shall 

7 be in addition to the fee described in paragraph 

8 (1). 

9 ‘‘(3) USE OF PROCEEDS.— 

10 ‘‘(A) FEES.—All fees collected under this 

11 section shall— 

12 ‘‘(i) be available for expenditure by 

13 the Secretary concerned, without further 

14 appropriation; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) remain available until expended. 

16 ‘‘(B) COSTS.—All costs recovered under 

17 paragraph (2)(A) shall— 

18 ‘‘(i) be available for expenditure by 

19 the Secretary concerned, without further 

20 appropriation, at the Federal land manage21 ment unit at which the costs are collected; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(ii) remain available until expended. 

24 ‘‘(c) PROTECTION OF RESOURCES.—The Secretary 

25 concerned shall not allow a person to undertake a filming 


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1 or still photography activity if the Secretary concerned de2 termines that— 

3 ‘‘(1) there is a likelihood that the person would 

4 cause resource damage at the Federal land manage5 ment unit, except as otherwise authorized; 

6 ‘‘(2) the person would create an unreasonable 

7 disruption of the use and enjoyment by the public of 

8 the Federal land management unit; or 

9 ‘‘(3) the filming or still photography activity 

10 poses a health or safety risk to the public. 

11 ‘‘(d) PROCESSING OF PERMIT APPLICATIONS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned 

13 shall establish a process to ensure that the Secretary 

14 concerned responds in a timely manner to an appli15 cation for a permit for a filming or still photography 

16 activity required under subsection (a)(4). 

17 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—If a permit is required 

18 under this section for 2 or more Federal agencies or 

19 Federal land management units, the Secretary con20 cerned and the head of any other applicable Federal 

21 agency, as applicable, shall, to the maximum extent 

22 practicable, coordinate permit processing procedures, 

23 including through the use of identifying a lead agen24 cy or lead Federal land management unit— 


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1 ‘‘(A) to review the application for the per2 mit; 

3 ‘‘(B) to issue the permit; and 

4 ‘‘(C) to collect any required fees. 

5 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 ‘‘(1) FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT UNIT.—The 

7 term ‘Federal land management unit’ means— 

8 ‘‘(A) Federal land (other than National 

9 Park System land) under the jurisdiction of the 

10 Secretary of the Interior; and 

11 ‘‘(B) National Forest System land. 

12 ‘‘(2) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘Sec13 retary concerned’ means— 

14 ‘‘(A) the Secretary of the Interior, with re15 spect to land described in paragraph (1)(A); 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re18 spect to land described in paragraph (1)(B).’’. 

19 SEC. 126. CAPE AND ANTLER PRESERVATION ENHANCE20 MENT. 

21 Section 104909(c) of title 54, United States Code, 

22 is amended by striking ‘‘meat from’’ and inserting ‘‘meat 

23 and any other part of an animal removed pursuant to’’. 


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1 SEC. 127. MOTORIZED AND NONMOTORIZED ACCESS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned shall 

3 seek to have, not later than 5 years after the date of the 

4 enactment of this title, in a printed and publicly available 

5 format that is compliant with the format for geographic 

6 information systems— 

7 (1) for each district administered by the Direc8 tor of the Bureau of Land Management, a ground 

9 transportation linear feature map authorized for 

10 public use or administrative use; and 

11 (2) for each unit of the National Forest Sys12 tem, a motor vehicle use map, in accordance with ex13 isting law. 

14 (b) OVER-SNOW VEHICLE-USE MAPS.—The Sec15 retary concerned shall seek to have, not later than 10 

16 years after the date of the enactment of this title, in a 

17 printed and publicly available format that is compliant 

18 with the format for geographic information systems, an 

19 over-snow vehicle-use map for each unit of Federal rec20 reational lands and waters administered by the Chief of 

21 the Forest Service or Director of the Bureau of Land 

22 Management on which over-snow vehicle-use occurs, in ac23 cordance with existing law. 

24 (c) OUT-OF-DATE MAPS.—Not later than 20 years 

25 after the date on which the Secretary concerned adopted 

26 or reviewed, through public notice and comment, a map 


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1 described in subsection (a) or (b), the Secretary concerned 

2 shall seek to review, through public notice and comment, 

3 and update, as necessary, the applicable map. 

4 (d) MOTORIZED AND NONMOTORIZED ACCESS.—The 

5 Secretaries shall seek to create additional opportunities, 

6 as appropriate, and in accordance with existing law, for 

7 motorized and nonmotorized access and opportunities on 

8 Federal recreational lands and waters administered by the 

9 Chief of the Forest Service or the Director of the Bureau 

10 of Land Management. 

11 (e) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section pro12 hibits a lawful use, including authorized motorized or non13 motorized uses, on Federal recreational lands and waters 

14 administered by the Chief of the Forest Service or the Di15 rector of the Bureau of Land Management, if the Sec16 retary concerned fails to meet a timeline established under 

17 this section. 

18 SEC. 128. AQUATIC RESOURCE ACTIVITIES ASSISTANCE. 

19 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 (1) AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES TASK

21 FORCE.—The term ‘‘Aquatic Nuisance Species Task 

22 Force’’ means the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task 

23 Force established by section 1201(a) of the Non24 indigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control 

25 Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C. 4721(a)). 


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1 (2) DECONTAMINATION.—The term ‘‘decon2 tamination’’ means actions to remove aquatic nui3 sance species to prevent introduction or spread into 

4 new aquatic ecosystems. 

5 (3) FEDERAL LAND AND WATER.—The term 

6 ‘‘Federal land and water’’ means Federal land and 

7 water operated and maintained by the Bureau of 

8 Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv9 ice, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Forest Service, 

10 or the National Park Service, as applicable. 

11 (4) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

12 has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 

13 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

14 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

15 (5) INSPECTION.—The term ‘‘inspection’’ 

16 means actions to find aquatic nuisance species to 

17 prevent introduction or spread into new aquatic eco18 systems. 

19 (6) PARTNER.—The term ‘‘partner’’ means— 

20 (A) a Reclamation State; 

21 (B) an Indian Tribe in a Reclamation 

22 State; 

23 (C) an applicable nonprofit organization in 

24 a Reclamation State; 


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1 (D) a unit of local government in a Rec2 lamation State; or 

3 (E) a private entity. 

4 (7) RECLAMATION STATE.—The term ‘‘Rec5 lamation State’’ includes any of the following States: 

6 (A) Alaska. 

7 (B) Arizona. 

8 (C) California. 

9 (D) Colorado. 

10 (E) Idaho. 

11 (F) Kansas. 

12 (G) Montana. 

13 (H) Nebraska. 

14 (I) Nevada. 

15 (J) New Mexico. 

16 (K) North Dakota. 

17 (L) Oklahoma. 

18 (M) Oregon. 

19 (N) South Dakota. 

20 (O) Texas. 

21 (P) Utah. 

22 (Q) Washington. 

23 (R) Wyoming. 

24 (8) RECLAMATION PROJECT.—The term ‘‘rec25 lamation project’’ has the meaning given such term 


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1 in section 2803(3) of the Reclamation Projects Au2 thorization and Adjustment Act of 1992 (16 U.S.C. 

3 460l-32(3)). 

4 (9) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

5 means each of the following: 

6 (A) The Secretary, acting through the Di7 rector of the Bureau of Land Management, the 

8 Commissioner of Reclamation, and the Director 

9 of the National Park Service. 

10 (B) The Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

11 through the Chief of the Forest Service. 

12 (10) VESSEL.—The term ‘‘vessel’’ means any 

13 watercraft or other contrivance used or designed for 

14 transportation or navigation on, under, or imme15 diately above, water. 

16 (b) AUTHORITY OF BUREAU OF LAND MANAGE17 MENT, BUREAU OF RECLAMATION, NATIONAL PARK

18 SERVICE, AND FOREST SERVICE WITH RESPECT TO CER19 TAIN AQUATIC RESOURCE ACTIVITIES ON FEDERAL LAND

20 AND WATERS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The head of each Federal 

22 land management agency is authorized to carry out 

23 inspections and decontamination of vessels entering 

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1 diction of the respective Federal land management 

2 agency. 

3 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretaries shall— 

4 (A) in carrying out an inspection and de5 contamination under paragraph (1), coordinate 

6 with 1 or more partners; 

7 (B) consult with the Aquatic Nuisance 

8 Species Task Force to identify potential im9 provements and efficiencies in the detection and 

10 management of aquatic nuisance species on 

11 Federal land and water; and 

12 (C) to the maximum extent practicable, in13 spect and decontaminate vessels in a manner 

14 that minimizes disruptions to public access for 

15 boating and recreation in noncontaminated ves16 sels. 

17 (3) PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretaries may 

18 enter into a partnership to lead, collaborate with, or 

19 provide technical assistance to a partner— 

20 (A) to carry out an inspection or decon21 tamination of vessels; or 

22 (B) to establish an inspection and decon23 tamination station for vessels. 

24 (4) LIMITATION.—The Secretaries shall not 

25 prohibit access to vessels due solely to the absence 


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1 of a Federal, State, or partner’s inspection program 

2 or station. 

3 (5) EXCEPTIONS.— 

4 (A) AUTHORITY TO REGULATE VESSELS.— 

5 Nothing in this section shall be construed to 

6 limit the authority of the Commandant of the 

7 Coast Guard to regulate vessels provided under 

8 any other provision of law. 

9 (B) APPLICABILITY.—Authorities granted 

10 in this subsection shall not apply at locations 

11 where inspection or decontamination activities 

12 would duplicate efforts by the Coast Guard. 

13 (6) DATA SHARING.—The Secretaries shall 

14 make available to a Reclamation State any relevant 

15 data gathered related to inspections or decontamina16 tions carried out under this subsection in such State. 

17 (c) GRANT PROGRAM FOR RECLAMATION STATES

18 FOR VESSEL INSPECTION AND DECONTAMINATION STA19 TIONS.— 

20 (1) VESSELS INSPECTIONS IN RECLAMATION

21 STATES.—Subject to the availability of appropria22 tions, the Secretary, acting through the Commis23 sioner of Reclamation, shall establish a competitive 

24 grant program to provide financial assistance to 

25 partners to conduct inspections and decontamination 


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1 of vessels operating in Reclamation projects, includ2 ing to purchase, establish, operate, or maintain a 

3 vessel inspection and decontamination station. 

4 (2) COST SHARE.—The Federal share of the 

5 cost of a grant under paragraph (1), including per6 sonnel costs, shall not exceed 75 percent. 

7 (3) STANDARDS.—Before awarding a grant 

8 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall determine 

9 that the project is technically and financially fea10 sible. 

11 (4) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this sub12 section, the Secretary shall coordinate with— 

13 (A) each of the Reclamation States; 

14 (B) affected Indian Tribes; and 

15 (C) the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task 

16 Force. 

17 Subtitle C—Supporting Gateway 

18 Communities and Addressing 

19 Park Overcrowding 

20 SEC. 131. GATEWAY COMMUNITIES. 

21 (a) ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS AND NEEDS IN GATE22 WAY COMMUNITIES.—The Secretaries— 

23 (1) shall collaborate with State and local gov24 ernments, Indian Tribes, housing authorities, appli25 cable trade associations, nonprofit organizations, priVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 vate entities, and other relevant stakeholders to 

2 identify needs and economic impacts in gateway 

3 communities, including— 

4 (A) housing shortages; 

5 (B) demands on existing municipal infra6 structure; 

7 (C) accommodation and management of 

8 sustainable visitation; and 

9 (D) the expansion and diversification of 

10 visitor experiences by bolstering the visitation 

11 at— 

12 (i) existing developed locations that 

13 are underutilized on nearby Federal rec14 reational lands and waters that are suit15 able for developing, expanding, or enhanc16 ing recreation use, as identified by the Sec17 retaries; or 

18 (ii) existing developed and suitable 

19 lesser-known recreation sites, as identified 

20 under section 5(b)(1)(B), on nearby land 

21 managed by a State agency or a local 

22 agency; and 

23 (2) may address a need identified under para24 graph (1) by— 


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1 (A) providing financial or technical assist2 ance to a gateway community under an existing 

3 program; 

4 (B) entering into an agreement, right-of5 way, or easement, in accordance with applicable 

6 laws; or 

7 (C) issuing an entity referred to in para8 graph (1) a special use permit (other than a 

9 special recreation permit (as defined in section 

10 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhance11 ment Act (16 U.S.C. 6801)), in accordance 

12 with applicable laws. 

13 (b) TECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO

14 BUSINESSES.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture 

16 (acting through the Administrator of the Rural 

17 Business-Cooperative Service), in coordination with 

18 the Secretary and the Secretary of Commerce, shall 

19 provide to businesses in gateway communities the 

20 assistance described in paragraph (2) to establish, 

21 operate, or expand infrastructure to accommodate 

22 and manage sustainable visitation, including hotels, 

23 campgrounds, and restaurants. 

24 (2) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of Agriculture 

25 may provide assistance under paragraph (1) through 


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1 the use of existing, or the establishment of new, en2 trepreneur and vocational training programs, tech3 nical assistance programs, low-interest business loan 

4 programs, and loan guarantee programs. 

5 (c) PARTNERSHIPS.—In carrying out this section, the 

6 Secretaries may, in accordance with applicable laws, enter 

7 into a public-private partnership, cooperative agreement, 

8 memorandum of understanding, or similar agreement with 

9 a gateway community or a business in a gateway commu10 nity. 

11 SEC. 132. IMPROVED RECREATION VISITATION DATA. 

12 (a) CONSISTENT VISITATION DATA.— 

13 (1) ANNUAL VISITATION DATA.—The Secre14 taries shall establish a single visitation data report15 ing system to report accurate annual visitation data, 

16 in a consistent manner, for— 

17 (A) each unit of Federal recreational lands 

18 and waters; and 

19 (B) land held in trust for an Indian Tribe, 

20 on request of the Indian Tribe. 

21 (2) CATEGORIES OF USE.—Within the visitation 

22 data reporting system established under paragraph 

23 (1), the Secretaries shall— 


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1 (A) establish multiple categories of dif2 ferent recreation activities that are reported 

3 consistently across agencies; and 

4 (B) provide an estimate of the number of 

5 visitors for each applicable category established 

6 under subparagraph (A) for each unit of Fed7 eral recreational lands and waters. 

8 (b) REAL-TIME DATA PILOT PROGRAM.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years after 

10 the date of the enactment of this title, using existing 

11 funds available to the Secretaries, the Secretaries 

12 shall carry out a pilot program, to be known as the 

13 ‘‘Real-Time Data Pilot Program’’ (referred to in this 

14 section as the ‘‘Pilot Program’’), to make available 

15 to the public, for each unit of Federal recreational 

16 lands and waters selected for participation in the 

17 Pilot Program under paragraph (2)— 

18 (A) real-time or predictive data on visita19 tion (including data and resources publicly 

20 available from existing nongovernmental plat21 forms) at— 

22 (i) the unit of Federal recreational 

23 lands and waters; 


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1 (ii) to the extent practicable, areas 

2 within the unit of Federal recreational 

3 lands and waters; and 

4 (iii) to the extent practicable, recre5 ation sites managed by any other Federal 

6 agency, a State agency, or a local agency 

7 that are located near the unit of Federal 

8 recreational lands and waters; and 

9 (B) through multiple media platforms, in10 formation about lesser-known recreation sites 

11 located near the unit of Federal recreational 

12 lands and waters (including recreation sites 

13 managed by any other Federal agency, a State 

14 agency, or a local agency), in an effort to en15 courage visitation among recreational sites. 

16 (2) LOCATIONS.— 

17 (A) INITIAL NUMBER OF UNITS.—On es18 tablishment of the Pilot Program, the Secre19 taries shall select for participation in the Pilot 

20 Program— 

21 (i) 10 units of Federal recreational 

22 lands and waters managed by the Sec23 retary; 

24 (ii) 5 units of Federal recreational 

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1 retary of Agriculture (acting through the 

2 Chief of the Forest Service); 

3 (iii) 1 unit of Federal recreational 

4 lands and waters managed by the Sec5 retary of Commerce (acting through the 

6 Administrator of the National Oceanic and 

7 Atmospheric Administration); and 

8 (iv) 1 unit of Federal recreational 

9 lands and waters managed by the Assist10 ant Secretary of Army for Civil Works. 

11 (B) REPORT.—Not later than 6 years after 

12 the date of the enactment of this title, the Sec13 retaries shall submit a report to Congress re14 garding the implementation of the pilot pro15 gram, including policy recommendations to ex16 pand the pilot program to additional units man17 aged by the Secretaries. 

18 (C) FEEDBACK; SUPPORT OF GATEWAY

19 COMMUNITIES.—The Secretaries shall— 

20 (i) solicit feedback regarding partici21 pation in the Pilot Program from commu22 nities adjacent to units of Federal rec23 reational lands and waters and the public; 

24 and 


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1 (ii) in carrying out subparagraphs (A) 

2 and (B), select a unit of Federal recreation 

3 lands and waters to participate in the Pilot 

4 Program only if the community adjacent to 

5 the unit of Federal recreational lands and 

6 waters is supportive of the participation of 

7 the unit of Federal recreational lands and 

8 waters in the Pilot Program. 

9 (3) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The 

10 Secretaries may disseminate the information de11 scribed in paragraph (1) directly or through an enti12 ty or organization referred to in subsection (c). 

13 (4) INCLUSION OF CURRENT ASSESSMENTS.— 

14 In carrying out the Pilot Program, the Secretaries 

15 may, to the extent practicable, rely on assessments 

16 completed or data gathered prior to the date of en17 actment of this title. 

18 (c) COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND THIRD-PARTY PRO19 VIDERS.—For purposes of carrying out this section, the 

20 Secretary concerned may— 

21 (1) coordinate and partner with— 

22 (A) communities adjacent to units of Fed23 eral recreational lands and waters; 

24 (B) State and local outdoor recreation and 

25 tourism offices; 


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1 (C) local governments; 

2 (D) Indian Tribes; 

3 (E) trade associations; 

4 (F) local outdoor recreation marketing or5 ganizations; 

6 (G) permitted facilitated recreation pro7 viders; or 

8 (H) other relevant stakeholders; and 

9 (2) coordinate or enter into agreements, as ap10 propriate, with private sector and nonprofit part11 ners, including— 

12 (A) technology companies; 

13 (B) geospatial data companies; 

14 (C) experts in data science, analytics, and 

15 operations research; or 

16 (D) data companies. 

17 (d) EXISTING PROGRAMS.—The Secretaries may use 

18 existing programs or products of the Secretaries to carry 

19 out this section. 

20 (e) PRIVACY CLAUSES.—Nothing in this section pro21 vides authority to the Secretaries— 

22 (1) to monitor or record the movements of a 

23 visitor to a unit of Federal recreational lands and 

24 waters; 


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1 (2) to restrict, interfere with, or monitor a pri2 vate communication of a visitor to a unit of Federal 

3 recreational lands and waters; or 

4 (3) to collect— 

5 (A) information from owners of land adja6 cent to a unit of Federal recreational lands and 

7 waters; or 

8 (B) information on non-Federal land. 

9 (f) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

10 of the enactment of this title, and annually thereafter, the 

11 Secretaries shall publish on a website of the Secretaries 

12 a report that describes the annual visitation of each unit 

13 of Federal recreational lands and waters, including, to the 

14 maximum extent practicable, visitation categorized by rec15 reational activity. 

16 (g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

17 (1) FEDERAL RECREATIONAL LANDS AND

18 WATERS.—The term ‘‘Federal recreational lands and 

19 waters’’— 

20 (A) has the meaning given the term in sec21 tion 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation En22 hancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801); and 

23 (B) includes Federal lands and waters 

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1 pheric Administration and the U.S. Army Corps 

2 of Engineers. 

3 (2) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

4 means— 

5 (A) the Secretary, with respect to lands 

6 under the jurisdiction of the Secretary; 

7 (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

8 through the Chief of the Forest Service, with 

9 respect to lands under the jurisdiction of the 

10 Forest Service; 

11 (C) the Secretary of Commerce, acting 

12 through the Administrator of the National Oce13 anic and Atmospheric Administration, with re14 spect to Federal waters under the jurisdiction 

15 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad16 ministration; and 

17 (D) the Assistant Secretary of Army for 

18 Civil Works, with respect to lakes and res19 ervoirs under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army 

20 Corps of Engineers. 

21 SEC. 133. MONITORING FOR IMPROVED RECREATION DECI22 SION MAKING. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall seek to cap24 ture comprehensive recreation use data to better under25 stand and inform decision making by the Secretaries. 


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1 (b) PILOT PROTOCOLS.—Not later than 1 year after 

2 the date of the enactment of this title, and after public 

3 notice and comment, the Secretaries shall establish pilot 

4 protocols at not fewer than 10 land management units 

5 under the jurisdiction of each of the Secretaries to model 

6 recreation use patterns (including low-use recreation ac7 tivities and dispersed recreation activities) that may not 

8 be effectively measured by existing general and opportun9 istic survey and monitoring protocols. 

10 (c) SECRETARIES DEFINED.—In this section, the 

11 term ‘‘Secretaries’’ means— 

12 (1) the Secretary, with respect to lands under 

13 the jurisdiction of the Secretary; 

14 (2) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 

15 the Chief of the Forest Service, with respect to lands 

16 under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service; 

17 (3) the Secretary of Commerce, acting through 

18 the Administrator of the National Oceanic and At19 mospheric Administration, with respect to Federal 

20 waters under the jurisdiction of the National Oce21 anic and Atmospheric Administration; and 

22 (4) the Assistant Secretary of Army for Civil 

23 Works, with respect to lakes and reservoirs under 

24 the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engi25 neers. 


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1 Subtitle D—Broadband 

2 Connectivity on Federal Rec3 reational Lands and Waters 

4 SEC. 141. CONNECT OUR PARKS. 

5 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON7 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con8 gress’’ means— 

9 (A) the Committee on Energy and Natural 

10 Resources of the Senate; 

11 (B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

12 and Transportation of the Senate; 

13 (C) the Committee on Natural Resources 

14 of the House of Representatives; and 

15 (D) the Committee on Energy and Com16 merce of the House of Representatives. 

17 (2) BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE.— 

18 The term ‘‘broadband internet access service’’ has 

19 the meaning given the term in section 8.1(b) of title 

20 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor reg21 ulation). 

22 (3) CELLULAR SERVICE.—The term ‘‘cellular 

23 service’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

24 22.99 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or a 

25 successor regulation). 


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1 (4) NATIONAL PARK.—The term ‘‘National 

2 Park’’ means a unit of the National Park System. 

3 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

4 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di5 rector of the National Park Service. 

6 (b) ASSESSMENT.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

8 the date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary 

9 shall complete an assessment of National Parks to 

10 identify— 

11 (A) locations in National Parks in which 

12 there is the greatest need for broadband inter13 net access service, based on the considerations 

14 described in paragraph (2)(A); and 

15 (B) areas in National Parks in which there 

16 is the greatest need for cellular service, based 

17 on the considerations described in paragraph 

18 (2)(B). 

19 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.— 

20 (A) BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS SERV21 ICE.—For purposes of identifying locations in 

22 National Parks under paragraph (1)(A), the 

23 Secretary shall consider, with respect to each 

24 National Park, the availability of broadband 

25 internet access service in— 


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1 (i) housing; 

2 (ii) administrative facilities and re3 lated structures; 

4 (iii) lodging; 

5 (iv) developed campgrounds; and 

6 (v) any other location within the Na7 tional Park in which broadband internet 

8 access service is determined to be nec9 essary by the superintendent of the Na10 tional Park. 

11 (B) CELLULAR SERVICE.—For purposes of 

12 identifying areas in National Parks under para13 graph (1)(B), the Secretary shall consider, with 

14 respect to each National Park, the availability 

15 of cellular service in any developed area within 

16 the National Park that would increase— 

17 (i) the access of the public to emer18 gency services and traveler information 

19 technologies; or 

20 (ii) the communications capabilities of 

21 National Park Service employees. 

22 (3) REPORT.—On completion of the assessment 

23 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to 

24 the appropriate committees of Congress, and make 

25 available on the website of the Department of the 


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1 Interior, a report describing the results of the as2 sessment. 

3 (c) PLAN.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

5 the date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary 

6 shall develop a plan, based on the results of the as7 sessment completed under subsection (b) and subject 

8 to paragraph (4)— 

9 (A) to install broadband internet access 

10 service infrastructure in certain locations in Na11 tional Parks; and 

12 (B) to install cellular service equipment 

13 and infrastructure in certain areas of National 

14 Parks. 

15 (2) CONSULTATION.—In developing the plan 

16 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult 

17 with— 

18 (A) affected Indian Tribes; and 

19 (B) local stakeholders that the super20 intendent of the applicable National Park deter21 mines to be appropriate. 

22 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—The plan developed 

23 under paragraph (1) shall— 

24 (A) provide for avoiding or minimizing im25 pacts to— 


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1 (i) National Park viewsheds; 

2 (ii) cultural and natural resources; 

3 (iii) the visitor experience; 

4 (iv) historic properties and the 

5 viewsheds of historic properties; and 

6 (v) other resources or values of the 

7 National Park. 

8 (B) provide for infrastructure providing 

9 broadband internet access service or cellular 

10 service to be located in— 

11 (i) previously disturbed or developed 

12 areas; or 

13 (ii) areas zoned for uses that would 

14 support the infrastructure; 

15 (C) provide for the use of public-private 

16 partnerships— 

17 (i) to install broadband internet ac18 cess service or cellular service equipment; 

19 and 

20 (ii) to provide broadband internet ac21 cess service or cellular service; 

22 (D) be technology neutral; and 

23 (E) in the case of broadband internet ac24 cess service, provide for broadband internet ac25 cess service of at least— 


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1 (i) a 100–Mbps downstream trans2 mission capacity; and 

3 (ii) a 20–Mbps upstream transmission 

4 capacity. 

5 (4) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding paragraph 

6 (1), a plan developed under that paragraph shall not 

7 be required to address broadband internet access 

8 service or cellular service in any National Park with 

9 respect to which the superintendent of the National 

10 Park determines that there is adequate access to 

11 broadband internet access service or cellular service, 

12 as applicable. 

13 SEC. 142. BROADBAND INTERNET CONNECTIVITY AT DE14 VELOPED RECREATION SITES. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary and the Chief of 

16 the Forest Service shall enter into an agreement with the 

17 Secretary of Commerce to foster the installation or con18 struction of broadband internet infrastructure at devel19 oped recreation sites on Federal recreational lands and 

20 waters to establish broadband internet connectivity— 

21 (1) subject to the availability of appropriations; 

22 and 

23 (2) in accordance with applicable law. 

24 (b) IDENTIFICATION.—Not later than 3 years after 

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1 after through fiscal year 2031, the Secretary and the 

2 Chief of the Forest Service, in coordination with States 

3 and local communities, shall make publicly available— 

4 (1) a list of the highest priority developed recre5 ation sites, as determined under subsection (c), on 

6 Federal recreational lands and waters that lack 

7 broadband internet; 

8 (2) to the extent practicable, an estimate of— 

9 (A) the cost to equip each of those sites 

10 with broadband internet infrastructure; and 

11 (B) the annual cost to operate that infra12 structure; and 

13 (3) a list of potential— 

14 (A) barriers to operating the infrastructure 

15 described in paragraph (2)(A); and 

16 (B) methods to recover the costs of that 

17 operation. 

18 (c) PRIORITIES.—In selecting developed recreation 

19 sites for the list described in subsection (b)(1), the Sec20 retary and the Chief of the Forest Service shall give pri21 ority to developed recreation sites— 

22 (1) at which broadband internet infrastructure 

23 has not been constructed due to— 

24 (A) geographic challenges; or 


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1 (B) the location having an insufficient 

2 number of nearby permanent residents, despite 

3 high seasonal or daily visitation levels; or 

4 (2) that are located in an economically dis5 tressed county that could benefit significantly from 

6 developing the outdoor recreation economy of the 

7 county. 

8 SEC. 143. PUBLIC LANDS TELECOMMUNICATIONS COOPER9 ATIVE AGREEMENTS. 

10 (a) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS FOR THE DEPART11 MENT OF THE INTERIOR.—The Secretary may enter into 

12 cooperative agreements to carry out activities related to 

13 communications sites on lands managed by Federal land 

14 management agencies, including— 

15 (1) administering communications use author16 izations; 

17 (2) preparing needs assessments or other pro18 grammatic analyses necessary to establish commu19 nications sites and authorize communications uses 

20 on or adjacent to Federal recreational lands and 

21 waters managed by a Federal land management 

22 agency; 

23 (3) developing management plans for commu24 nications sites on or adjacent to Federal recreational 

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1 agement agency on a competitively neutral, tech2 nology neutral, nondiscriminatory basis; 

3 (4) training for management of communications 

4 sites on or adjacent to Federal recreational lands 

5 and waters managed by a Federal land management 

6 agency; 

7 (5) obtaining, improving access to, or estab8 lishing communications sites on or adjacent to Fed9 eral recreational lands and waters managed by a 

10 Federal land management agency; and 

11 (6) any combination of purposes described in 

12 subparagraphs (1) through (5). 

13 (b) CLARIFICATION OF COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

14 AUTHORITY FOR THE FOREST SERVICE.—Section 8705(f) 

15 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (43 U.S.C. 

16 1761a(f)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(6) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT AUTHORITY.— 

18 Subject to the availability of appropriations made in 

19 advance for such purposes, the Secretary may enter 

20 into cooperative agreements to carry out the activi21 ties described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of 

22 paragraph (4).’’. 

23 (c) ASSESSMENT OF RENTAL FEE RETENTION AU24 THORITY.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the en25 actment of this title, the Secretary shall conduct a comVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00079 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 prehensive assessment to evaluate the potential benefits 

2 of rental fee retention whereby any fee collected for the 

3 occupancy and use of Federal lands and waters authorized 

4 by a communications use authorization would be deposited 

5 into a special account and used solely for activities related 

6 to communications sites on lands and waters managed by 

7 the Secretary. 

8 Subtitle E—Public–Private Parks 

9 Partnerships 

10 SEC. 151. AUTHORIZATION FOR LEASE OF FOREST SERVICE 

11 ADMINISTRATIVE SITES. 

12 Section 8623 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 

13 2018 (16 U.S.C. 580d note; Public Law 115–334) is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(D), by striking ‘‘dwell16 ing;’’ and inserting ‘‘dwelling or multiunit dwell17 ing;’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘Secretary’’ in 

19 the middle of the sentence and inserting ‘‘Chief of 

20 the Forest Service, or their designee’’; 

21 (3) in subsection (e)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (3)(B)(ii)— 

23 (i) in subclause (I), by inserting ‘‘such 

24 as housing,’’ after ‘‘improvements,’’; 


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1 (ii) in subclause (II), by striking 

2 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

3 (iii) in subclause (III), by striking 

4 ‘‘or’’ at the end and inserting ‘‘and’’; and 

5 (iv) by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(IV) services occurring off the 

8 administrative site that— 

9 ‘‘(aa) occur at another ad10 ministrative site in the same unit 

11 in which the administrative site 

12 is located or a different unit of 

13 the National Forest System; 

14 ‘‘(bb) benefit the National 

15 Forest System; and 

16 ‘‘(cc) support activities oc17 curring within the unit of the 

18 National Forest System in which 

19 the administrative site is located; 

20 or’’; and 

21 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(6) LEASE TERM.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term of a lease of 

24 an administrative site under this section shall 

25 be not more than 100 years. 


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1 ‘‘(B) REAUTHORIZATION OF USE.—A lease 

2 of an administrative site under this section shall 

3 include a provision for reauthorization of the 

4 use if the— 

5 ‘‘(i) use of the administrative site, at 

6 the time of reauthorization, is still being 

7 used for the purposes authorized; 

8 ‘‘(ii) use to be authorized under the 

9 new lease is consistent with the applicable 

10 land management plan; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) lessee is in compliance with all 

12 the terms of the existing lease.’’ 

13 ‘‘(C) SAVINGS.—A reauthorization of use 

14 under subparagraph (B) may include new terms 

15 in the use, as determined by the Chief of the 

16 Forest Service, or their designee.’’; 

17 (4) in subsection (g), by— 

18 (A) striking ‘‘to a leaseholder’’ after ‘‘pay19 ments’’; and 

20 (B) inserting ‘‘or constructed’’ after ‘‘im21 proved’’; and 

22 (5) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘2023’’ each 

23 place it appears and inserting ‘‘2028’’. 


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1 SEC. 152. PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS CREATING TAN2 GIBLE SAVINGS. 

3 Section 101703 of title 54, United States Code, is 

4 amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘§ 101703. Cooperative management agreements 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To facilitate the administration 

7 of the System, the Secretary, under such terms and condi8 tions as the Secretary considers advisable, may enter into 

9 an agreement with an eligible entity managing lands and 

10 waters located near a System unit to provide for coopera11 tive management of either a System unit or the lands and 

12 waters located near a System unit to promote more effec13 tive and efficient management of a System unit. The Sec14 retary may not transfer administration responsibilities for 

15 any System unit under this paragraph. 

16 ‘‘(b) PROVISION OF GOODS AND SERVICES.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Under a cooperative man18 agement agreement, the Secretary may acquire by 

19 purchase, donation, or exchange from and provide to 

20 an eligible entity on a reimbursable basis goods and 

21 services to be used by the Secretary or the eligible 

22 entity in the cooperative management of land and 

23 waters. 

24 ‘‘(2) RETENTION OF FUNDS.—Reimbursements 

25 received under this section may be credited to the 


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1 appropriation current at the time reimbursements 

2 are received. 

3 ‘‘(c) CO-LOCATION.—Under the cooperative manage4 ment agreement, the Secretary and an eligible entity may 

5 co-locate in offices and facilities owned or leased by either 

6 party. 

7 ‘‘(d) EMPLOYEES.— 

8 ‘‘(1) ASSIGNMENT OF EMPLOYEE.—The Sec9 retary may arrange an assignment under section 

10 3372 of title 5 of a Federal employee or an employee 

11 of an eligible entity as mutually agreed upon, for 

12 work on any Federal, State, local, or Tribal land. 

13 ‘‘(2) EXTENSION OF ASSIGNMENT.—The as14 signment provided in paragraph (1) may be extended 

15 for any period of time determined by the Secretary 

16 and the eligible entity to be mutually beneficial. 

17 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

18 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en19 tity’ means a State or local entity or any political 

20 subdivision thereof, or an Indian Tribe or Tribal or21 ganization. 

22 ‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian Tribe’ 

23 has the meaning given the term in section 4(e) of 

24 the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assist25 ance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304(e)). 


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1 ‘‘(3) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 

2 the several States, the District of Columbia, and 

3 each territory of the United States. 

4 ‘‘(4) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘Tribal 

5 organization’ has the meaning given the term in sec6 tion 4(l) of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu7 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304(1)).’’. 

8 SEC. 153. PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS TO MODERNIZE 

9 FEDERALLY OWNED CAMPGROUNDS, RE10 SORTS, CABINS, AND VISITOR CENTERS ON 

11 FEDERAL RECREATIONAL LANDS AND 

12 WATERS. 

13 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 (1) COVERED ACTIVITY.—The term ‘‘covered 

15 activity’’ means— 

16 (A) a capital improvement, including the 

17 construction, reconstruction, and nonroutine 

18 maintenance of any structure, infrastructure, or 

19 improvement, relating to the operation of, or 

20 access to, a covered recreation facility; and 

21 (B) any activity necessary to operate or 

22 maintain a covered recreation facility. 

23 (2) COVERED RECREATION FACILITY.—The 

24 term ‘‘covered recreation facility’’ means a federally 


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1 owned campground, resort, cabin, or visitor center 

2 that is— 

3 (A) in existence on the date of the enact4 ment of this title; and 

5 (B) located on Federal recreational lands 

6 and waters administered by— 

7 (i) the Chief of the Forest Service; or 

8 (ii) the Director of the Bureau of 

9 Land Management. 

10 (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti11 ty’’ means— 

12 (A) a unit of State, Tribal, or local govern13 ment; 

14 (B) a nonprofit organization; and 

15 (C) a private entity. 

16 (b) PILOT PROGRAM.—The Secretaries shall estab17 lish a pilot program under which the Secretary concerned 

18 may enter into an agreement with, or issue or amend a 

19 land use authorization to, an eligible entity to allow the 

20 eligible entity to carry out covered activities relating to 

21 a covered recreation facility, subject to the requirements 

22 of this section and the terms of any relevant land use au23 thorization, regardless of whether the eligible entity holds, 

24 on the date of the enactment of this title, an authorization 

25 to be a concessionaire for the covered recreation facility. 


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1 (c) MINIMUM NUMBER OF AGREEMENTS OR LAND

2 USE AUTHORIZATIONS.—Not later than 3 years after the 

3 date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary concerned 

4 shall enter into at least 1 agreement or land use authoriza5 tion under subsection (b) in— 

6 (1) a unit of the National Forest System in 

7 each region of the National Forest System; and 

8 (2) Federal recreational lands and waters ad9 ministered by the Director of the Bureau of Land 

10 Management in not fewer than 5 States in which the 

11 Bureau of Land Management administers Federal 

12 recreational lands and waters. 

13 (d) REQUIREMENTS.— 

14 (1) DEVELOPMENT PLANS.—Before entering 

15 into an agreement or issuing a land use authoriza16 tion under subsection (b), an eligible entity shall 

17 submit to the Secretary concerned a development 

18 plan that— 

19 (A) describes investments in the covered 

20 recreation facility to be made by the eligible en21 tity during the first 3 years of the agreement 

22 or land use authorization; 

23 (B) describes annual maintenance spend24 ing to be made by the eligible entity for each 


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1 year of the agreement or land use authoriza2 tion; and 

3 (C) includes any other terms and condi4 tions determined to be necessary or appropriate 

5 by the Secretary concerned. 

6 (2) AGREEMENTS AND LAND USE AUTHORIZA7 TIONS.—An agreement or land use authorization 

8 under subsection (b) shall— 

9 (A) be for a term of not more than 30 

10 years, commensurate with the level of invest11 ment; 

12 (B) require that, not later than 3 years 

13 after the date on which the Secretary concerned 

14 enters into the agreement or issues or amends 

15 the land use authorization, the applicable eligi16 ble entity shall expend, place in an escrow ac17 count for the eligible entity to expend, or de18 posit in a special account in the Treasury for 

19 expenditure by the Secretary concerned, without 

20 further appropriation, for covered activities re21 lating to the applicable covered recreation facil22 ity, an amount or specified percentage, as de23 termined by the Secretary concerned, which 

24 shall be equal to not less than $500,000, of the 


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1 anticipated receipts for the term of the agree2 ment or land use authorization; 

3 (C) require the eligible entity to operate 

4 and maintain the covered recreation facility and 

5 any associated infrastructure designated by the 

6 Secretary concerned in a manner acceptable to 

7 the Secretary concerned and the eligible entity; 

8 (D) include any terms and conditions that 

9 the Secretary concerned determines to be nec10 essary for a special use permit issued under 

11 section 7 of the Act of April 24, 1950 (com12 monly known as the ‘‘Granger-Thye Act’’) (64 

13 Stat. 84, chapter 97; 16 U.S.C. 580d), includ14 ing the payment described in subparagraph (E) 

15 or the Federal Land Policy and Management 

16 Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), as appli17 cable; 

18 (E) provide for payment to the Federal 

19 Government of a fee or a sharing of revenue— 

20 (i) consistent with— 

21 (I) the land use fee for a special 

22 use permit authorized under section 7 

23 of the Act of April 24, 1950 (com24 monly known as the ‘‘Granger-Thye 


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1 Act’’) (64 Stat. 84, chapter 97; 16 

2 U.S.C. 580d); or 

3 (II) the value to the eligible enti4 ty of the rights provided by the agree5 ment or land use authorization, taking 

6 into account the capital invested by, 

7 and obligations of, the eligible entity 

8 under the agreement or land use au9 thorization; and 

10 (ii) all or part of which may be offset 

11 by the work to be performed at the ex12 pense of the eligible entity that is separate 

13 from the routine costs of operating and 

14 maintaining the applicable covered recre15 ation facility and any associated infrastruc16 ture designated by the Secretary con17 cerned, as determined to be appropriate by 

18 the Secretary concerned; 

19 (F) include provisions stating that— 

20 (i) the eligible entity shall obtain no 

21 property interest in the covered recreation 

22 facility pursuant to the expenditures of the 

23 eligible entity, as required by the agree24 ment or land use authorization; 


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1 (ii) all structures and other improve2 ments constructed, reconstructed, or non3 routinely maintained by that entity under 

4 the agreement or land use authorization on 

5 land owned by the United States shall be 

6 the property of the United States; and 

7 (iii) the eligible entity shall be solely 

8 responsible for any cost associated with the 

9 decommissioning or removal of a capital 

10 improvement, if needed, at the conclusion 

11 of the agreement or land use authorization; 

12 and 

13 (G) be subject to any other terms and con14 ditions determined to be necessary or appro15 priate by the Secretary concerned. 

16 (e) LAND USE FEE RETENTION.—A land use fee 

17 paid or revenue shared with the Secretary concerned 

18 under an agreement or land use authorization under this 

19 section shall be available for expenditure by the Secretary 

20 concerned for recreation-related purposes on the unit or 

21 area of Federal recreational lands and waters at which the 

22 land use fee or revenue is collected, without further appro23 priation. 


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1 SEC. 154. PARKING AND RESTROOM OPPORTUNITIES FOR 

2 FEDERAL RECREATIONAL LANDS AND 

3 WATERS. 

4 (a) PARKING OPPORTUNITIES.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall seek to 

6 increase and improve parking opportunities for per7 sons recreating on Federal recreational lands and 

8 waters— 

9 (A) in accordance with existing laws and 

10 applicable land use plans; 

11 (B) in a manner that minimizes any in12 crease in maintenance obligations on Federal 

13 recreational lands and waters; and 

14 (C) in a manner that does not impact wild15 life habitat that is critical to the mission of a 

16 Federal agency responsible for managing Fed17 eral recreational lands and waters. 

18 (2) AUTHORITY.—To supplement the quantity 

19 of parking spaces available at units of Federal rec20 reational lands and waters on the date of the enact21 ment of this title, the Secretaries may— 

22 (A) enter into a public-private partnership 

23 for parking opportunities on non-Federal land; 

24 (B) enter into contracts or agreements 

25 with State, Tribal, or local governments for 


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1 parking opportunities using non-Federal lands 

2 and resources; or 

3 (C) provide alternative transportation sys4 tems for a unit of Federal recreational lands 

5 and waters. 

6 (b) RESTROOM OPPORTUNITIES.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall seek to 

8 increase and improve the function, cleanliness, and 

9 availability of restroom facilities for persons recre10 ating on Federal recreational lands and waters, in11 cluding by entering into partnerships with non-Fed12 eral partners, including State, Tribal, and local gov13 ernments and volunteer organizations. 

14 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

15 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall 

16 submit a report to Congress that identifies— 

17 (A) challenges to maintaining or improving 

18 the function, cleanliness, and availability of 

19 restroom facilities on Federal recreational lands 

20 and waters; 

21 (B) the current state of restroom facilities 

22 on Federal recreational lands and waters and 

23 the effect restroom facilities have on visitor ex24 periences; and 


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1 (C) policy recommendations that suggest 

2 innovative new models or partnerships to in3 crease or improve the function, cleanliness, and 

4 availability of restroom facilities for persons re5 creating on Federal recreational lands and 

6 waters. 

7 SEC. 155. PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE PROJECTS. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 (1) INDEPENDENT EVALUATOR.—The term 

10 ‘‘independent evaluator’’ means an individual or en11 tity, including an institution of higher education, 

12 that is selected by the pay-for-performance bene13 ficiary and pay-for-performance investor, as applica14 ble, or by the pay-for-performance project developer, 

15 in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to 

16 make the determinations and prepare the reports re17 quired under subsection (e). 

18 (2) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LAND.—The 

19 term ‘‘National Forest System land’’ means land in 

20 the National Forest System (as defined in section 

21 11(a) of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Re22 sources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1609(a))). 

23 (3) PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE AGREEMENT.—The 

24 term ‘‘pay-for-performance agreement’’ means a mu25 tual benefit agreement (excluding a procurement 


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1 contract, grant agreement, or cooperative agreement 

2 described in chapter 63 of title 31, United States 

3 Code) for a pay-for-performance project— 

4 (A) with a term of— 

5 (i) not less than 1 year; and 

6 (ii) not more than 20 years; and 

7 (B) that is executed, in accordance with 

8 applicable law, by— 

9 (i) the Secretary of Agriculture; and 

10 (ii) a pay-for-performance beneficiary 

11 or pay-for-performance project developer. 

12 (4) PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE BENEFICIARY.— 

13 The term ‘‘pay-for-performance beneficiary’’ means 

14 a State or local government, an Indian Tribe, or a 

15 nonprofit or for-profit organization that— 

16 (A) repays capital loaned upfront by a pay17 for-performance investor, based on a project 

18 outcome specified in a pay-for-performance 

19 agreement; or 

20 (B) provides capital directly for costs asso21 ciated with a pay-for-performance project. 

22 (5) PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE INVESTOR.—The 

23 term ‘‘pay-for-performance investor’’ means a State 

24 or local government, an Indian Tribe, or a nonprofit 

25 or for-profit organization that provides upfront 


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1 loaned capital for a pay-for-performance project with 

2 the expectation of a financial return dependent on a 

3 project outcome. 

4 (6) PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE PROJECT.—The 

5 term ‘‘pay-for-performance project’’ means a project 

6 that— 

7 (A) would provide or enhance a rec8 reational opportunity; 

9 (B) is conducted on— 

10 (i) National Forest System land; or 

11 (ii) other land, if the activities would 

12 benefit National Forest System land (in13 cluding a recreational use of National For14 est System land); and 

15 (C) would use an innovative funding or fi16 nancing model that leverages— 

17 (i) loaned capital from a pay-for-per18 formance investor to cover upfront costs 

19 associated with a pay-for-performance 

20 project, with the loaned capital repaid by a 

21 pay-for-performance beneficiary at a rate 

22 of return dependent on a project outcome, 

23 as measured by an independent evaluator; 

24 or 


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1 (ii) capital directly from a pay-for-per2 formance beneficiary to support costs asso3 ciated with a pay-for-performance project 

4 in an amount based on an anticipated 

5 project outcome. 

6 (7) PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE PROJECT DEVEL7 OPER.—The term ‘‘pay-for-performance project de8 veloper’’ means a nonprofit or for-profit organization 

9 that serves as an intermediary to assist in devel10 oping or implementing a pay-for-performance agree11 ment or a pay-for-performance project. 

12 (8) PROJECT OUTCOME.—The term ‘‘project 

13 outcome’’ means a measurable, beneficial result 

14 (whether economic, environmental, or social) that is 

15 attributable to a pay-for-performance project and de16 scribed in a pay-for-performance agreement. 

17 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PILOT PROGRAM.—The Sec18 retary of Agriculture shall establish a pilot program in ac19 cordance with this section to carry out 1 or more pay20 for-performance projects. 

21 (c) PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE PROJECTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Using funds made available 

23 through a pay-for-performance agreement or appro24 priations, all or any portion of a pay-for-perform25 ance project may be implemented by— 


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1 (A) the Secretary of Agriculture; or 

2 (B) a pay-for-performance project devel3 oper or a third party, subject to the conditions 

4 that— 

5 (i) the Secretary of Agriculture shall 

6 approve the implementation by the pay-for7 performance project developer or third 

8 party; and 

9 (ii) the implementation is in accord10 ance with applicable law. 

11 (2) RELATION TO LAND MANAGEMENT

12 PLANS.—A pay-for-performance project carried out 

13 under this section shall be consistent with any appli14 cable land management plan developed under section 

15 6 of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 

16 Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604). 

17 (3) OWNERSHIP.— 

18 (A) NEW IMPROVEMENTS.—The United 

19 States shall have title to any improvements in20 stalled on National Forest System land as part 

21 of a pay-for-performance project. 

22 (B) EXISTING IMPROVEMENTS.—Investing 

23 in, conducting, or completing a pay-for-perform24 ance project on National Forest System land 


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1 shall not affect the title of the United States 

2 to— 

3 (i) any federally owned improvements 

4 involved in the pay-for-performance 

5 project; or 

6 (ii) the underlying land. 

7 (4) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—The carrying out of any 

8 action for a pay-for-performance project does not 

9 provide any right to any party to a pay-for-perform10 ance agreement. 

11 (5) POTENTIAL CONFLICTS.—Before approving 

12 a pay-for-performance project under this section, the 

13 Secretary of Agriculture shall consider and seek to 

14 avoid potential conflicts (including economic com15 petition) with any existing written authorized use. 

16 (d) PROJECT AGREEMENTS.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the Act of 

18 June 30, 1914 (38 Stat. 430, chapter 131; 16 

19 U.S.C. 498), or subtitle C of title XX of the Social 

20 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397n et seq.), in carrying 

21 out the pilot program under this section, the Sec22 retary of Agriculture may enter into a pay-for-per23 formance agreement under which a pay-for-perform24 ance beneficiary, pay-for-performance investor, or 

25 pay-for-performance project developer agrees to pay 


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1 for or finance all or part of a pay-for-performance 

2 project. 

3 (2) SIZE LIMITATION.—The Secretary of Agri4 culture may not enter into a pay-for-performance 

5 agreement under the pilot program under this sec6 tion for a pay-for-performance project valued at 

7 more than $15,000,000. 

8 (3) FINANCING.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—A pay-for-performance 

10 agreement shall specify the amounts that a pay11 for-performance beneficiary or a pay-for-per12 formance project developer agrees to pay to a 

13 pay-for-performance investor or a pay-for-per14 formance project developer, as appropriate, in 

15 the event of an independent evaluator deter16 mining pursuant to subsection (e) the degree to 

17 which a project outcome has been achieved. 

18 (B) ELIGIBLE PAYMENTS.—An amount de19 scribed in subparagraph (A) shall be— 

20 (i) based on— 

21 (I) the respective contributions of 

22 the parties under the pay-for-perform23 ance agreement; and 


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1 (II) the economic, environmental, 

2 or social benefits derived from the 

3 project outcomes; and 

4 (ii)(I) a percentage of the estimated 

5 value of a project outcome; 

6 (II) a percentage of the estimated cost 

7 savings to the pay-for-performance bene8 ficiary or the Secretary of Agriculture de9 rived from a project outcome; 

10 (III) a percentage of the enhanced 

11 revenue to the pay-for-performance bene12 ficiary or the Secretary of Agriculture de13 rived from a project outcome; or 

14 (IV) a percentage of the cost of the 

15 pay-for-performance project. 

16 (C) FOREST SERVICE FINANCIAL ASSIST17 ANCE.—Subject to the availability of appropria18 tions, the Secretary of Agriculture may con19 tribute funding for a pay-for-performance 

20 project only if— 

21 (i) the Secretary of Agriculture dem22 onstrates that— 

23 (I) the pay-for-performance 

24 project would provide a cost savings 

25 to the United States; 


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1 (II) the funding would accelerate 

2 the pace of implementation of an ac3 tivity previously planned to be com4 pleted by the Secretary of Agriculture; 

5 or 

6 (III) the funding would accel7 erate the scale of implementation of 

8 an activity previously planned to be 

9 completed by the Secretary of Agri10 culture; and 

11 (ii) the contribution of the Secretary 

12 of Agriculture has a value that is not more 

13 than 50 percent of the total cost of the 

14 pay-for-performance project. 

15 (D) SPECIAL ACCOUNT.—Any funds re16 ceived by the Secretary of Agriculture under 

17 subsection (c)(1)— 

18 (i) shall be retained in a separate 

19 fund in the Treasury to be used solely for 

20 pay-for-performance projects; and 

21 (ii) shall remain available until ex22 pended and without further appropriation. 

23 (4) MAINTENANCE AND DECOMMISSIONING OF

24 PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE PROJECT IMPROVE25 MENTS.—A pay-for-performance agreement shall— 


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1 (A) include a plan for maintaining any 

2 capital improvement constructed as part of a 

3 pay-for-performance project after the date on 

4 which the pay-for-performance project is com5 pleted; and 

6 (B) specify the party that will be respon7 sible for decommissioning the improvements as8 sociated with the pay-for-performance project— 

9 (i) at the end of the useful life of the 

10 improvements; 

11 (ii) if the improvements no longer 

12 serve the purpose for which the improve13 ments were developed; or 

14 (iii) if the pay-for-performance project 

15 fails. 

16 (5) TERMINATION OF PAY-FOR-PERFORMANCE

17 PROJECT AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary of Agri18 culture may unilaterally terminate a pay-for-per19 formance agreement, in whole or in part, for any 

20 program year beginning after the program year dur21 ing which the Secretary of Agriculture provides to 

22 each party to the pay-for-performance agreement a 

23 notice of the termination. 

24 (e) INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS.— 


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1 (1) PROGRESS REPORTS.—An independent eval2 uator shall submit to the Secretary of Agriculture 

3 and each party to the applicable pay-for-performance 

4 agreement— 

5 (A) by not later than 2 years after the 

6 date on which the pay-for-performance agree7 ment is executed, and at least once every 2 

8 years thereafter, a written report that summa9 rizes the progress that has been made in achiev10 ing each project outcome; and 

11 (B) before the first scheduled date for a 

12 payment described in subsection (d)(3)(A), and 

13 each subsequent date for payment, a written re14 port that— 

15 (i) summarizes the results of the eval16 uation conducted by the independent eval17 uator to determine whether a payment 

18 should be made pursuant to the pay-for19 performance agreement; and 

20 (ii) analyzes the reasons why a project 

21 outcome was achieved or was not achieved. 

22 (2) FINAL REPORTS.—Not later than 180 days 

23 after the date on which a pay-for-performance 

24 project is completed, the independent evaluator shall 

25 submit to the Secretary of Agriculture and each 


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1 party to the pay-for-performance agreement a writ2 ten report that includes, with respect to the period 

3 covered by the report— 

4 (A) an evaluation of the effects of the pay5 for-performance project with respect to each 

6 project outcome; 

7 (B) a determination of whether the pay8 for-performance project has met each project 

9 outcome; and 

10 (C) the amount of the payments made for 

11 the pay-for-performance project pursuant to 

12 subsection (d)(3)(A). 

13 (f) ADDITIONAL FOREST SERVICE-PROVIDED AS14 SISTANCE.— 

15 (1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of 

16 Agriculture may provide technical assistance to fa17 cilitate pay-for-performance project development, 

18 such as planning, permitting, site preparation, and 

19 design work. 

20 (2) CONSULTANTS.—Subject to the availability 

21 of appropriations, the Secretary of Agriculture may 

22 hire a contractor— 

23 (A) to conduct a feasibility analysis of a 

24 proposed pay-for-performance project; 


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1 (B) to assist in the development, imple2 mentation, or evaluation of a proposed pay-for3 performance project or a pay-for-performance 

4 agreement; or 

5 (C) to assist with an environmental anal6 ysis of a proposed pay-for-performance project. 

7 (g) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—The Secretary of Agriculture 

8 shall approve a record of decision, decision notice, or deci9 sion memo for any activities to be carried out on National 

10 Forest System land as part of a pay-for-performance 

11 project before the Secretary of Agriculture may enter into 

12 a pay-for-performance agreement involving the applicable 

13 pay-for-performance project. 

14 (h) DURATION OF PILOT PROGRAM.— 

15 (1) SUNSET.—The authority to enter into a 

16 pay-for-performance agreement under this section 

17 terminates on the date that is 7 years after the date 

18 of the enactment of this title. 

19 (2) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in paragraph 

20 (1) affects any pay-for-performance project agree21 ment entered into by the Secretary of Agriculture 

22 under this section before the date described in that 

23 paragraph. 


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1 SEC. 156. OUTDOOR RECREATION LEGACY PARTNERSHIP 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti5 ty’’ means an entity or combination of entities that 

6 represents or otherwise serves a qualifying area. 

7 (2) ELIGIBLE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The 

8 term ‘‘eligible nonprofit organization’’ means an or9 ganization that is described in section 501(c)(3) of 

10 the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt 

11 from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code. 

12 (3) ENTITY.—The term ‘‘entity’’ means— 

13 (A) a State; 

14 (B) a political subdivision of a State, in15 cluding— 

16 (i) a city; 

17 (ii) a county; or 

18 (iii) a special purpose district that 

19 manages open space, including a park dis20 trict; and 

21 (C) an Indian Tribe, urban Indian organi22 zation, or Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian 

23 community or organization. 

24 (4) LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘low25 income community’’ has the same meaning given 

26 that term in 26 U.S.C. 45D(e)(1). 


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1 (5) OUTDOOR RECREATION LEGACY PARTNER2 SHIP PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Outdoor Recreation 

3 Legacy Partnership Program’’ means the program 

4 codified under subsection (b)(1). 

5 (6) QUALIFYING AREA.—The term ‘‘qualifying 

6 area’’ means— 

7 (A) an urbanized area or urban cluster 

8 that has a population of 25,000 or more in the 

9 most recent census; 

10 (B) 2 or more adjacent urban clusters with 

11 a combined population of 25,000 or more in the 

12 most recent census; or 

13 (C) an area administered by an Indian 

14 Tribe or an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian 

15 community organization. 

16 (b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

17 (1) CODIFICATION OF PROGRAM.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—There is established an 

19 existing program, to be known as the ‘‘Outdoor 

20 Recreation Legacy Partnership Program’’, 

21 under which the Secretary may award grants to 

22 eligible entities for projects— 

23 (i) to acquire land and water for 

24 parks and other outdoor recreation pur25 poses in qualifying areas; and 


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1 (ii) to develop new or renovate exist2 ing outdoor recreation facilities that pro3 vide outdoor recreation opportunities to the 

4 public in qualifying areas. 

5 (B) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants to eli6 gible entities under subparagraph (A), the Sec7 retary shall give priority to projects that— 

8 (i) create or significantly enhance ac9 cess to park and recreational opportunities 

10 in a qualifying area; 

11 (ii) engage and empower low-income 

12 communities and youth; 

13 (iii) provide employment or job train14 ing opportunities for youth or low-income 

15 communities; 

16 (iv) establish or expand public-private 

17 partnerships, with a focus on leveraging re18 sources; and 

19 (v) take advantage of coordination 

20 among various levels of government. 

21 (2) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of re23 ceiving a grant under paragraph (1), an eligible 

24 entity shall provide matching funds in the form 

25 of cash or an in-kind contribution in an amount 


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1 equal to not less than 100 percent of the 

2 amounts made available under the grant. 

3 (B) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Not 

4 more than 7 percent of funds provided to an eli5 gible entity under a grant awarded under para6 graph (1) may be used for administrative ex7 penses. 

8 (3) CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants to 

9 eligible entities under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

10 shall consider the extent to which a project would— 

11 (A) provide recreation opportunities in low12 income communities in which access to parks is 

13 not adequate to meet local needs; 

14 (B) provide opportunities for outdoor 

15 recreation and public land volunteerism; 

16 (C) support innovative or cost-effective 

17 ways to enhance parks and other recreation— 

18 (i) opportunities; or 

19 (ii) delivery of services; 

20 (D) support park and recreation program21 ming provided by local governments, including 

22 cooperative agreements with community-based 

23 eligible nonprofit organizations; 

24 (E) develop Native American event sites 

25 and cultural gathering spaces; 


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1 (F) provide benefits such as community re2 silience, reduction of urban heat islands, en3 hanced water or air quality, or habitat for fish 

4 or wildlife; and 

5 (G) facilitate any combination of purposes 

6 listed in subparagraphs (A) through (F). 

7 (4) ELIGIBLE USES.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara9 graph (B), an eligible entity may use a grant 

10 awarded under paragraph (1) for a project de11 scribed in subparagraph (A) or (B) of that 

12 paragraph. 

13 (B) LIMITATIONS ON USE.—An eligible en14 tity may not use grant funds for— 

15 (i) incidental costs related to land ac16 quisition, including appraisal and titling; 

17 (ii) operation and maintenance activi18 ties; 

19 (iii) facilities that support 

20 semiprofessional or professional athletics; 

21 (iv) indoor facilities, such as recre22 ation centers or facilities that support pri23 marily nonoutdoor purposes; or 

24 (v) acquisition of land or interests in 

25 land that restrict public access. 


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1 (C) CONVERSION TO OTHER THAN PUBLIC

2 OUTDOOR RECREATION USE.— 

3 (i) IN GENERAL.—No property ac4 quired or developed with assistance under 

5 this section shall, without the approval of 

6 the Secretary, be converted to other than 

7 public outdoor recreation use. 

8 (ii) CONDITION FOR APPROVAL.—The 

9 Secretary shall approve a conversion only if 

10 the Secretary finds it to be in accordance 

11 with the then-existing comprehensive 

12 Statewide outdoor recreation plan and only 

13 on such conditions as the Secretary con14 siders necessary to ensure the substitution 

15 of other recreation properties of at least 

16 equal fair market value and of reasonably 

17 equivalent usefulness and location. 

18 (iii) WETLAND AREAS AND INTERESTS

19 THEREIN.—Wetland areas and interests 

20 therein as identified in the wetlands provi21 sions of the comprehensive plan and pro22 posed to be acquired as suitable replace23 ment property within the same State that 

24 is otherwise acceptable to the Secretary, 

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1 tional Park Service, shall be deemed to be 

2 of reasonably equivalent usefulness with 

3 the property proposed for conversion. 

4 (c) REVIEW AND EVALUATION REQUIREMENTS.—In 

5 carrying out the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership 

6 Program, the Secretary shall— 

7 (1) conduct an initial screening and technical 

8 review of applications received; 

9 (2) evaluate and score all qualifying applica10 tions; and 

11 (3) provide culturally and linguistically appro12 priate information to eligible entities (including low13 income communities and eligible entities serving low14 income communities) on— 

15 (A) the opportunity to apply for grants 

16 under this section; 

17 (B) the application procedures by which el18 igible entities may apply for grants under this 

19 section; and 

20 (C) eligible uses for grants under this sec21 tion. 

22 (d) REPORTING.— 

23 (1) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 30 days 

24 after the last day of each report period, each State25 lead agency that receives a grant under this section 


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1 shall annually submit to the Secretary performance 

2 and financial reports that— 

3 (A) summarize project activities conducted 

4 during the report period; and 

5 (B) provide the status of the project. 

6 (2) FINAL REPORTS.—Not later than 90 days 

7 after the earlier of the date of expiration of a project 

8 period or the completion of a project, each State9 lead agency that receives a grant under this section 

10 shall submit to the Secretary a final report con11 taining such information as the Secretary may re12 quire. 

13 SEC. 157. AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM 

14 ENHANCEMENT. 

15 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 308101 of title 54, 

16 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘§ 308101. Definitions 

18 ‘‘In this chapter: 

19 ‘‘(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

20 the Secretary, acting through the American Battle21 field Protection Program. 

22 ‘‘(2) BATTLEFIELD REPORTS.—The term ‘Bat23 tlefield Reports’ means, collectively— 

24 ‘‘(A) the document entitled ‘Report on the 

25 Nation’s Civil War Battlefields’, prepared by 


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1 the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission, and 

2 dated July 1993; and 

3 ‘‘(B) the document entitled ‘Report to 

4 Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revo5 lutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the 

6 United States’, prepared by the National Park 

7 Service, and dated September 2007.’’. 

8 (b) PRESERVATION ASSISTANCE.—Section 

9 308102(a) of title 54, United States Code, is amended by 

10 striking ‘‘Federal’’ and all that follows through ‘‘organiza11 tions’’ and inserting ‘‘Federal agencies, States, Tribes, 

12 local governments, other public entities, educational insti13 tutions, and nonprofit organizations’’. 

14 (c) BATTLEFIELD LAND ACQUISITION GRANTS IM15 PROVEMENTS.—Section 308103 of title 54, United States 

16 Code, is amended— 

17 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol18 lows: 

19 ‘‘(a) ELIGIBLE SITE DEFINED.—In this section, the 

20 term ‘eligible site’— 

21 ‘‘(1) means a site that— 

22 ‘‘(A) is not within the exterior boundaries 

23 of a unit of the National Park System; and 

24 ‘‘(B) is identified in the Battlefield Reports 

25 as a battlefield; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) excludes sites identified in the Battlefield 

2 Reports as associated historic sites.’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘State and 

4 local governments’’ and inserting ‘‘States, Tribes, 

5 local governments, and nonprofit organizations’’; 

6 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘State or local 

7 government’’ and inserting ‘‘State, Tribe, or local 

8 government’’; and 

9 (4) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘under this 

10 section’’ and inserting ‘‘under this section, including 

11 by States, Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit 

12 organizations,’’. 

13 (d) BATTLEFIELD RESTORATION GRANTS IMPROVE14 MENTS.—Section 308105 of title 54, United States Code, 

15 is amended— 

16 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol17 lows: 

18 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab19 lish a battlefield restoration grant program (referred to 

20 in this section as the ‘program’) under which the Secretary 

21 may provide grants to States, Tribes, local governments, 

22 and nonprofit organizations for projects that restore day23 of-battle conditions on— 


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1 ‘‘(1) land preserved and protected under the 

2 battlefield acquisition grant program established 

3 under section 308103(b); or 

4 ‘‘(2) battlefield land that is— 

5 ‘‘(A) owned by a State, Tribe, local govern6 ment, or nonprofit organization; and 

7 ‘‘(B) referred to in the Battlefield Re8 ports.’’; and 

9 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE SITES.—The Secretary may make 

12 grants under this section for Revolutionary War, War of 

13 1812, and Civil War battlefield sites— 

14 ‘‘(1) eligible for assistance under the battlefield 

15 acquisition grant program established under section 

16 308103(b); or 

17 ‘‘(2) on battlefield land that is— 

18 ‘‘(A) owned by a State, Tribe, local govern19 ment, or nonprofit organization; and 

20 ‘‘(B) referred to in battlefield reports.’’. 

21 (e) UPDATES AND IMPROVEMENTS.—Chapter 3081 

22 of title 54, United States Code, is amended by adding at 

23 the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘§ 308106. Updates and improvements to Battlefield 

2 Reports 

3 ‘‘Not later than 2 years after the date of the enact4 ment of this section, and every 10 years thereafter, the 

5 Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that updates 

6 the Battlefield Reports to reflect— 

7 ‘‘(1) preservation activities carried out at the 

8 battlefields in the period since the publication of the 

9 most recent Battlefield Reports update; 

10 ‘‘(2) changes in the condition, including core 

11 and study areas, of the battlefields during that pe12 riod; and 

13 ‘‘(3) any other relevant developments relating 

14 to the battlefields during that period.’’. 

15 (f) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

16 for chapter 3081 of title 54, United States Code, is 

17 amended as follows: 

18 (1) By amending the item relating to section 

19 308101 to read as follows: ‘‘308101. Definitions.’’. 

20 (2) By adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘308106. Updates and improvements to Battlefield 

22 Reports.’’. 

23 TITLE II—ACCESS AMERICA 

24 SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS. 

25 In this title: 


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1 (1) ACCESSIBLE TRAIL.—The term ‘‘accessible 

2 trail’’ means a trail that meets the requirements for 

3 a trail under the Architectural Barriers Act accessi4 bility guidelines. 

5 (2) ARCHITECTURAL BARRIERS ACT ACCESSI6 BILITY GUIDELINES.—The term ‘‘Architectural Bar7 riers Act accessibility guidelines’’ means the accessi8 bility guidelines set forth in appendices C and D to 

9 part 1191 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations 

10 (or successor regulations). 

11 (3) ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY.—The term ‘‘as12 sistive technology’’ means any item, piece of equip13 ment, or product system, whether acquired commer14 cially, modified, or customized, that is used to in15 crease, maintain, or improve functional capabilities 

16 of individuals with disabilities, particularly with par17 ticipating in outdoor recreation activities. 

18 (4) GOLD STAR FAMILY MEMBER.—The term 

19 ‘‘Gold Star Family member’’ means an individual 

20 described in section 3.3 of Department of Defense 

21 Instruction 1348.36. 

22 (5) OUTDOOR CONSTRUCTED FEATURE.—The 

23 term ‘‘outdoor constructed feature’’ has the meaning 

24 given such term in appendix C to part 1191 of title 


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1 36, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regu2 lations). 

3 (6) VETERANS ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘vet4 erans organization’’ means a service provider with 

5 outdoor recreation experience that serves members 

6 of the Armed Forces, veterans, or Gold Star Family 

7 members. 

8 Subtitle A—Access for People With 

9 Disabilities 

10 SEC. 211. ACCESSIBLE RECREATION INVENTORY. 

11 (a) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 5 years after the 

12 date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary concerned 

13 shall— 

14 (1) carry out a comprehensive assessment of 

15 outdoor recreation facilities on Federal recreational 

16 lands and waters under the jurisdiction of the re17 spective Secretary concerned to determine the acces18 sibility of such outdoor recreation facilities, con19 sistent with the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 

20 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.) and section 504 of the Re21 habilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794), including— 

22 (A) camp shelters, camping facilities, and 

23 camping units; 

24 (B) boat launch ramps; 


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1 (C) hunting, fishing, shooting, or archery 

2 ranges or locations; 

3 (D) outdoor constructed features; 

4 (E) picnic facilities and picnic units; and 

5 (F) any other outdoor recreation facilities, 

6 as determined by the Secretary concerned; and 

7 (2) make information about such opportunities 

8 available (including through the use of prominently 

9 displayed links) on public websites of— 

10 (A) each of the Federal land management 

11 agencies; and 

12 (B) each relevant unit and subunit of the 

13 Federal land management agencies. 

14 (b) INCLUSION OF CURRENT ASSESSMENTS.—As 

15 part of the comprehensive assessment required under sub16 section (a)(1), to the extent practicable, the Secretary con17 cerned may rely on assessments completed or data gath18 ered prior to the date of the enactment of this title. 

19 (c) PUBLIC INFORMATION.—Not later than 7 years 

20 after the date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary 

21 concerned shall identify opportunities to create, update, or 

22 replace signage and other publicly available information, 

23 including web page information, related to accessibility 

24 and consistent with the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 

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1 tation Act (29 U.S.C. 794) at outdoor recreation facilities 

2 covered by the assessment required under subsection 

3 (a)(1). 

4 SEC. 212. TRAIL INVENTORY. 

5 (a) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 7 years after the 

6 date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary concerned 

7 shall— 

8 (1) conduct a comprehensive assessment of 

9 high-priority trails, in accordance with subsection 

10 (b), on Federal recreational lands and waters under 

11 the jurisdiction of the respective Secretary con12 cerned, including measuring each trail’s— 

13 (A) average and minimum tread width; 

14 (B) average and maximum running slope; 

15 (C) average and maximum cross slope; 

16 (D) tread type; and 

17 (E) length; and 

18 (2) make information about such high-priority 

19 trails available (including through the use of promi20 nently displayed links) on public websites of— 

21 (A) each of the Federal land management 

22 agencies; and 

23 (B) each relevant unit and subunit of the 

24 Federal land management agencies. 


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1 (b) SELECTION.—The Secretary concerned shall se2 lect high-priority trails to be assessed under subsection 

3 (a)(1)— 

4 (1) in consultation with stakeholders, including 

5 veterans organizations and organizations with exper6 tise or experience providing outdoor recreation op7 portunities to individuals with disabilities; 

8 (2) in a geographically equitable manner; and 

9 (3) in no fewer than 15 units or subunits man10 aged by the Secretary concerned. 

11 (c) INCLUSION OF CURRENT ASSESSMENTS.—As 

12 part of the assessment required under subsection (a)(1), 

13 the Secretary concerned may, to the extent practicable, 

14 rely on assessments completed or data gathered prior to 

15 the date of the enactment of this title. 

16 (d) PUBLIC INFORMATION.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 7 years after 

18 the date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary 

19 concerned shall identify opportunities to replace 

20 signage and other publicly available information, in21 cluding web page information, related to such high22 priority trails and consistent with the Architectural 

23 Barriers Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.) and 

24 section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 


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1 794) at high-priority trails covered by the assess2 ment required under subsection (a)(1). 

3 (2) TREAD OBSTACLES.—As part of the assess4 ment required under subsection (a)(1), the Secretary 

5 may, to the extent practicable, include photographs 

6 or descriptions of tread obstacles and barriers. 

7 (e) ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SPECIFICATION.—In 

8 publishing information about each trail under this sub9 section, the Secretary concerned shall make public infor10 mation about trails that do not meet the Architectural 

11 Barriers Act accessibility guidelines but could otherwise 

12 provide outdoor recreation opportunities to individuals 

13 with disabilities through the use of certain assistive tech14 nology. 

15 SEC. 213. TRAIL PILOT PROGRAM. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

17 date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary concerned 

18 shall carry out a pilot program to enter into partnerships 

19 with eligible entities to— 

20 (1) measure high-priority trails as part of the 

21 assessment required under section 212; 

22 (2) develop accessible trails under section 214; 

23 and 


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1 (3) make minor modifications to existing trails 

2 to enhance recreational experiences for individuals 

3 with disabilities using assistive technology— 

4 (A) in compliance with all applicable land 

5 use and management plans of the Federal rec6 reational lands and waters on which the acces7 sible trail is located; and 

8 (B) in consultation with stakeholders, in9 cluding veterans organizations and organiza10 tions with expertise or experience providing out11 door recreation opportunities to individuals with 

12 disabilities. 

13 (b) LOCATIONS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned 

15 shall select no fewer than 5 units or subunits under 

16 the jurisdiction of the respective Secretary concerned 

17 to carry out the pilot program established under 

18 subsection (a). 

19 (2) SPECIAL RULE OF CONSTRUCTION FOR THE

20 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR.—In selecting the 

21 locations of the pilot program, the Secretary shall 

22 ensure that the pilot program is carried out in at 

23 least one unit managed by the— 

24 (A) National Park Service; 

25 (B) Bureau of Land Management; and 


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1 (C) United States Fish and Wildlife Serv2 ice. 

3 (c) SUNSET.—The pilot program established under 

4 this subsection shall terminate on the date that is 7 years 

5 after the date of the enactment of this title. 

6 SEC. 214. ACCESSIBLE TRAILS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

8 date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary concerned 

9 shall select a location or locations to develop at least 3 

10 new accessible trails— 

11 (1) on National Forest System lands in each re12 gion of the Forest Service; 

13 (2) on land managed by the National Park 

14 Service in each region of the National Park Service; 

15 (3) on land managed by the Bureau of Land 

16 Management in each region of the Bureau of Land 

17 Management; and 

18 (4) on land managed by the United States Fish 

19 and Wildlife Service in each region of the United 

20 States Fish and Wildlife Service. 

21 (b) DEVELOPMENT.—In developing an accessible 

22 trail under subsection (a), the Secretary concerned— 

23 (1) may— 

24 (A) create a new accessible trail; 


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1 (B) modify an existing trail into an acces2 sible trail; or 

3 (C) create an accessible trail from a com4 bination of new and existing trails; and 

5 (2) shall— 

6 (A) consult with stakeholders with respect 

7 to the feasibility and resources necessary for 

8 completing the accessible trail; 

9 (B) ensure the accessible trail complies 

10 with the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (42 

11 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.) and section 504 of the Re12 habilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794); and 

13 (C) to the extent practicable, ensure that 

14 outdoor constructed features supporting the ac15 cessible trail, including trail bridges, parking 

16 spaces, and restroom facilities, meet the re17 quirements of the Architectural Barriers Act of 

18 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.) and section 504 

19 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794). 

20 (c) COMPLETION.—Not later than 7 years after the 

21 date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary con22 cerned, in coordination with stakeholders described under 

23 subsection (b)(2), shall complete each accessible trail de24 veloped under subsection (a). 


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1 (d) MAPS, SIGNAGE, AND PROMOTIONAL MATE2 RIALS.—For each accessible trail developed under sub3 section (a), the Secretary concerned shall— 

4 (1) publish and distribute maps and install 

5 signage, consistent with Architectural Barriers Act 

6 of 1968 accessibility guidelines and section 508 of 

7 the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d); and 

8 (2) coordinate with stakeholders to leverage any 

9 non-Federal resources necessary for the develop10 ment, stewardship, completion, or promotion of the 

11 accessible trail. 

12 (e) CONFLICT AVOIDANCE WITH OTHER USES.—In 

13 developing each accessible trail under subsection (a), the 

14 Secretary concerned shall ensure that the accessible 

15 trail— 

16 (1) minimizes conflict with— 

17 (A) the uses in effect before the date of the 

18 enactment of this title with respect to any trail 

19 that is part of that accessible trail; 

20 (B) multiple-use areas where biking, hik21 ing, horseback riding, off-highway vehicle recre22 ation, or use by pack and saddle stock are ex23 isting uses on the date of the enactment of this 

24 title; or 


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1 (C) the purposes for which any trail is es2 tablished under the National Trails System Act 

3 (16 U.S.C. 1241 et seq.); and 

4 (2) complies with all applicable land use and 

5 management plans of the Federal recreational lands 

6 and waters on which the accessible trail is located. 

7 (f) REPORTS.— 

8 (1) INTERIM REPORT.—Not later than 3 years 

9 after the date of the enactment of this title, the Sec10 retary concerned, in coordination with stakeholders 

11 and other interested organizations, shall prepare and 

12 publish an interim report that lists the accessible 

13 trails developed under this section during the pre14 vious 3 years. 

15 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 7 years 

16 after the date of the enactment of this title, the Sec17 retary concerned, in coordination with stakeholders 

18 and other interested organizations, shall prepare and 

19 publish a final report that lists the accessible trails 

20 developed under this section. 

21 SEC. 215. ACCESSIBLE RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

23 date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary concerned 

24 shall select a location to develop at least 2 new accessible 

25 recreation opportunities— 


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1 (1) on National Forest System lands in each re2 gion of the Forest Service; 

3 (2) on land managed by the National Park 

4 Service in each region of the National Park Service; 

5 (3) on land managed by the Bureau of Land 

6 Management in each region of the Bureau of Land 

7 Management; and 

8 (4) on land managed by the United States Fish 

9 and Wildlife Service in each region of the United 

10 States Fish and Wildlife Service. 

11 (b) DEVELOPMENT.—In developing an accessible 

12 recreation opportunity under subsection (a), the Secretary 

13 concerned— 

14 (1) may— 

15 (A) create a new accessible recreation op16 portunity; or 

17 (B) modify an existing recreation oppor18 tunity into an accessible recreation opportunity; 

19 and 

20 (2) shall— 

21 (A) consult with stakeholders with respect 

22 to the feasibility and resources necessary for 

23 completing the accessible recreation oppor24 tunity; 


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1 (B) ensure the accessible recreation oppor2 tunity complies with the Architectural Barriers 

3 Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.) and sec4 tion 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 

5 794); and 

6 (C) to the extent practicable, ensure that 

7 outdoor constructed features supporting the ac8 cessible recreation opportunity, including trail 

9 bridges, parking spaces and restroom facilities, 

10 meet the requirements of the Architectural Bar11 riers Act of 1968 and section 504 of the Reha12 bilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794). 

13 (c) ACCESSIBLE RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES.— 

14 The accessible recreation opportunities developed under 

15 subsection (a) may include improving accessibility or ac16 cess to— 

17 (1) camp shelters, camping facilities, and camp18 ing units; 

19 (2) hunting, fishing, shooting, or archery 

20 ranges or locations; 

21 (3) snow activities, including skiing and 

22 snowboarding; 

23 (4) water activities, including kayaking, pad24 dling, canoeing, and boat launch ramps; 

25 (5) rock climbing; 


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1 (6) biking; 

2 (7) off-highway vehicle recreation; 

3 (8) picnic facilities and picnic units; 

4 (9) outdoor constructed features; and 

5 (10) any other new or existing recreation oppor6 tunities identified in consultation with stakeholders 

7 under subsection (b)(2) and consistent with the ap8 plicable land management plan. 

9 (d) COMPLETION.—Not later than 7 years after the 

10 date of the enactment of this title, the Secretary con11 cerned, in coordination with stakeholders consulted with 

12 under subsection (b)(2), shall complete each accessible 

13 recreation opportunity developed under subsection (a). 

14 (e) MAPS, SIGNAGE, AND PROMOTIONAL MATE15 RIALS.—For each accessible recreation opportunity devel16 oped under subsection (a), the Secretary concerned shall— 

17 (1) publish and distribute maps and install 

18 signage, consistent with Architectural Barriers Act 

19 accessibility guidelines and section 508 of the Reha20 bilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d); and 

21 (2) coordinate with stakeholders to leverage any 

22 non-Federal resources necessary for the develop23 ment, stewardship, completion, or promotion of the 

24 accessible trail. 


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1 (f) CONFLICT AVOIDANCE WITH OTHER USES.—In 

2 developing each accessible recreation opportunity under 

3 subsection (a), the Secretary concerned shall ensure that 

4 the accessible recreation opportunity— 

5 (1) minimizes conflict with— 

6 (A) the uses in effect before the date of the 

7 enactment of this title with respect to any Fed8 eral recreational lands and waters on which the 

9 accessible recreation opportunity is located; or 

10 (B) multiple-use areas in existence on the 

11 date of the enactment of this title; and 

12 (2) complies with all applicable land use and 

13 management plans of the Federal recreational lands 

14 and waters on which the accessible recreational op15 portunity is located. 

16 (g) REPORTS.— 

17 (1) INTERIM REPORT.—Not later than 3 years 

18 after the date of the enactment of this title, the Sec19 retary concerned, in coordination with stakeholders 

20 and other interested organizations, shall prepare and 

21 publish an interim report that lists the accessible 

22 recreation opportunities developed under this section 

23 during the previous 3 years. 

24 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 7 years 

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1 retary concerned, in coordination with stakeholders 

2 and other interested organizations, shall prepare and 

3 publish a final report that lists the accessible recre4 ation opportunities developed under this section. 

5 SEC. 216. ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY. 

6 In carrying out this subtitle, the Secretary concerned 

7 may enter into partnerships, contracts, or agreements with 

8 other Federal, State, Tribal, local, or private entities, in9 cluding existing outfitting and guiding services, to make 

10 assistive technology available on Federal recreational 

11 lands and waters. 

12 SEC. 217. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 

13 Nothing in the subtitle shall be construed to create 

14 any conflicting standards with the Architectural Barriers 

15 Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.) and section 504 of 

16 the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794). 

17 Subtitle B—Military and Veterans 

18 in Parks 

19 SEC. 221. PROMOTION OF OUTDOOR RECREATION FOR 

20 MILITARY SERVICEMEMBERS AND VET21 ERANS. 

22 Not later than 2 years after the date of the enact23 ment of this title, the Secretary concerned, in coordination 

24 with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary 

25 of Defense, shall develop educational and public awareness 


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1 materials to disseminate to members of the Armed Forces 

2 and veterans, including through preseparation counseling 

3 of the Transition Assistance Program under chapter 1142 

4 of title 10, United States Code, on— 

5 (1) opportunities for members of the Armed 

6 Forces and veterans to access Federal recreational 

7 lands and waters free of charge under section 805 

8 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act 

9 (16 U.S.C. 6804); 

10 (2) the availability and location of accessible 

11 trails, including new accessible trails developed and 

12 completed under section 214; 

13 (3) the availability and location of accessible 

14 recreation opportunities, including new accessible 

15 recreation opportunities developed and completed 

16 under section 215; 

17 (4) access to, and assistance with, assistive 

18 technology; 

19 (5) outdoor-related volunteer and wellness pro20 grams; 

21 (6) the benefits of outdoor recreation for phys22 ical and mental health; 

23 (7) resources to access guided outdoor trips and 

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1 fairs, the Department of the Interior, or the Depart2 ment of Agriculture; and 

3 (8) programs and jobs focused on continuing 

4 national service such as Public Land Corps, 

5 AmeriCorps, and conservation corps programs. 

6 SEC. 222. MILITARY VETERANS OUTDOOR RECREATION LI7 AISONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

9 date of the enactment of this title, the Secretaries and the 

10 Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall each establish within 

11 their Departments the position of Military Veterans Out12 door Recreation Liaison. 

13 (b) DUTIES.—The Military Veterans Outdoor Recre14 ation Liaison shall— 

15 (1) coordinate the implementation of this sub16 title; 

17 (2) implement recommendations identified by 

18 the Task Force on Outdoor Recreation for Veterans 

19 established under section 203 of the Veterans Com20 prehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treat21 ment Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–214), including 

22 recommendations related to— 

23 (A) identifying new opportunities to for24 malize coordination between the Department of 

25 Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, 


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1 Department of the Interior, and partner organi2 zations regarding the use of Federal rec3 reational lands and waters for facilitating 

4 health and wellness for veterans; 

5 (B) addressing identified barriers that 

6 exist to providing veterans with opportunities to 

7 augment the delivery of services for health and 

8 wellness through the use of outdoor recreation 

9 on Federal recreational lands and waters; and 

10 (C) facilitating the use of Federal rec11 reational lands and waters for promoting 

12 wellness and facilitating the delivery of health 

13 care and therapeutic interventions for veterans; 

14 (3) coordinate with Military Veterans Outdoor 

15 Recreation Liaisons at other Federal agencies and 

16 veterans organizations; and 

17 (4) promote outdoor recreation experiences for 

18 veterans on Federal recreational lands and waters 

19 through new and innovative approaches. 

20 SEC. 223. PARTNERSHIPS TO PROMOTE MILITARY AND VET21 ERAN RECREATION. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned shall 

23 seek to enter into partnerships or agreements with State, 

24 Tribal, local, or private entities with expertise in outdoor 


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1 recreation, volunteer, accessibility, and health and wellness 

2 programs for members of the Armed Forces or veterans. 

3 (b) PARTNERSHIPS.—As part of a partnership or 

4 agreement entered into under subsection (a), the Sec5 retary concerned may host events on Federal recreational 

6 lands and waters designed to promote outdoor recreation 

7 among members of the Armed Forces and veterans. 

8 (c) FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

9 Under a partnership or agreement entered into pursuant 

10 to subsection (a), the Secretary concerned may provide fi11 nancial or technical assistance to the entity with which 

12 the respective Secretary concerned has entered into the 

13 partnership or agreement to assist with— 

14 (1) the planning, development, and execution of 

15 events, activities, or programs designed to promote 

16 outdoor recreation for members of the Armed Forces 

17 or veterans; or 

18 (2) the acquisition of assistive technology to fa19 cilitate improved outdoor recreation opportunities for 

20 members of the Armed Forces or veterans. 

21 SEC. 224. NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR MILITARY AND VET22 ERAN RECREATION. 

23 (a) STRATEGY.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

24 of the enactment of this title, the Federal Interagency 

25 Council on Outdoor Recreation established under section 


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1 113 shall develop and make public a strategy to increase 

2 visits to Federal recreational lands and waters by mem3 bers of the Armed Forces, veterans, and Gold Star Family 

4 members. 

5 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—A strategy developed under 

6 subsection (a)— 

7 (1) shall— 

8 (A) establish objectives and quantifiable 

9 targets for increasing visits to Federal rec10 reational lands and waters by members of the 

11 Armed Forces, veterans, and Gold Star Family 

12 members; 

13 (B) include an opportunity for public no14 tice and comment; 

15 (C) emphasize increased recreation oppor16 tunities on Federal recreational lands and 

17 waters for members of the Armed Forces, vet18 erans, and Gold Star Family members; and 

19 (D) provide the anticipated costs to achieve 

20 the objectives and meet the targets established 

21 under subparagraph (A); and 

22 (2) shall not establish any preference between 

23 similar recreation facilitated by noncommercial or 

24 commercial entities. 


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1 (c) UPDATE TO STRATEGY.—Not later than 5 years 

2 after the date of the publication of the strategy required 

3 under subsection (a), and every 5 years thereafter, the 

4 Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation shall 

5 update the strategy and make public the update. 

6 SEC. 225. RECREATION RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMIT7 TEES. 

8 Section 804(d) of the Federal Lands Recreation En9 hancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6803(d)), is amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (5)(A), by striking ‘‘11’’ and 

11 inserting ‘‘12’’; and 

12 (2) in paragraph (5)(D)(ii)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘Three’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘Four’’; and 

15 (B) after subclause (III), by inserting the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(IV) Veterans organizations, as 

18 such term is defined in section 201 of 

19 the EXPLORE Act.’’; and 

20 (3) in paragraph (8) by striking ‘‘Eight’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘Six’’. 


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1 SEC. 226. CAREER AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR 

2 VETERANS. 

3 (a) VETERAN HIRING.—The Secretaries are strongly 

4 encouraged to hire veterans in all positions related to the 

5 management of Federal recreational lands and waters. 

6 (b) PILOT PROGRAM.— 

7 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, in con8 sultation with the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 

9 Veterans’ Employment and Training and the Sec10 retary of Veterans Affairs, shall establish a pilot 

11 program under which veterans are employed by the 

12 Federal Government in positions that relate to the 

13 conservation and resource management activities of 

14 the Department of the Interior. 

15 (2) POSITIONS.—The Secretary shall— 

16 (A) identify vacant positions in the De17 partment of the Interior that are appropriate to 

18 fill using the pilot program; and 

19 (B) to the extent practicable, fill such posi20 tions using the pilot program. 

21 (3) APPLICATION OF CIVIL SERVICE LAWS.—A 

22 veteran employed under the pilot program shall be 

23 treated as an employee as defined by section 2105 

24 of title 5, United States Code. 

25 (4) BRIEFINGS AND REPORT.— 


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1 (A) INITIAL BRIEFING.—Not later than 60 

2 days after the date of the enactment of this 

3 title, the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary 

4 of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Train5 ing shall jointly provide to the appropriate con6 gressional committees a briefing on the pilot 

7 program under this subsection, which shall in8 clude— 

9 (i) a description of how the pilot pro10 gram will be carried out in a manner to re11 duce the unemployment of veterans; and 

12 (ii) any recommendations for legisla13 tive actions to improve the pilot program. 

14 (B) IMPLEMENTATION BRIEFING.—Not 

15 later than 1 year after the date on which the 

16 pilot program under subsection (a) commences, 

17 the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary of 

18 Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training 

19 shall jointly provide to the appropriate congres20 sional committees a briefing on the implementa21 tion of the pilot program. 

22 (C) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 30 

23 days after the date on which the pilot program 

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1 retary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and 

2 Training shall jointly submit to the appropriate 

3 congressional committees a report on the pilot 

4 program that includes the following: 

5 (i) The number of veterans who ap6 plied to participate in the pilot program. 

7 (ii) The number of such veterans em8 ployed under the pilot program. 

9 (iii) The number of veterans identified 

10 in clause (ii) who transitioned to full-time 

11 positions with the Federal Government 

12 after participating in the pilot program. 

13 (iv) Any other information the Sec14 retary and the Assistant Secretary of 

15 Labor for Veterans’ Employment and 

16 Training determine appropriate with re17 spect to measuring the effectiveness of the 

18 pilot program. 

19 (5) DURATION.—The authority to carry out the 

20 pilot program under this subsection shall terminate 

21 on the date that is 2 years after the date on which 

22 the pilot program commences. 

23 (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE24 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres25 sional committees’’ means— 


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1 (1) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the 

2 Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

3 Representatives; and 

4 (2) the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the 

5 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 

6 Senate. 

7 (d) OUTDOOR RECREATION PROGRAM ATTEND8 ANCE.—Each Secretary of a military department is en9 couraged to allow members of the Armed Forces on active 

10 duty status to participate in programs related to environ11 mental stewardship or guided outdoor recreation. 

12 Subtitle C—Youth Access 

13 SEC. 231. INCREASING YOUTH RECREATION VISITS TO FED14 ERAL LAND. 

15 (a) STRATEGY.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

16 of the enactment of this title, the Secretaries, acting joint17 ly, shall develop and make public a strategy to increase 

18 the number of youth recreation visits to Federal rec19 reational lands and waters. 

20 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—A strategy developed under 

21 subsection (a)— 

22 (1) shall— 

23 (A) emphasize increased recreation oppor24 tunities on Federal recreational lands and 

25 waters for underserved youth; 


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1 (B) establish objectives and quantifiable 

2 targets for increasing youth recreation visits; 

3 and 

4 (C) provide the anticipated costs to achieve 

5 the objectives and meet the targets established 

6 under subparagraph (B); and 

7 (2) shall not establish any preference between 

8 similar recreation facilitated by noncommercial or 

9 commercial entities. 

10 (c) UPDATE TO STRATEGY.—Not later than 5 years 

11 after the date of the publication of the strategy required 

12 under subsection (a), and every 5 years thereafter, the 

13 Secretaries shall update the strategy and make public the 

14 update. 

15 (d) AGREEMENTS.—The Secretaries may enter into 

16 contracts or cost-share agreements (including contracts or 

17 agreements for the acquisition of vehicles) to carry out 

18 this section. 

19 SEC. 232. EVERY KID OUTDOORS ACT EXTENSION. 

20 Section 9001(b) of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Con21 servation, Management, and Recreation Act (Public Law 

22 116–9) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘during 

24 the period beginning on September 1 and ending on 

25 August 31 of the following year’’ and inserting ‘‘for 


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1 a 12-month period that begins on a date determined 

2 by the Secretaries’’; and 

3 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘the date that 

4 is 7 years after the date of enactment of this Act’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2031’’. 

6 TITLE III—SIMPLIFYING OUT7 DOOR ACCESS FOR RECRE8 ATION 

9 SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this title: 

11 (1) COMMERCIAL USE AUTHORIZATION.—The 

12 term ‘‘commercial use authorization’’ means a com13 mercial use authorization to provide services to visi14 tors to units of the National Park System under 

15 subchapter II of chapter 1019 of title 54, United 

16 States Code. 

17 (2) MULTIJURISDICTIONAL TRIP.—The term 

18 ‘‘multijurisdictional trip’’ means a trip that— 

19 (A) uses 2 or more units of Federal rec20 reational lands and waters; and 

21 (B) is under the jurisdiction of 2 or more 

22 Federal land management agencies. 

23 (3) RECREATION SERVICE PROVIDER.—The 

24 term ‘‘recreation service provider’’ has the meaning 

25 given the term in section 802 of the Federal Lands 


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1 Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801) (as 

2 amended by section 311). 

3 (4) SPECIAL RECREATION PERMIT.—The term 

4 ‘‘special recreation permit’’ has the meaning given 

5 the term in section 802 of the Federal Lands Recre6 ation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801) (as 

7 amended by section 311). 

8 (5) VISITOR-USE DAY.—The term ‘‘visitor-use 

9 day’’ means a visitor-use day, user day, launch, or 

10 other metric used by the Secretary concerned for 

11 purposes of authorizing use under a special recre12 ation permit. 

13 Subtitle A—Modernizing 

14 Recreation Permitting 

15 SEC. 311. SPECIAL RECREATION PERMIT AND FEE. 

16 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 802 of the Federal Lands 

17 Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801) is amend18 ed— 

19 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

20 striking ‘‘this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘this title’’; 

21 (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘section 3(f)’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘section 803(f)’’; 

23 (3) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘section 3(g)’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘section 803(g)’’; 


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1 (4) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘section 5’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘section 805’’; 

3 (5) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘section 5’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘section 805’’; 

5 (6) in paragraph (12), by striking ‘‘section 7’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘section 807’’; 

7 (7) in paragraph (13), by striking ‘‘section 

8 3(h)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 803(h)(2)’’; 

9 (8) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (3), (4), 

10 (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), and (13) as para11 graphs (15), (1), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (11), 

12 (10), and (14), respectively, and arranging the para13 graphs (as so redesignated) to appear in numerical 

14 order; 

15 (9) by inserting after paragraph (8) (as so re16 designated) the following: 

17 ‘‘(9) RECREATION SERVICE PROVIDER.—The 

18 term ‘recreation service provider’ means a person 

19 that provides recreational services to the public 

20 under a special recreation permit under clause (iii) 

21 or (iv) of paragraph (13)(A).’’; 

22 (10) by inserting after paragraph (12) the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(13) SPECIAL RECREATION PERMIT.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘special 

2 recreation permit’ means a permit issued by a 

3 Federal land management agency for the use of 

4 Federal recreational lands and waters— 

5 ‘‘(i) for a specialized recreational use 

6 not described in clause (ii), (iii), or (iv), 

7 such as— 

8 ‘‘(I) an organizational camp; 

9 ‘‘(II) a single event that does not 

10 require an entry or participation fee 

11 that is not strictly a sharing of ex12 penses for the purposes of the event; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(III) participation by the public 

15 in a recreation activity or recreation 

16 use of a specific area of Federal rec17 reational lands and waters in which 

18 use by the public is allocated; 

19 ‘‘(ii) for a large-group activity or 

20 event of 75 participants or more; 

21 ‘‘(iii) for— 

22 ‘‘(I) at the discretion of the Sec23 retary, a single organized group recre24 ation activity or event (including an 

25 activity or event in which motorized 


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1 recreational vehicles are used or in 

2 which outfitting and guiding services 

3 are used) that— 

4 ‘‘(aa) is a structured or 

5 scheduled event or activity; 

6 ‘‘(bb) is not competitive and 

7 is for fewer than 75 participants; 

8 ‘‘(cc) may charge an entry 

9 or participation fee; 

10 ‘‘(dd) involves fewer than 

11 200 visitor-use days; and 

12 ‘‘(ee) is undertaken or pro13 vided by the recreation service 

14 provider at the same site not 

15 more frequently than 3 times a 

16 year; 

17 ‘‘(II) a single competitive event; 

18 or 

19 ‘‘(III) at the discretion of the 

20 Secretary, a recurring organized 

21 group recreation activity (including an 

22 outfitting and guiding activity) that— 

23 ‘‘(aa) is a structured or 

24 scheduled activity; 

25 ‘‘(bb) is not competitive; 


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1 ‘‘(cc) may charge a partici2 pation fee; 

3 ‘‘(dd) occurs in a group size 

4 of fewer than 7 participants; 

5 ‘‘(ee) involves fewer than 40 

6 visitor-use days; and 

7 ‘‘(ff) is undertaken or pro8 vided by the recreation service 

9 provider for a term of not more 

10 than 180 days; or 

11 ‘‘(iv) for— 

12 ‘‘(I) a recurring outfitting, guid13 ing, or, at the discretion of the Sec14 retary, other recreation service, the 

15 authorization for which is for a term 

16 of not more than 10 years; or 

17 ‘‘(II) a recurring outfitting, guid18 ing, or, at the discretion of the Sec19 retary, other recreation service, that 

20 occurs under a temporary special 

21 recreation permit authorized under 

22 section 316 of the EXPLORE Act. 

23 ‘‘(B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘special 

24 recreation permit’ does not include— 


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1 ‘‘(i) a concession contract for the pro2 vision of accommodations, facilities, or 

3 services; 

4 ‘‘(ii) a commercial use authorization 

5 issued under section 101925 of title 54, 

6 United States Code; or 

7 ‘‘(iii) any other type of permit, includ8 ing a special use permit administered by 

9 the National Park Service.’’; and 

10 (11) by inserting at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(16) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 

12 the several States, the District of Columbia, and 

13 each territory of the United States.’’. 

14 (b) SPECIAL RECREATION PERMITS AND FEES.— 

15 Section 803 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhance16 ment Act (16 U.S.C. 6802) is amended— 

17 (1) by striking ‘‘this Act’’ each place it appears 

18 and inserting ‘‘this title’’; 

19 (2) in subsection (b)(5), by striking ‘‘section 

20 4(d)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 804(d)’’; and 

21 (3) by striking subsection (h) and inserting the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(h) SPECIAL RECREATION PERMITS AND FEES.— 

24 ‘‘(1) SPECIAL RECREATION PERMITS.— 

25 ‘‘(A) APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary— 


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1 ‘‘(i) may develop and make available 

2 to the public an application to obtain a 

3 special recreation permit described in 

4 clause (i) of section 802(13)(A); and 

5 ‘‘(ii) shall develop and make available 

6 to the public an application to obtain a 

7 special recreation permit described in each 

8 of clauses (ii) through (iv) of section 

9 802(13)(A). 

10 ‘‘(B) ISSUANCE OF PERMITS.—On review 

11 of a completed application developed under sub12 paragraph (A), as applicable, and a determina13 tion by the Secretary that the applicant is eligi14 ble for the special recreation permit, the Sec15 retary may issue to the applicant a special 

16 recreation permit, subject to any terms and 

17 conditions that are determined to be necessary 

18 by the Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(C) INCIDENTAL SALES.—A special recre20 ation permit issued under this paragraph may 

21 include an authorization for sales that are inci22 dental in nature to the permitted use of the 

23 Federal recreational lands and waters, except 

24 where otherwise prohibited by law. 

25 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL RECREATION PERMIT FEES.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

2 charge a special recreation permit fee for the 

3 issuance of a special recreation permit in ac4 cordance with this paragraph. 

5 ‘‘(B) PREDETERMINED SPECIAL RECRE6 ATION PERMIT FEES.— 

7 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of 

8 subparagraphs (D) and (E) of this para9 graph, the Secretary shall establish and 

10 may charge a predetermined fee, described 

11 in clause (ii) of this subparagraph, for a 

12 special recreation permit described in 

13 clause (iii) or (iv) of section 802(13)(A) 

14 for a specific type of use on a unit of Fed15 eral recreational lands and waters, con16 sistent with the criteria set forth in clause 

17 (iii) of this subparagraph. 

18 ‘‘(ii) TYPE OF FEE.—A predetermined 

19 fee described in clause (i) shall be— 

20 ‘‘(I) a fixed fee that is assessed 

21 per special recreation permit, includ22 ing a fee with an associated size limi23 tation or other criteria as determined 

24 to be appropriate by the Secretary; or 


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1 ‘‘(II) an amount assessed per vis2 itor-use day. 

3 ‘‘(iii) CRITERIA.—A predetermined fee 

4 under clause (i) shall— 

5 ‘‘(I) have been established before 

6 the date of the enactment of the EX7 PLORE Act; 

8 ‘‘(II) be established after the 

9 date of the enactment of the EX10 PLORE Act, in accordance with sub11 section (b); 

12 ‘‘(III)(aa) be established after 

13 the date of the enactment of the EX14 PLORE Act; and 

15 ‘‘(bb) be comparable to an 

16 amount described in subparagraph 

17 (D)(ii) or (E)(ii), as applicable; or 

18 ‘‘(IV) beginning on the date that 

19 is 2 years after the date of the enact20 ment of the EXPLORE Act, be $6 

21 per visitor-use day in instances in 

22 which the Secretary has not estab23 lished a predetermined fee under sub24 clause (I), (II), or (III). 


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1 ‘‘(C) CALCULATION OF FEES FOR SPECIAL2 IZED RECREATIONAL USES AND LARGE-GROUP

3 ACTIVITIES OR EVENTS.—The Secretary may, 

4 at the discretion of the Secretary, establish and 

5 charge a fee for a special recreation permit de6 scribed in clause (i) or (ii) of section 

7 802(13)(A). 

8 ‘‘(D) CALCULATION OF FEES FOR SINGLE

9 ORGANIZED GROUP RECREATION ACTIVITIES OR

10 EVENTS, COMPETITIVE EVENTS, AND CERTAIN

11 RECURRING ORGANIZED GROUP RECREATION

12 ACTIVITIES.—If the Secretary elects to charge a 

13 fee for a special recreation permit described in 

14 section 802(13)(A)(iii), the Secretary shall 

15 charge the recreation service provider, based on 

16 the election of the recreation service provider— 

17 ‘‘(i) the applicable predetermined fee 

18 established under subparagraph (B); or 

19 ‘‘(ii) an amount equal to a percentage 

20 of, to be determined by the Secretary, but 

21 to not to exceed 5 percent of, adjusted 

22 gross receipts calculated under subpara23 graph (F). 

24 ‘‘(E) CALCULATION OF FEES FOR TEM25 PORARY PERMITS AND LONG-TERM PERMITS.— 


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1 Subject to subparagraph (G), if the Secretary 

2 elects to charge a fee for a special recreation 

3 permit described in section 802(13)(A)(iv), the 

4 Secretary shall charge the recreation service 

5 provider, based on the election of the recreation 

6 service provider— 

7 ‘‘(i) the applicable predetermined fee 

8 established under subparagraph (B); or 

9 ‘‘(ii) an amount equal to a percentage 

10 of, to be determined by the Secretary, but 

11 not to exceed 3 percent of, adjusted gross 

12 receipts calculated under subparagraph 

13 (F). 

14 ‘‘(F) ADJUSTED GROSS RECEIPTS.—For 

15 the purposes of subparagraphs (D)(ii) and 

16 (E)(ii), the Secretary shall calculate the ad17 justed gross receipts collected for each trip or 

18 event authorized under a special recreation per19 mit, using either of the following calculations, 

20 based on the election of the recreation service 

21 provider: 

22 ‘‘(i) The sum of— 

23 ‘‘(I) the product obtained by mul24 tiplying— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) the general amount 

2 paid by participants of the trip or 

3 event to the recreation service 

4 provider for the applicable trip or 

5 event (excluding amounts related 

6 to goods, souvenirs, merchandise, 

7 gear, and additional food pro8 vided or sold by the recreation 

9 service provider); and 

10 ‘‘(bb) the quotient obtained 

11 by dividing— 

12 ‘‘(AA) the number of 

13 days of the trip or event 

14 that occurred on Federal 

15 recreational lands and 

16 waters covered by the special 

17 recreation permit, rounded 

18 to the nearest whole day; by 

19 ‘‘(BB) the total number 

20 of days of the trip or event; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(II) the amount of any addi23 tional revenue received by the recre24 ation service provider for an add-on 

25 activity or an optional excursion that 


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1 occurred on the Federal recreational 

2 lands and waters covered by the spe3 cial recreation permit. 

4 ‘‘(ii) The difference between— 

5 ‘‘(I) the total cost paid by the 

6 participants of the trip or event for 

7 the trip or event to the recreation 

8 service provider, including any addi9 tional revenue received by the recre10 ation service provider for an add-on 

11 activity or an optional excursion that 

12 occurred on the Federal recreational 

13 lands and waters covered by the spe14 cial recreation permit; and 

15 ‘‘(II) the sum of— 

16 ‘‘(aa) the amount of any 

17 revenues from goods, souvenirs, 

18 merchandise, gear, and additional 

19 food provided or sold by the 

20 recreation service provider to the 

21 participants of the applicable trip 

22 or event; 

23 ‘‘(bb) the amount of any 

24 costs or revenues from services 

25 and activities provided or sold by 


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1 the recreation service provider to 

2 the participants of the trip or 

3 event that occurred in a location 

4 other than the Federal rec5 reational lands and waters cov6 ered by the special recreation 

7 permit (including costs for travel 

8 and lodging outside the Federal 

9 recreational lands and waters 

10 covered by the special recreation 

11 permit); and 

12 ‘‘(cc) the amount of any rev13 enues from any service provided 

14 by a recreation service provider 

15 for an activity on Federal rec16 reational lands and waters that is 

17 not covered by the special recre18 ation permit. 

19 ‘‘(G) EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding sub20 paragraph (E), the Secretary may charge a 

21 recreation service provider a minimum annual 

22 fee for a special recreation permit described in 

23 section 802(13)(A)(iv). 

24 ‘‘(H) SAVINGS CLAUSES.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) EFFECT.—Nothing in this para2 graph affects any fee for— 

3 ‘‘(I) a concession contract admin4 istered by the National Park Service 

5 or the United States Fish and Wild6 life Service for the provision of accom7 modations, facilities, or services; or 

8 ‘‘(II) a commercial use authoriza9 tion or special use permit for use of 

10 Federal recreational lands and waters 

11 managed by the National Park Serv12 ice. 

13 ‘‘(ii) COST RECOVERY.—Nothing in 

14 this paragraph affects the ability of the 

15 Secretary to recover any administrative 

16 costs under section 320 of the EXPLORE 

17 Act. 

18 ‘‘(iii) SPECIAL RECREATION PERMIT

19 FEES AND OTHER RECREATION FEES.— 

20 The collection of a special recreation per21 mit fee under this paragraph shall not af22 fect the authority of the Secretary to col23 lect an entrance fee, a standard amenity 

24 recreation fee, or an expanded amenity 


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1 recreation fee authorized under subsections 

2 (e), (f), and (g). 

3 ‘‘(i) DISCLOSURE OF RECREATION FEES AND USE

4 OF RECREATION FEES.— 

5 ‘‘(1) NOTICE OF ENTRANCE FEES, STANDARD

6 AMENITY RECREATION FEES, EXPANDED AMENITY

7 RECREATION FEES, AND AVAILABLE RECREATION

8 PASSES.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

10 post clear notice of any entrance fee, standard 

11 amenity recreation fee, expanded amenity recre12 ation fee, and available recreation passes— 

13 ‘‘(i) at appropriate locations in each 

14 unit or area of Federal recreational land 

15 and waters at which an entrance fee, 

16 standard amenity recreation fee, or ex17 panded amenity recreation fee is charged; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(ii) on the appropriate website for 

20 such unit or area. 

21 ‘‘(B) PUBLICATIONS.—The Secretary shall 

22 include in publications distributed at a unit or 

23 area or described in subparagraph (A) the no24 tice described in that subparagraph. 


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1 ‘‘(2) NOTICE OF USES OF RECREATION FEES.— 

2 Beginning on January 1, 2026, the Secretary shall 

3 annually post, at the location at which a recreation 

4 fee described in paragraph (1)(A) is collected, clear 

5 notice of— 

6 ‘‘(A) the total recreation fees collected dur7 ing each of the 2 preceding fiscal years at the 

8 respective unit or area of the Federal land man9 agement agency; and 

10 ‘‘(B) each use during the preceding fiscal 

11 year of the applicable recreation fee or recre12 ation pass revenues collected under this section. 

13 ‘‘(3) NOTICE OF RECREATION FEE PROJECTS.— 

14 To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall post 

15 clear notice at the location at which work is per16 formed using recreation fee and recreation pass rev17 enues collected under this section. 

18 ‘‘(4) CENTRALIZED REPORTING ON AGENCY

19 WEBSITES.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than Janu21 ary 1, 2025, and not later than 60 days after 

22 the beginning of each fiscal year thereafter, the 

23 Secretary shall post on the website of the appli24 cable Federal land management agency a 

25 searchable list of each use during the preceding 


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1 fiscal year of the recreation fee or recreation 

2 pass revenues collected under this section. 

3 ‘‘(B) LIST COMPONENTS.—The list re4 quired under subparagraph (A) shall include, 

5 with respect to each use described in that sub6 paragraph— 

7 ‘‘(i) a title and description of the over8 all project; 

9 ‘‘(ii) a title and description for each 

10 component of the project; 

11 ‘‘(iii) the location of the project; and 

12 ‘‘(iv) the amount obligated for the 

13 project. 

14 ‘‘(5) NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS.—A recreation 

15 service provider may inform a customer of the recre16 ation service provider of any fee charged by the Sec17 retary under this section.’’. 

18 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 804 of the 

19 Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

20 6803) is amended by striking subsection (e). 

21 (d) USE OF SPECIAL RECREATION PERMIT REV22 ENUE.—Section 808 of the Federal Lands Recreation En23 hancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6807) is amended— 

24 (1) by striking ‘‘this Act’’ each place it appears 

25 and inserting ‘‘this title’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (a)(3)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

3 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

4 (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘6(a) 

5 or a visitor reservation service.’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘806(a) or a visitor reservation service;’’; and 

7 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(G) the processing of special recreation 

9 permit applications and administration of spe10 cial recreation permits; and 

11 ‘‘(H) the improvement of the operation of 

12 the special recreation permit program under 

13 section 803(h).’’; and 

14 (3) in subsection (d)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘section 

16 5(a)(7)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 805(a)(7)’’; and 

17 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘section 

18 5(d)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 805(d)’’. 

19 (e) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 810 of the Federal 

20 Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6809) is 

21 amended by striking ‘‘2019’’ and inserting ‘‘2031’’. 

22 SEC. 312. PERMITTING PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—To simplify the process of the 

24 issuance and or reissuance of special recreation permits 

25 and reduce the cost of administering special recreation 


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1 permits under section 803(h) of the Federal Lands Recre2 ation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6802) (as amended 

3 by this title), the Secretaries shall each— 

4 (1) during the period beginning on January 1, 

5 2021, and ending on January 1, 2025— 

6 (A) evaluate the process for issuing special 

7 recreation permits; and 

8 (B) based on the evaluation under sub9 paragraph (A), identify opportunities to— 

10 (i) eliminate duplicative processes with 

11 respect to issuing special recreation per12 mits; 

13 (ii) reduce costs for the issuance of 

14 special recreation permits; 

15 (iii) decrease processing times for spe16 cial recreation permits; and 

17 (iv) issue simplified special recreation 

18 permits, including special recreation per19 mits for an organized group recreation ac20 tivity or event under subsection (e); and 

21 (2) not later than 1 year after the date on 

22 which the Secretaries complete their respective eval23 uation and identification processes under paragraph 

24 (1), revise, as necessary, relevant agency regulations 

25 and guidance documents, including regulations and 


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1 guidance documents relating to the environmental 

2 review process, for special recreation permits to im3 plement the improvements identified under para4 graph (1)(B). 

5 (b) ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned 

7 shall, to the maximum extent practicable, utilize 

8 available tools, including tiering to existing pro9 grammatic reviews, as appropriate, to facilitate an 

10 effective and efficient environmental review process 

11 for activities undertaken by the Secretary concerned 

12 relating to the issuance of special recreation permits. 

13 (2) CATEGORICAL EXCLUSIONS.—Not later 

14 than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 

15 title, the Secretary concerned shall— 

16 (A) evaluate whether existing categorical 

17 exclusions available to the Secretary concerned 

18 on the date of the enactment of this title are 

19 consistent with the provisions of this title; 

20 (B) evaluate whether a modification of an 

21 existing categorical exclusion or the establish22 ment of 1 or more new categorical exclusions 

23 developed in compliance with the National Envi24 ronmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 

25 et seq.) is necessary to undertake an activity 


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1 described in paragraph (1) in a manner con2 sistent with the authorities and requirements in 

3 this title; and 

4 (C) revise relevant agency regulations and 

5 policy statements and guidance documents, as 

6 necessary, to modify existing categorical exclu7 sions or incorporate new categorical exclusions 

8 based on evaluations conducted under this para9 graph. 

10 (c) NEEDS ASSESSMENTS.—Except as required 

11 under subsection (c) or (d) of section 4 of the Wilderness 

12 Act (16 U.S.C. 1133), the Secretary concerned shall not 

13 conduct a needs assessment as a condition of issuing a 

14 special recreation permit under section 803(h) of the Fed15 eral Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

16 6802) (as amended by this title). 

17 (d) ONLINE APPLICATIONS.—Not later than 3 years 

18 after the date of the enactment of this title, the Secre19 taries shall make the application for a special recreation 

20 permit under section 803(h) of the Federal Lands Recre21 ation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6802) (as amended 

22 by this title), including a reissuance of a special recreation 

23 permit under that section, available for completion and 

24 submission— 

25 (1) online; 


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1 (2) by mail or electronic mail; and 

2 (3) in person at the field office for the applica3 ble Federal recreational lands and waters. 

4 (e) SPECIAL RECREATION PERMITS FOR AN ORGA5 NIZED GROUP RECREATION ACTIVITY OR EVENT.— 

6 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

7 (A) SPECIAL RECREATION PERMIT FOR AN

8 ORGANIZED GROUP RECREATION ACTIVITY OR

9 EVENT.—The term ‘‘special recreation permit 

10 for an organized group recreation activity or 

11 event’’ means a special recreation permit de12 scribed in subclause (I) or (III) of paragraph 

13 (13)(A)(iii) of section 802 of the Federal Lands 

14 Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801) 

15 (as amended by this title). 

16 (B) YOUTH GROUP.—The term ‘‘youth 

17 group’’ means a recreation service provider that 

18 predominantly serves individuals not older than 

19 25 years of age. 

20 (2) EXEMPTION FROM CERTAIN ALLOCATIONS

21 OF USE.—If the Secretary concerned allocates vis22 itor-use days available for an area or activity on 

23 Federal recreational lands and waters among recre24 ation service providers that hold a permit described 

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1 eral Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

2 6801) (as amended by this title), a special recreation 

3 permit for an organized group recreation activity or 

4 event shall not be subject to that allocation of vis5 itor-use days. 

6 (3) ISSUANCE.—In accordance with paragraphs 

7 (5) and (6), if use by the general public is not sub8 ject to a limited entry permit system and if capacity 

9 is available for the times or days in which the pro10 posed activity or event would be undertaken, on re11 quest of a recreation service provider (including a 

12 youth group) to conduct an organized group recre13 ation activity or event described in subclause (I) or 

14 (III) of paragraph (13)(A)(iii) of section 802 of the 

15 Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 

16 U.S.C. 6801) (as amended by this title), the Sec17 retary concerned— 

18 (A) shall make a nominal effects deter19 mination to determine whether the proposed ac20 tivity or event would have more than nominal 

21 effects on Federal recreational lands and 

22 waters, resources, and programs; and 

23 (B)(i) shall not require a recreation service 

24 provider (including a youth group) to obtain a 

25 special recreation permit for an organized group 


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1 recreation activity or event if the Secretary con2 cerned determines— 

3 (I) the proposed activity or event to 

4 be undertaken would have only nominal ef5 fects on Federal recreational lands and 

6 waters, resources, and programs; and 

7 (II) establishing additional terms and 

8 conditions for the proposed activity or 

9 event is not necessary to protect or avoid 

10 conflict on or with Federal recreational 

11 lands and waters, resources, and programs; 

12 (ii) in the case of an organized group 

13 recreation activity or event described in section 

14 802(13)(A)(iii)(I) of that Act, may issue to a 

15 recreation service provider (including a youth 

16 group) a special recreation permit for an orga17 nized group recreation activity or event, subject 

18 to any terms and conditions as are determined 

19 to be appropriate by the Secretary concerned, if 

20 the Secretary concerned determines— 

21 (I) the proposed activity or event to 

22 be undertaken would have only nominal ef23 fects on Federal recreational lands and 

24 waters, resources, and programs; and 


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1 (II) establishing additional terms and 

2 conditions for the proposed activity or 

3 event is necessary to protect or avoid con4 flict on or with Federal recreational lands 

5 and waters, resources, and programs; 

6 (iii) in the case of an organized group 

7 recreation activity or event described in section 

8 802(13)(A)(iii)(III) of that Act, shall issue to a 

9 recreation service provider (including a youth 

10 group) a special recreation permit for an orga11 nized group recreation activity or event, subject 

12 to such terms and conditions determined to be 

13 appropriate by the Secretary concerned, if the 

14 Secretary concerned determines— 

15 (I) the proposed activity or event to 

16 be undertaken would have only nominal ef17 fects on Federal recreational lands and 

18 waters, resources, and programs; and 

19 (II) establishing additional terms and 

20 conditions for the proposed activity or 

21 event is necessary to protect or avoid con22 flict on or with Federal recreational lands 

23 and waters, resources, and programs; and 

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1 ation permit for an organized group recreation 

2 activity or event, subject to any terms and con3 ditions determined to be appropriate by the 

4 Secretary concerned, if the Secretary concerned 

5 determines— 

6 (I) the proposed activity or event to 

7 be undertaken may have more than nomi8 nal effects on Federal recreational lands 

9 and waters, resources, and programs; and 

10 (II) establishing additional terms and 

11 conditions for the proposed activity or 

12 event would be necessary to protect or 

13 avoid conflict on or with Federal rec14 reational lands and waters, resources, and 

15 programs. 

16 (4) FEES.—The Secretary concerned may elect 

17 not to charge a fee to a recreation service provider 

18 (including a youth group) for a special recreation 

19 permit for an organized group recreation activity or 

20 event. 

21 (5) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this sub22 section prevents the Secretary concerned from lim23 iting or abating the allowance of a proposed activity 

24 or event under paragraph (3)(B)(i) or the issuance 

25 of a special recreation permit for an organized group 


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1 recreation activity or event, based on resource condi2 tions, administrative burdens, or safety issues. 

3 (6) QUALIFICATIONS.—A special recreation per4 mit for an organized group recreation activity or 

5 event issued under paragraph (3) shall be subject to 

6 the health and safety standards required by the Sec7 retary concerned for a permit issued under para8 graph (13)(A)(iv) of section 802 of the Federal 

9 Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

10 6801) (as amended by this title). 

11 SEC. 313. PERMIT FLEXIBILITY. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned shall es13 tablish guidelines to allow a holder of a special recreation 

14 permit under subsection (h) of section 803 of the Federal 

15 Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6802) (as 

16 amended by this title), to engage in another recreational 

17 activity under the special recreation permit that is sub18 stantially similar to the specific activity authorized under 

19 the special recreation permit. 

20 (b) CRITERIA.—For the purposes of this section, a 

21 recreational activity shall be considered to be a substan22 tially similar recreational activity if the recreational activ23 ity— 


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1 (1) is comparable in type, nature, scope, and 

2 ecological setting to the specific activity authorized 

3 under the special recreation permit; 

4 (2) does not result in a greater impact on nat5 ural and cultural resources than the impact of the 

6 authorized activity; 

7 (3) does not adversely affect— 

8 (A) any other holder of a special recreation 

9 permit or other permit; or 

10 (B) any other authorized use of the Fed11 eral recreational lands and waters; and 

12 (4) is consistent with— 

13 (A) any applicable laws (including regula14 tions); and 

15 (B) the land management plan, resource 

16 management plan, or equivalent plan applicable 

17 to the Federal recreational lands and waters. 

18 (c) SURRENDER OF UNUSED VISITOR-USE DAYS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—A recreation service provider 

20 holding a special recreation permit described in 

21 paragraph (13)(A)(iv) of section 802 of the Federal 

22 Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

23 6801) (as amended by this title) may— 

24 (A) notify the Secretary concerned of an 

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1 cated to the recreation service provider under 

2 the special recreation permit; and 

3 (B) surrender to the Secretary concerned 

4 the unused visitor-use days for the applicable 

5 year for temporary reassignment under section 

6 318(b). 

7 (2) DETERMINATION.—To ensure a recreation 

8 service provider described in paragraph (1) is able to 

9 make an informed decision before surrendering any 

10 unused visitor-use day under paragraph (1)(B), the 

11 Secretary concerned shall, on the request of the ap12 plicable recreation service provider, determine and 

13 notify the recreation service provider whether the 

14 unused visitor-use day meets the requirement de15 scribed in section 317(b)(3)(B) before the recreation 

16 service provider surrenders the unused visitor-use 

17 day. 

18 (d) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section affects any au19 thority of, regulation issued by, or decision of the Sec20 retary concerned relating to the use of electric bicycles on 

21 Federal recreational lands and waters under any other 

22 Federal law. 

23 SEC. 314. PERMIT ADMINISTRATION. 

24 (a) PERMIT AVAILABILITY.— 


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1 (1) NOTIFICATIONS OF PERMIT AVAIL2 ABILITY.— 

3 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

4 subparagraph (B), in an area of Federal rec5 reational lands and waters in which use by 

6 recreation service providers is allocated, if the 

7 Secretary concerned determines that visitor-use 

8 days are available for allocation to recreation 

9 service providers or holders of a commercial use 

10 authorization for outfitting and guiding, the 

11 Secretary concerned shall publish that informa12 tion on the website of the agency that admin13 isters the applicable area of Federal rec14 reational lands and waters. 

15 (B) EFFECT.—Nothing in this para16 graph— 

17 (i) applies to— 

18 (I) the reissuance of an existing 

19 special recreation permit or commer20 cial use authorization for outfitting 

21 and guiding; or 

22 (II) the issuance of a new special 

23 recreation permit or new commercial 

24 use authorization for outfitting and 

25 guiding issued to the purchaser of— 


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1 (aa) a recreation service pro2 vider that is the holder of an ex3 isting special recreation permit; 

4 or 

5 (bb) a holder of an existing 

6 commercial use authorization for 

7 outfitting and guiding; or 

8 (ii) creates a prerequisite to the 

9 issuance of a special recreation permit or 

10 commercial use authorization for outfitting 

11 and guiding or otherwise limits the author12 ity of the Secretary concerned— 

13 (I) to issue a new special recre14 ation permit or new commercial use 

15 authorization for outfitting and guid16 ing; or 

17 (II) to add a new or additional 

18 use to an existing special recreation 

19 permit or an existing commercial use 

20 authorization for outfitting and guid21 ing. 

22 (2) UPDATES.—The Secretary concerned shall 

23 ensure that information published on the website 

24 under this subsection is consistently updated to pro25 vide current and correct information to the public. 


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1 (3) ELECTRONIC MAIL NOTIFICATIONS.—The 

2 Secretary concerned shall establish a system by 

3 which potential applicants for special recreation per4 mits or commercial use authorizations for outfitting 

5 and guiding may subscribe to receive notification by 

6 electronic mail of the availability of special recre7 ation permits under section 803(h)(1) of the Federal 

8 Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

9 6802) (as amended by this title) or commercial use 

10 authorizations for outfitting and guiding. 

11 (b) PERMIT APPLICATION OR PROPOSAL ACKNOWL12 EDGMENT.—Not later than 60 days after the date on 

13 which the Secretary concerned receives a completed appli14 cation or a complete proposal for a special recreation per15 mit under section 803(h)(1) of the Federal Lands Recre16 ation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6802) (as amended 

17 by this title), the Secretary concerned shall— 

18 (1) provide to the applicant notice acknowl19 edging receipt of the application or proposal; and 

20 (2)(A) issue a final decision with respect to the 

21 application or proposal; or 

22 (B) provide to the applicant notice of a pro23 jected date for a final decision on the application or 

24 proposal. 


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1 (c) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section applies to a 

2 concession contract issued by the National Park Service 

3 for the provision of accommodations, facilities, or services. 

4 SEC. 315. SERVICE FIRST INITIATIVE; PERMITS FOR MULTI5 JURISDICTIONAL TRIPS. 

6 (a) REPEAL.—Section 330 of the Department of the 

7 Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 

8 (43 U.S.C. 1703), is repealed. 

9 (b) COOPERATIVE ACTION AND SHARING OF RE10 SOURCES BY THE SECRETARIES OF THE INTERIOR AND

11 AGRICULTURE.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—For fiscal year 2024, and 

13 each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretaries may carry 

14 out an initiative, to be known as the ‘‘Service First 

15 Initiative’’, under which the Secretaries, or Federal 

16 land management agencies within their departments, 

17 may— 

18 (A) establish programs to conduct projects, 

19 planning, permitting, leasing, contracting, and 

20 other activities, either jointly or on behalf of 

21 one another; 

22 (B) co-locate in Federal offices and facili23 ties leased by an agency of the Department of 

24 the Interior or the Department of Agriculture; 

25 and 


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1 (C) issue rules to test the feasibility of 

2 issuing unified permits, applications, and leases, 

3 subject to the limitations in this section. 

4 (2) DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY.—The Secre5 taries may make reciprocal delegations of the respec6 tive authorities, duties, and responsibilities of the 

7 Secretaries in support of the Service First Initiative 

8 agency-wide to promote customer service and effi9 ciency. 

10 (3) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section alters, 

11 expands, or limits the applicability of any law (in12 cluding regulations) to land administered by the Bu13 reau of Land Management, National Park Service, 

14 United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the For15 est Service or matters under the jurisdiction of any 

16 other bureaus or offices of the Department of the 

17 Interior or the Department of Agriculture, as appli18 cable. 

19 (4) TRANSFERS OF FUNDING.—Subject to the 

20 availability of appropriations and to facilitate the 

21 sharing of resources under the Service First Initia22 tive, the Secretaries are authorized to mutually 

23 transfer funds between, or reimburse amounts ex24 pended from, appropriate accounts of either Depart25 ment on an annual basis, including transfers and reVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00181 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 imbursements for multiyear projects, except that 

2 this authority may not be used in a manner that cir3 cumvents requirements or limitations imposed on the 

4 use of any of the funds so transferred or reim5 bursed. 

6 (5) REPORT.—The Secretaries shall submit an 

7 annual report to the Committee on Natural Re8 sources of the House of Representatives and the 

9 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 

10 Senate describing the activities undertaken as part 

11 of the Service First Initiative in the prior year. 

12 (c) PILOT PROGRAM FOR SPECIAL RECREATION PER13 MITS FOR MULTIJURISDICTIONAL TRIPS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

15 the date of the enactment of this title, the Secre16 taries shall establish a pilot program to offer to a 

17 person seeking an authorization for a multijuris18 dictional trip a set of separate special recreation per19 mits or commercial use authorizations that author20 izes the use of each unit of Federal recreational 

21 lands and waters on which the multijurisdictional 

22 trip occurs, subject to the authorities that apply to 

23 the applicable unit of Federal recreational lands and 

24 waters. 


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1 (2) MINIMUM NUMBER OF PERMITS.—Not later 

2 than 4 years after the date of the enactment of this 

3 title, the Secretaries shall issue not fewer than 10 

4 sets of separate special recreation permits described 

5 in paragraph (13)(A)(iv) of section 802 of the Fed6 eral Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

7 6801) (as amended by this title) or commercial use 

8 authorizations under the pilot program established 

9 under paragraph (1). 

10 (3) LEAD AGENCIES.—In carrying out the pilot 

11 program established under paragraph (1), the Secre12 taries shall— 

13 (A) designate a lead agency for issuing and 

14 administering a set of separate special recre15 ation permits or commercial use authorizations; 

16 and 

17 (B) select not fewer than 4 offices at which 

18 a person shall be able to apply for a set of sepa19 rate special recreation permits or commercial 

20 use authorizations, of which— 

21 (i) not fewer than 2 offices are man22 aged by the Secretary; and 

23 (ii) not fewer than 2 offices are man24 aged by the Secretary of Agriculture, actVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00183 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 ing through the Chief of the Forest Serv2 ice. 

3 (4) RETENTION OF AUTHORITY BY THE APPLI4 CABLE SECRETARY.—Each of the Secretaries shall 

5 retain the authority to enforce the terms, stipula6 tions, conditions, and agreements in a set of sepa7 rate special recreation permits or commercial use au8 thorizations issued under the pilot program estab9 lished under paragraph (1) that apply specifically to 

10 the use occurring on the Federal recreational lands 

11 and waters managed by the applicable Secretary, 

12 under the authorities that apply to the applicable 

13 Federal recreational lands and waters. 

14 (5) OPTION TO APPLY FOR SEPARATE SPECIAL

15 RECREATION PERMITS OR COMMERCIAL USE AU16 THORIZATIONS.—A person seeking the appropriate 

17 permits or authorizations for a multijurisdictional 

18 trip may apply for— 

19 (A) a separate special recreation permit or 

20 commercial use authorization for the use of 

21 each unit of Federal recreational lands and 

22 waters on which the multijurisdictional trip oc23 curs; or 

24 (B) a set of separate special recreational 

25 permits or commercial use authorizations made 


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1 available under the pilot program established 

2 under paragraph (1). 

3 (6) EFFECT.—Nothing in this subsection ap4 plies to a concession contract issued by the National 

5 Park Service for the provision of accommodations, 

6 facilities, or services. 

7 SEC. 316. FOREST SERVICE AND BUREAU OF LAND MAN8 AGEMENT TEMPORARY SPECIAL RECRE9 ATION PERMITS FOR OUTFITTING AND GUID10 ING. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

12 date of enactment of this title, the Secretary concerned 

13 shall establish and implement a program to authorize the 

14 issuance of temporary special recreation permits for new 

15 or additional recreational uses of Federal recreational land 

16 and water managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau 

17 of Land Management. 

18 (b) TERM OF TEMPORARY PERMITS.—A temporary 

19 special recreation permit issued under paragraph (1) shall 

20 be issued for a period of not more than 2 years. 

21 (c) CONVERSION TO LONG-TERM PERMIT.—If the 

22 Secretary concerned determines that a permittee under 

23 paragraph (1) has completed 2 years of satisfactory oper24 ation under the permit proposed to be converted, the Sec25 retary may provide for the conversion of a temporary speVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00185 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 cial recreation permit issued under paragraph (1) to a 

2 long-term special recreation permit. 

3 (d) EFFECT.—Nothing in this subsection alters or af4 fects the authority of the Secretary to issue a special 

5 recreation permit under subsection (h)(1) of section 803 

6 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 

7 U.S.C. 6802) (as amended by this title). 

8 SEC. 317. REVIEWS FOR LONG-TERM PERMITS. 

9 (a) MONITORING.—The Secretary concerned shall 

10 monitor each recreation service provider issued a special 

11 recreation permit for compliance with the terms of the per12 mit— 

13 (1) not less than annually or as frequently as 

14 needed (as determined by the Secretary concerned), 

15 in the case of a temporary special recreation permit 

16 for outfitting and guiding issued under section 316; 

17 and 

18 (2) not less than once every 2 years or as fre19 quently as needed (as determined by the Secretary 

20 concerned), in the case of a special recreation permit 

21 described in paragraph (13)(A)(iv)(I) of section 802 

22 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act 

23 (16 U.S.C. 6801) (as amended by this title) that is 

24 issued for a term of not more than 10 years. 

25 (b) USE-OF-ALLOCATION REVIEWS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary of Agri2 culture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Serv3 ice, or the Secretary, as applicable, allocates visitor4 use days among special recreation permits for outfit5 ting and guiding, the Secretary of Agriculture, act6 ing through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall, 

7 and the Secretary may, review the use by the recre8 ation service provider of the visitor-use days allo9 cated under a long-term special recreation permit 

10 described in paragraph (13)(A)(iv)(I) of section 802 

11 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act 

12 (16 U.S.C. 6801) (as amended by this title), once 

13 every 5 years. 

14 (2) REQUIREMENTS OF THE REVIEW.—In con15 ducting a review under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

16 concerned shall determine— 

17 (A) the number of visitor-use days that the 

18 recreation service provider used each year under 

19 the special recreation permit, in accordance 

20 with paragraph (3); and 

21 (B) the year in which the recreation serv22 ice provider used the most visitor-use days 

23 under the special recreation permit. 

24 (3) CONSIDERATION OF SURRENDERED, UN25 USED VISITOR-USE DAYS.—For the purposes of deVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00187 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 termining the number of visitor-use days a recre2 ation service provider used in a specified year under 

3 paragraph (2)(A), the Secretary of Agriculture, act4 ing through the Chief of the Forest Service, and the 

5 Secretary, as applicable, shall consider an unused 

6 visitor-use day that has been surrendered under sec7 tion 313(c)(1)(B) as— 

8 (A) 1/2 of a visitor-use day used; or 

9 (B) 1 visitor-use day used, if the Secretary 

10 concerned determines the use of the allocated 

11 visitor-use day had been or will be prevented by 

12 a circumstance beyond the control of the recre13 ation service provider. 

14 SEC. 318. ADJUSTMENT OF ALLOCATED VISITOR-USE DAYS. 

15 (a) ADJUSTMENTS FOLLOWING USE OF ALLOCATION

16 REVIEWS.—On the completion of a use-of-allocation re17 view conducted under section 317(b) for a special recre18 ation permit described in paragraph (13)(A)(iv)(I) of sec19 tion 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

20 Act (16 U.S.C. 6801) (as amended by this title), the Sec21 retary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the For22 est Service, or the Secretary, as applicable, shall adjust 

23 the number of visitor-use days allocated to a recreation 

24 service provider under the special recreation permit as fol25 lows: 


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1 (1) If the Secretary concerned determines that 

2 the performance of the recreation service provider 

3 was satisfactory during the most recent review con4 ducted under subsection (a) of section 317, the an5 nual number of visitor-use days allocated for each 

6 remaining year of the permit shall be equal to 125 

7 percent of the number of visitor-use days used, as 

8 determined under subsection (b)(2)(A) of that sec9 tion, during the year identified under subsection 

10 (b)(2)(B) of that section, not to exceed the level allo11 cated to the recreation service provider on the date 

12 on which the special recreation permit was issued. 

13 (2) If the Secretary concerned determines the 

14 performance of the recreation service provider is less 

15 than satisfactory during the most recent perform16 ance review conducted under subsection (a) of sec17 tion 317, the annual number of visitor-use days allo18 cated for each remaining year of the special recre19 ation permit shall be equal to not more than 100 

20 percent of the number of visitor-use days used, as 

21 determined under subsection (b)(2)(A) of that sec22 tion during the year identified under subsection 

23 (b)(2)(B) of that section. 

24 (b) TEMPORARY REASSIGNMENT OF UNUSED VIS25 ITOR-USE DAYS.—The Secretary concerned may tempoVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00189 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 rarily assign unused visitor-use days, made available under 

2 section 313(c)(1)(B), to— 

3 (1) any other existing or potential recreation 

4 service provider, notwithstanding the number of vis5 itor-use days allocated to the special recreation per6 mit holder under the special recreation permit held 

7 or to be held by the recreation service provider; or 

8 (2) any existing or potential holder of a special 

9 recreation permit described in clause (i) or (iii) of 

10 paragraph (13)(A) of section 802 of the Federal 

11 Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

12 6801) (as amended by this title), including the pub13 lic. 

14 (c) ADDITIONAL CAPACITY.—If unallocated visitor15 use days are available, the Secretary concerned may, at 

16 any time, amend a special recreation permit to allocate 

17 additional visitor-use days to a qualified recreation service 

18 provider. 

19 SEC. 319. LIABILITY. 

20 (a) INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para22 graph (2), as a condition of issuing a special recre23 ation permit under subsection (h)(1)(B) of section 

24 803 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

25 Act (16 U.S.C. 6802) (as amended by this title) or 


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1 a commercial use authorization, the Secretary con2 cerned may require the holder of the special recre3 ation permit or commercial use authorization to have 

4 a commercial general liability insurance policy 

5 that— 

6 (A) is commensurate with the level of risk 

7 of the activities to be conducted under the spe8 cial recreation permit or commercial use au9 thorization; and 

10 (B) includes the United States as an addi11 tional insured in an endorsement to the applica12 ble policy. 

13 (2) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary concerned 

14 shall not require a holder of a special recreation per15 mit or commercial use authorization for low-risk ac16 tivities, as determined by the Secretary concerned, 

17 including commemorative ceremonies and participa18 tion by the public in a recreation activity or recre19 ation use of a specific area of Federal recreational 

20 lands and waters in which use by the public is allo21 cated, to comply with the requirements of paragraph 

22 (1). 

23 (b) INDEMNIFICATION BY GOVERNMENTAL ENTI24 TIES.—The Secretary concerned shall not require a State, 

25 State agency, State institution, or political subdivision of 


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1 a State to indemnify the United States for tort liability 

2 as a condition for issuing a special recreation permit or 

3 commercial use authorization to the extent the State, 

4 State agency, State institution, or political subdivision of 

5 a State is precluded by State law from providing indem6 nification to the United States for tort liability, if the 

7 State, State agency, State institution, or political subdivi8 sion of the State maintains the minimum amount of liabil9 ity insurance coverage required by the Federal land man10 agement agency for the activities conducted under the spe11 cial recreation permit or commercial use authorization in 

12 the form of— 

13 (1) a commercial general liability insurance pol14 icy, which includes the United States as an addi15 tional insured in an endorsement to the policy, if the 

16 State is authorized to obtain commercial general li17 ability insurance by State law; 

18 (2) self-insurance, which covers the United 

19 States as an additional insured, if authorized by 

20 State law; or 

21 (3) a combination of the coverage described in 

22 paragraphs (1) and (2). 

23 (c) EXCULPATORY AGREEMENTS.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para25 graph (2), a Federal land management agency shall 


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1 not implement, administer, or enforce any regula2 tion, guidance, or policy prohibiting the use of an ex3 culpatory agreement between a recreation service 

4 provider or a holder of a commercial use authoriza5 tion and a customer relating to services provided 

6 under a special recreation permit or a commercial 

7 use authorization. 

8 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—Any exculpatory agree9 ment used by a recreation service provider or holder 

10 of a commercial use authorization for an activity au11 thorized under a special recreation permit or com12 mercial use authorization— 

13 (A) shall shield the United States from any 

14 liability, if otherwise allowable under Federal 

15 law; and 

16 (B) shall not waive any liability of the 

17 recreation service provider or holder of the com18 mercial use authorization that may not be 

19 waived under the laws (including common law) 

20 of the applicable State or for gross negligence, 

21 recklessness, or willful misconduct. 

22 (3) CONSISTENCY.—Not later than 2 years 

23 after the date of the enactment of this title, the Sec24 retaries shall— 


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1 (A) review the policies of the Secretaries 

2 pertaining to the use of exculpatory agreements 

3 by recreation service providers and holders of 

4 commercial use authorizations; and 

5 (B) revise any policy described in subpara6 graph (A) as necessary to make the policies of 

7 the Secretaries pertaining to the use of excul8 patory agreements by recreation service pro9 viders and holders of commercial use authoriza10 tions consistent with this subsection and across 

11 all Federal recreational lands and waters. 

12 (d) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section applies to a 

13 concession contract issued by the National Park Service 

14 for the provision of accommodations, facilities, or services. 

15 SEC. 320. COST RECOVERY REFORM. 

16 (a) COST RECOVERY FOR SPECIAL RECREATION

17 PERMITS.—In addition to a fee collected under section 

18 803 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act 

19 (16 U.S.C. 6802) or any other authorized fee collected by 

20 the Secretary concerned, the Secretary concerned may as21 sess and collect a reasonable fee from an applicant for, 

22 or holder of, a special recreation permit to recover admin23 istrative costs incurred by the Secretary concerned for— 

24 (1) processing a proposal or application for the 

25 special recreation permit; 


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1 (2) issuing the special recreation permit; and 

2 (3) monitoring the special recreation permit to 

3 ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of 

4 the special recreation permit. 

5 (b) DE MINIMIS EXEMPTION FROM COST RECOV6 ERY.—If the administrative costs described in subsection 

7 (a) are assessed on an hourly basis, the Secretary con8 cerned shall— 

9 (1) establish an hourly de minimis threshold 

10 that exempts a specified number of hours from the 

11 assessment and collection of administrative costs de12 scribed in subsection (a); and 

13 (2) charge an applicant only for any hours that 

14 exceed the de minimis threshold. 

15 (c) MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS.—If the Secretary con16 cerned collectively processes multiple applications for spe17 cial recreation permits for the same or similar services in 

18 the same unit of Federal recreational lands and waters, 

19 the Secretary concerned shall, to the extent practicable— 

20 (1) assess from the applicants the fee described 

21 in subsection (a) on a prorated basis; and 

22 (2) apply the exemption described in subsection 

23 (b) to each applicant on an individual basis. 


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1 (d) LIMITATION.—The Secretary concerned shall not 

2 assess or collect administrative costs under this section for 

3 a programmatic environmental review. 

4 (e) COST REDUCTION.—To the maximum extent 

5 practicable, the agency processing an application for a spe6 cial recreation permit shall use existing studies and anal7 ysis to reduce the quantity of work and costs necessary 

8 to process the application. 

9 SEC. 321. AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL 

10 RECREATION PASSES. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Lands Recreation 

12 Enhancement Act is amended by inserting after section 

13 805 (16 U.S.C. 6804) the following: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 805A. AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL 

15 RECREATION PASSES. 

16 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To improve the availability 

18 of Federal, State, and local outdoor recreation 

19 passes, the Secretaries are encouraged to coordinate 

20 with States and counties regarding the availability of 

21 Federal, State, and local recreation passes to allow 

22 a purchaser to buy a Federal recreation pass, State 

23 recreation pass, and local recreation pass in a single 

24 transaction. 


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1 ‘‘(2) INCLUDED PASSES.—Passes covered by 

2 the program established under paragraph (1) in3 clude— 

4 ‘‘(A) an America the Beautiful—the Na5 tional Parks and Federal Recreational Lands 

6 Pass under section 805; and 

7 ‘‘(B) any pass covering any fees charged 

8 by participating States and counties for en9 trance and recreational use of parks and public 

10 land in the participating States. 

11 ‘‘(b) AGREEMENTS WITH STATES AND COUNTIES.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries, after con13 sultation with the States and counties, may enter 

14 into agreements with States and counties to coordi15 nate the availability of passes as described in sub16 section (a). 

17 ‘‘(2) REVENUE FROM PASS SALES.—Agree18 ments between the Secretaries, States, and counties 

19 entered into pursuant to this section shall ensure 

20 that— 

21 ‘‘(A) funds from the sale of State or local 

22 passes are transferred to the appropriate State 

23 agency or county government; 


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1 ‘‘(B) funds from the sale of Federal passes 

2 are transferred to the appropriate Federal 

3 agency; and 

4 ‘‘(C) fund transfers are completed by the 

5 end of a fiscal year for all pass sales occurring 

6 during the fiscal year.’’. 

7 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

8 for the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act is 

9 amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

10 805 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 805A. Availability of Federal, State, and local recreation passes.’’. 

11 SEC. 322. ONLINE PURCHASES AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A 

12 DIGITAL VERSION OF AMERICA THE BEAU13 TIFUL—THE NATIONAL PARKS AND FEDERAL 

14 RECREATIONAL LANDS PASSES. 

15 (a) ONLINE PURCHASES OF AMERICA THE BEAU16 TIFUL–THE NATIONAL PARKS AND FEDERAL REC17 REATIONAL LANDS PASS.—Section 805(a)(6) of the Fed18 eral Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 

19 6804(a)(6)) is amended by striking subparagraph (A) and 

20 inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall 

22 sell or otherwise make available the National 

23 Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass— 

24 ‘‘(i) at all Federal recreational lands 

25 and waters at which— 


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1 ‘‘(I) an entrance fee or a stand2 ard amenity recreation fee is charged; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(II) such sales or distribution of 

5 the Pass is feasible; 

6 ‘‘(ii) at such other locations as the 

7 Secretaries consider appropriate and fea8 sible; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) through a prominent link to a 

10 centralized pass sale system on the website 

11 of each of the Federal land management 

12 agencies and the websites of the relevant 

13 units and subunits of those agencies, which 

14 shall include information about where and 

15 when a National Parks and Federal Rec16 reational Lands Pass may be used.’’. 

17 (b) DIGITAL VERSION OF THE AMERICA THE BEAU18 TIFUL—THE NATIONAL PARKS AND FEDERAL RECRE19 ATION LANDS PASS.—Section 805(a) of the Federal 

20 Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6804(a)) 

21 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(10) DIGITAL RECREATION PASSES.—Not 

23 later than January 1, 2026, the Secretaries shall— 

24 ‘‘(A) establish a digital version of the Na25 tional Parks and Federal Recreational Lands 


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1 Pass that is able to be stored on a mobile de2 vice, including with respect to free and dis3 counted passes; and 

4 ‘‘(B) upon completion of a transaction for 

5 a National Parks and Federal Recreational 

6 Lands Pass, make immediately available to the 

7 passholder a digital version of the National 

8 Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass es9 tablished under subparagraph (A).’’. 

10 (c) ENTRANCE PASS AND AMENITY FEES.—Section 

11 803 of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act 

12 (16 U.S.C. 6802) (as amended by this title) is amended 

13 by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(j) ONLINE PAYMENTS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to providing 

16 onsite payment methods, the Secretaries may collect 

17 payment online for— 

18 ‘‘(A) entrance fees under subsection (e); 

19 ‘‘(B) standard amenity recreation fees 

20 under subsection (f); 

21 ‘‘(C) expanded amenity recreation fees 

22 under subsection (g); and 

23 ‘‘(D) special recreation permit fees. 

24 ‘‘(2) DISTRIBUTION OF ONLINE PAYMENTS.— 

25 An online payment collected under paragraph (1) 


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1 that is associated with a specific unit or area of a 

2 Federal land management agency shall be distrib3 uted in accordance with section 805(c).’’. 

4 SEC. 323. SAVINGS PROVISION. 

5 Nothing in this subtitle, or in any amendment made 

6 by this subtitle, shall be construed as affecting the author7 ity or responsibility of the Secretary of the Interior to 

8 award concessions contracts for the provision of accom9 modations, facilities, and services, or commercial use au10 thorizations to provide services, to visitors to U.S. Fish 

11 and Wildlife Service refuges or units of the National Park 

12 System pursuant to subchapter II of chapter 1019 of title 

13 54, United States Code (formerly known as the ‘‘National 

14 Park Service Concessions Management Improvement Act 

15 of 1998’’), except that sections 314(a), 315, 319(a), 

16 319(b), and 319(c) of this subtitle shall also apply to com17 mercial use authorizations under that Act. 

18 Subtitle B—Making Recreation a 

19 Priority 

20 SEC. 331. EXTENSION OF SEASONAL RECREATION OPPOR21 TUNITIES. 

22 (a) DEFINITION OF SEASONAL CLOSURE.—In this 

23 section, the term ‘‘seasonal closure’’ means any period 

24 during which— 


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1 (1) a unit, or portion of a unit, of Federal rec2 reational lands and waters is closed to the public for 

3 a continuous period of 30 days or more, excluding 

4 temporary closures relating to wildlife conservation 

5 or public safety; and 

6 (2) permitted or allowable recreational activi7 ties, which provide an economic benefit, including 

8 off-season or winter-season tourism, do not take 

9 place at the unit, or portion of a unit, of Federal 

10 recreational lands and waters. 

11 (b) COORDINATION.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries shall consult 

13 and coordinate with outdoor recreation-related busi14 nesses operating on, or adjacent to, a unit of Fed15 eral recreational lands and waters, State offices of 

16 outdoor recreation, local destination marketing orga17 nizations, applicable trade organizations, nonprofit 

18 organizations, Indian Tribes, local governments, and 

19 institutions of higher education— 

20 (A) to better understand— 

21 (i) trends with respect to visitors to 

22 the unit of Federal recreational lands and 

23 waters; 

24 (ii) the effect of seasonal closures on 

25 areas of, or infrastructure on, units of 


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1 Federal recreational lands and waters on 

2 outdoor recreation opportunities, adjacent 

3 businesses, and local tax revenue; and 

4 (iii) opportunities to extend the period 

5 of time during which areas of, or infra6 structure on, units of Federal recreational 

7 lands and waters are open to the public to 

8 increase outdoor recreation opportunities 

9 and associated revenues for businesses and 

10 local governments; and 

11 (B) to solicit input from, and provide in12 formation for, outdoor recreation marketing 

13 campaigns. 

14 (2) LOCAL COORDINATION.—As part of the con15 sultation and coordination required under subpara16 graph (1), the Secretaries shall encourage relevant 

17 unit managers of Federal recreational lands and 

18 waters managed by the Forest Service, the Bureau 

19 of Land Management, and the National Park Serv20 ice to consult and coordinate with local governments, 

21 Indian Tribes, outdoor recreation-related businesses, 

22 and other local stakeholders operating on or adja23 cent to the relevant unit of Federal recreational 

24 lands and waters. 

25 (d) EXTENSIONS BEYOND SEASONAL CLOSURES.— 


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1 (1) EXTENSION OF RECREATIONAL SEASON.— 

2 In the case of a unit of Federal recreational lands 

3 and waters managed by the Forest Service, the Bu4 reau of Land Management, or the National Park 

5 Service in which recreational use is highly seasonal, 

6 the Secretary concerned, acting through the relevant 

7 unit manager, may— 

8 (A) as appropriate, extend the recreation 

9 season or increase recreation use in a sustain10 able manner during the offseason; and 

11 (B) make information about extended sea12 son schedules and related recreational opportu13 nities available to the public and local commu14 nities. 

15 (2) DETERMINATION.—In determining whether 

16 to extend the recreation season under this sub17 section, the Secretary concerned, acting through the 

18 relevant unit manager, shall consider the benefits of 

19 extending the recreation season— 

20 (A) for the duration of income to gateway 

21 communities; and 

22 (B) to provide more opportunities to visit 

23 resources on units of Federal recreational lands 

24 and waters to reduce crowding during peak visi25 tation. 


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1 (3) CLARIFICATION.—Nothing in this sub2 section precludes the Secretary concerned, acting 

3 through the relevant unit manager, from providing 

4 for additional recreational opportunities and uses at 

5 times other than those described in this subsection. 

6 (4) INCLUSIONS.—An extension of a recreation 

7 season or an increase in recreation use during the 

8 offseason under paragraph (1) may include— 

9 (A) the addition of facilities that would in10 crease recreation use during the offseason; and 

11 (B) improvement of access to the relevant 

12 unit to extend the recreation season. 

13 (5) REQUIREMENT.—An extension of a recre14 ation season or increase in recreation use during the 

15 offseason under paragraph (1) shall be done in com16 pliance with all applicable Federal laws, regulations, 

17 and policies, including land use plans. 

18 (6) AGREEMENTS.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary con20 cerned may enter into agreements with busi21 nesses, local governments, or other entities to 

22 share the cost of additional expenses necessary 

23 to extend the period of time during which an 

24 area of, or infrastructure on, a unit of Federal 


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1 recreational lands and waters is made open to 

2 the public. 

3 (B) IN-KIND CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Sec4 retary concerned may accept in-kind contribu5 tions of goods and services provided by busi6 nesses, local governments, or other entities for 

7 purposes of paragraph (1). 

8 Subtitle C—Maintenance of Public 

9 Land 

10 SEC. 341. VOLUNTEERS IN THE NATIONAL FORESTS AND 

11 PUBLIC LANDS ACT. 

12 The Volunteers in the National Forests Act of 1972 

13 (16 U.S.C. 558a et seq.) is amended to read as follows: 

14 ‘‘SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

15 ‘‘This Act may be cited as the ‘Volunteers in the Na16 tional Forests and Public Lands Act’. 

17 ‘‘SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

18 ‘‘The purpose of this Act is to leverage volunteer en19 gagement to supplement projects that are carried out by 

20 the Secretaries to fulfill the missions of the Forest Service 

21 and the Bureau of Land Management and are accom22 plished with appropriated funds. 

23 ‘‘SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF SECRETARIES. 

24 ‘‘In this Act, the term ‘Secretaries’ means each of— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting 

2 through the Chief of the Forest Service; and 

3 ‘‘(2) the Secretary of the Interior, acting 

4 through the Director of the Bureau of Land Man5 agement. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION. 

7 ‘‘The Secretaries are authorized to recruit, train, and 

8 accept without regard to the civil service and classification 

9 laws, rules, or regulations the services of individuals with10 out compensation as volunteers for or in aid of recreation 

11 access, trail construction or maintenance, facility con12 struction or maintenance, educational uses (including out13 door classroom construction or maintenance), interpretive 

14 functions, visitor services, conservation measures and de15 velopment, or other activities in and related to areas ad16 ministered by the Secretaries. In carrying out this section, 

17 the Secretaries shall consider referrals of prospective vol18 unteers made by the Corporation for National and Com19 munity Service. 

20 ‘‘SEC. 5. INCIDENTAL EXPENSES. 

21 ‘‘The Secretaries are authorized to provide for inci22 dental expenses, such as transportation, uniforms, lodg23 ing, training, equipment, and subsistence. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 6. CONSIDERATION AS FEDERAL EMPLOYEE. 

2 ‘‘(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a 

3 volunteer shall not be deemed a Federal employee and 

4 shall not be subject to the provisions of law relating to 

5 Federal employment, including those relating to hours of 

6 work, rates of compensation, leave, unemployment com7 pensation, and Federal employee benefits. 

8 ‘‘(b) For the purpose of the tort claim provisions of 

9 title 28, United States Code, a volunteer under this Act 

10 shall be considered a Federal employee. 

11 ‘‘(c) For the purposes of subchapter I of chapter 81 

12 of title 5, United States Code, relating to compensation 

13 to Federal employees for work injuries, volunteers under 

14 this Act shall be deemed civil employees of the United 

15 States within the meaning of the term ‘employee’ as de16 fined in section 8101 of title 5, United States Code, and 

17 the provisions of that subchapter shall apply. 

18 ‘‘(d) For the purposes of claims relating to damage 

19 to, or loss of, personal property of a volunteer incident 

20 to volunteer service, a volunteer under this Act shall be 

21 considered a Federal employee, and the provisions of sec22 tion 3721 of title 31, United States Code, shall apply. 

23 ‘‘(e) For the purposes of subsections (b), (c), and (d), 

24 the term ‘volunteer’ includes a person providing volunteer 

25 services to either of the Secretaries who— 


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1 ‘‘(1) is recruited, trained, and supported by a 

2 cooperator under a mutual benefit agreement or co3 operative agreement with either of the Secretaries; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(2) performs such volunteer services under the 

6 supervision of the cooperator as directed by either of 

7 the Secretaries in the mutual benefit agreement or 

8 cooperative agreement in the mutual benefit agree9 ment, including direction that specifies— 

10 ‘‘(A) the volunteer services, including the 

11 geographic boundaries of the work to be per12 formed by the volunteers, and the supervision 

13 to be provided by the cooperator; 

14 ‘‘(B) the applicable project safety stand15 ards and protocols to be adhered to by the vol16 unteers and enforced by the cooperator; 

17 ‘‘(C) the on-site visits to be made by either 

18 of the Secretaries, if feasible and only if nec19 essary to verify that volunteers are performing 

20 the volunteer services and the cooperator is pro21 viding the supervision agreed upon; 

22 ‘‘(D) the equipment the volunteers are au23 thorized to use; 

24 ‘‘(E) the training the volunteers are re25 quired to complete; 


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1 ‘‘(F) the actions the volunteers are author2 ized to take; and 

3 ‘‘(G) any other terms and conditions that 

4 are determined to be necessary by the applica5 ble Secretary. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 7. PROMOTION OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES. 

7 ‘‘The Secretaries shall promote volunteer opportuni8 ties in areas administered by the Secretaries. 

9 ‘‘SEC. 8. LIABILITY INSURANCE. 

10 ‘‘The Secretaries shall not require a cooperator or 

11 volunteer (as those terms are used in section 6) to have 

12 liability insurance to provide the volunteer services author13 ized under this Act.’’. 

14 SEC. 342. REFERENCE. 

15 Any reference to the Volunteers in the National For16 ests Act of 1972 in any law, regulation, map, document, 

17 record, or other paper of the United States shall be 

18 deemed to be a reference to the Volunteers in the National 

19 Forests and Public Land Act. 

20 Subtitle D—Recreation Not Red 

21 Tape 

22 SEC. 351. GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY FOR RECREATION. 

23 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

24 (1) AUTHORIZED RECREATION SERVICES.—The 

25 term ‘‘authorized recreation services’’ means similar 


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1 and complementary recreation enhancement or im2 provement services carried out— 

3 (A) on Federal land, non-Federal land, or 

4 land owned by an Indian Tribe; and 

5 (B) by either the Secretary or a Governor, 

6 Indian Tribe, or county, as applicable, pursuant 

7 to a good neighbor agreement. 

8 (2) COUNTY.—The term ‘‘county’’ means— 

9 (A) the appropriate executive official of an 

10 affected county; or 

11 (B) in any case in which multiple counties 

12 are affected, the appropriate executive official 

13 of a compact of the affected counties. 

14 (3) FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘Federal land’’ 

15 means land that is— 

16 (A) owned and administered by the United 

17 States as a part of— 

18 (i) the National Forest System; or 

19 (ii) the National Park System; or 

20 (B) public lands (as defined in section 103 

21 of the Federal Land Policy and Management 

22 Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702)). 

23 (4) RECREATION ENHANCEMENT OR IMPROVE24 MENT SERVICES.—The term ‘‘recreation enhance25 ment or improvement services’’ means— 


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1 (A) establishing, repairing, restoring, im2 proving, relocating, constructing, or recon3 structing new or existing— 

4 (i) trails or trailheads; 

5 (ii) campgrounds and camping areas; 

6 (iii) cabins; 

7 (iv) picnic areas or other day use 

8 areas; 

9 (v) shooting ranges; 

10 (vi) restroom or shower facilities; 

11 (vii) paved or permanent roads or 

12 parking areas that serve existing recreation 

13 facilities or areas; 

14 (viii) fishing piers, wildlife viewing 

15 platforms, docks, or other constructed fea16 tures at a recreation site; 

17 (ix) boat landings; 

18 (x) hunting or fishing sites; 

19 (xi) infrastructure within ski areas; or 

20 (xii) visitor centers or other interpre21 tative sites; and 

22 (B) activities that create, improve, or re23 store access to existing recreation facilities or 

24 areas. 


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1 (5) GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT.—The term 

2 ‘‘good neighbor agreement’’ means a cooperative 

3 agreement or contract (including a sole source con4 tract) entered into between the Secretary and a Gov5 ernor, Indian Tribe, or county, as applicable, to 

6 carry out authorized recreation services under this 

7 title. 

8 (6) GOVERNOR.—The term ‘‘Governor’’ means 

9 the Governor or any other appropriate executive offi10 cial of an affected State or the Commonwealth of 

11 Puerto Rico. 

12 (7) SECRETARY CONCERNED.—The term ‘‘Sec13 retary concerned’’ means— 

14 (A) the Secretary of Agriculture, with re15 spect to National Forest System land; and 

16 (B) the Secretary of the Interior, with re17 spect to National Park System land and public 

18 lands. 

19 (b) GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENTS FOR RECRE20 ATION.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned 

22 may enter into a good neighbor agreement with a 

23 Governor, Indian Tribe, or county to carry out au24 thorized recreation services in accordance with this 

25 title. 


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1 (2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary con2 cerned shall make each good neighbor agreement 

3 available to the public. 

4 (3) FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary con6 cerned may provide financial or technical assist7 ance to a Governor, Indian Tribe, or county 

8 carrying out authorized recreation services. 

9 (B) ADDITIONAL TREATMENTS OF REV10 ENUE.—Section 8206(b)(2)(C) of the Agricul11 tural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(b)(2)(C)) 

12 is amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘(C) TREATMENT OF REVENUE.— 

14 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Funds received 

15 from the sale of timber by a Governor, In16 dian Tribe, or county under a good neigh17 bor agreement shall be retained and used 

18 by the Governor, Indian Tribe, or county, 

19 as applicable— 

20 ‘‘(I) to carry out authorized res21 toration services on under the good 

22 neighbor agreement; and 

23 ‘‘(II) if there are funds remain24 ing after carrying out clause (i), to 

25 carry out— 


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1 ‘‘(aa) authorized restoration 

2 services under other good neigh3 bor agreements; or 

4 ‘‘(bb) authorized recreation 

5 services under the Good Neighbor 

6 Authority for Recreation Act. 

7 ‘‘(ii) TERMINATION OF EFFECTIVE8 NESS.—The authority provided under this 

9 subparagraph terminates effective October 

10 1, 2028.’’. 

11 (4) RETENTION OF NEPA RESPONSIBILITIES.— 

12 Any decision required to be made under the Na13 tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 

14 4321 et seq.) with respect to any authorized recre15 ation services to be provided under this section on 

16 Federal land shall not be delegated to a Governor, 

17 Indian Tribe, or county. 

18 SEC. 352. PERMIT RELIEF FOR PICNIC AREAS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary concerned does 

20 not require the public to obtain a permit or reservation 

21 to access a picnic area on Federal recreational lands and 

22 waters administered by the Forest Service or the Bureau 

23 of Land Management, the Secretary concerned shall not 

24 require a covered person to obtain a permit solely to access 

25 the picnic area. 


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1 (b) COVERED PERSON DEFINED.—In this section, 

2 the term ‘‘covered person’’ means a person (including an 

3 educational group) that provides outfitting and guiding 

4 services to fewer than 40 customers per year at a picnic 

5 area described in subsection (a). 

6 SEC. 353. INTERAGENCY REPORT ON SPECIAL RECREATION 

7 PERMITS FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. 

8 (a) COVERED COMMUNITY DEFINED.—In this sec9 tion, the term ‘‘covered community’’ means a rural or 

10 urban community, including an Indian Tribe, that is— 

11 (1) low-income or underserved; and 

12 (2) has been underrepresented in outdoor recre13 ation opportunities on Federal recreational lands 

14 and waters. 

15 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

16 of the enactment of this title, the Secretaries, acting joint17 ly, shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural 

18 Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural 

19 Resources of the House of Representatives a report that 

20 describes— 

21 (1) the estimated use of special recreation per22 mits serving covered communities; 

23 (2) examples of special recreation permits, part24 nerships, cooperative agreements, or other arrangeVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:31 Dec 30, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00216 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6492.RDS H6492

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1 ments providing access to Federal recreational lands 

2 and waters for covered communities; 

3 (3) other ways covered communities are engag4 ing on Federal recreational lands and waters, includ5 ing through stewardship and conservation projects 

6 or activities; 

7 (4) any barriers for existing or prospective 

8 recreation service providers and holders of commer9 cial use authorizations operating within or serving a 

10 covered community; and 

11 (5) any recommendations to facilitate and in12 crease permitted access to Federal recreational lands 

13 and waters for covered communities. 

14 SEC. 354. MODERNIZING ACCESS TO OUR PUBLIC LAND ACT 

15 AMENDMENTS. 

16 The Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act (16 

17 U.S.C. 6851 et seq.) is amended— 

18 (1) in section 3(1) (16 U.S.C. 6852(1)), by 

19 striking ‘‘public outdoor recreational use’’ and in20 serting ‘‘recreation sites’’; 

21 (2) in section 5(a)(4) (16 U.S.C. 6854(a)(4)), 

22 by striking ‘‘permanently restricted or prohibited’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘regulated or closed’’; and 

24 (3) in section 6(b) (16 U.S.C. 6855(b))— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘shall’’; and 

3 (B) by striking ‘‘the Secretary of the Inte4 rior’’ and inserting ‘‘the Secretaries’’. 

5 SEC. 355. SAVINGS PROVISION. 

6 No additional Federal funds are authorized to carry 

7 out the requirements of this Act and the activities author8 ized by this Act are subject to the availability of appropria9 tions made in advance for such purposes. 

Passed the House of Representatives April 9, 2024. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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