I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 629 

To amend title 54, United States Code, to provide for congressional approval 

of national monuments and restrictions on the use of national monuments, to establish requirements for declaration of marine national monuments, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 28, 2021 

Mr. YOUNG introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend title 54, United States Code, to provide for congressional approval of national monuments and restrictions on the use of national monuments, to establish 

requirements for declaration of marine national monuments, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Marine Access and 

5 State Transparency’’ or the ‘‘MAST Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORIZATION OF DECLARA2 TIONS OF NATIONAL MONUMENTS AND RE3 STRICTIONS ON PUBLIC USE. 

4 (a) DECLARATIONS OF NATIONAL MONUMENTS.— 

5 Section 320301 of title 54, United States Code, is amend6 ed— 

7 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The Presi8 dent may’’ and inserting ‘‘After obtaining congres9 sional approval of a proposed national monument 

10 and certifying compliance with the National Envi11 ronmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

12 seq.) with respect to the proposed national monu13 ment, and subject to subsection (e), the President 

14 may’’; and 

15 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(e) REQUIREMENTS FOR DECLARATIONS OF MA17 RINE NATIONAL MONUMENTS.— 

18 ‘‘(1) REQUIREMENTS.—The President may not 

19 declare any area of the exclusive economic zone to 

20 be a national monument unless— 

21 ‘‘(A) such declaration is specifically au22 thorized by an Act of Congress; 

23 ‘‘(B) the President has submitted a pro24 posal to make such declaration to the Governor 

25 of each State, and of each territory, any part 


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1 of which is located within 200 nautical miles of 

2 that area; 

3 ‘‘(C) each such Governor submits to the 

4 President notice that the legislature of that 

5 State or territory has approved the proposal; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(D) the declaration is substantially the 

8 same as the proposal. 

9 ‘‘(2) EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE DEFINED.— 

10 In this subsection the term ‘exclusive economic zone’ 

11 means the zone established by Proclamation Num12 bered 5030, dated March 10, 1983.’’. 

13 (b) RESTRICTIONS ON PUBLIC USE.—Chapter 3203 

14 of title 54, United States Code, is amended— 

15 (1) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘§ 320304. Restrictions on public use 

17 ‘‘The Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of 

18 Commerce with respect to any area of the exclusive eco19 nomic zone (as defined in section 320301(e)) designated 

20 as a national monument, shall not implement any restric21 tions on the public use of a national monument until the 

22 expiration of an appropriate review period (as determined 

23 by such Secretary) providing for public input and congres24 sional approval.’’; and 


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1 (2) in the analysis at the beginning of the chap2 ter, by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘320304. Restrictions on public use.’’. 

Æ 


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