Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act

Subjects: Public Lands and Natural Resources, Community life and organization, Government studies and investigations, Intergovernmental relations, Outdoor recreation, Parks, recreation areas, trails, Public-private cooperation, State and local government operations

Summary:  <p><strong>Gateway Community and Recreation Enhancement Act</strong></p> <p>This bill directs the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service to carry out activities to enhance recreational opportunities for gateway communities and provides for the establishment of a digital National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. </p> <p><em>Gateway community </em>means a community that serves as an entry point or is adjacent to a recreation destination at which there is consistently high seasonal or year-round visitation.</p> <p>Specifically, Interior and the Forest Service must collaborate with state and local governments, Indian tribes, and other relevant stakeholders to identify needs and economic impacts in gateway communities, including</p> <ul> <li>housing shortages,</li> <li>demands on existing municipal infrastructure, </li> <li>accommodation and management of sustainable visitation, and</li> <li>the expansion and diversification of visitor experiences by bolstering the visitation at certain nearby underutilized locations or lesser-known recreation sites.</li> </ul> <p>The Rural Business-Cooperative Service shall provide to businesses in gateway communities assistance to establish, operate, or expand infrastructure to accommodate and manage sustainable visitation.</p> <p>Interior and the Forest Service must (1) establish a single visitation data reporting system to report accurate annual visitation data, and (2) carry out a Real-time Data Pilot Program.</p> <p>The bill provides for the establishment, by January 1, 2024, of a digital version of the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass that is able to be stored on a mobile device.</p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 390 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 390

   To require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
   Interior to carry out certain activities to enhance recreational 
   opportunities for gateway communities, to amend the Federal Lands 
   Recreation Enhancement Act to provide for the establishment of a 
  digital National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 13, 2023

 Mr. Daines (for himself and Mr. King) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the 
   Interior to carry out certain activities to enhance recreational 
   opportunities for gateway communities, to amend the Federal Lands 
   Recreation Enhancement Act to provide for the establishment of a 
  digital National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Gateway Community and Recreation 
Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Federal recreational lands and waters.--The term 
        ``Federal recreational lands and waters'' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation 
        Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801).
            (2) Gateway community.--The term ``gateway community'' 
        means a community that serves as an entry point or is adjacent 
        to a recreation destination on Federal recreational lands and 
        waters or non-Federal land at which there is consistently high, 
        in the determination of the Secretaries, seasonal or year-round 
        visitation.
            (3) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
        Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
            (4) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
                    (A) the Secretary; and
                    (B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through 
                the Chief of the Forest Service.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.

SEC. 3. GATEWAY COMMUNITIES.

    (a) Assessment of Impacts and Needs in Gateway Communities.--Using 
existing funds available to the Secretaries, the Secretaries--
            (1) shall collaborate with State and local governments, 
        Indian Tribes, housing authorities, applicable trade 
        associations, nonprofit organizations, and other relevant 
        stakeholders to identify needs and economic impacts in gateway 
        communities, including--
                    (A) housing shortages;
                    (B) demands on existing municipal infrastructure;
                    (C) accommodation and management of sustainable 
                visitation; and
                    (D) the expansion and diversification of visitor 
                experiences by bolstering the visitation at--
                            (i) underutilized locations on nearby 
                        Federal recreational lands and waters that are 
                        suitable for developing, expanding, or 
                        enhancing recreation use, as identified by the 
                        Secretaries; or
                            (ii) lesser-known recreation sites, as 
                        identified under section 4(b)(1)(B), on nearby 
                        land managed by a State agency or a local 
                        agency; and
            (2) may address a need identified under paragraph (1) by--
                    (A) providing financial or technical assistance to 
                a gateway community under an existing program;
                    (B) entering into a lease, right-of-way, or 
                easement, in accordance with applicable laws; or
                    (C) issuing an entity referred to in paragraph (1) 
                a special use permit (other than a special recreation 
                permit), in accordance with applicable laws.
    (b) Technical and Financial Assistance to Businesses.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Agriculture (acting 
        through the Administrator of the Rural Business-Cooperative 
        Service), in coordination with the Secretary and the Secretary 
        of Commerce, shall provide to businesses in gateway communities 
        the assistance described in paragraph (2) to establish, 
        operate, or expand infrastructure to accommodate and manage 
        sustainable visitation, including hotels, campgrounds, and 
        restaurants.
            (2) Assistance.--The Secretary of Agriculture may provide 
        assistance under paragraph (1) through the use of existing, or 
        the establishment of new, entrepreneur and vocational training 
        programs, technical assistance programs, low-interest business 
        loan programs, and loan guarantee programs.
    (c) Partnerships.--In carrying out this section, the Secretaries 
may, in accordance with applicable laws, enter into a public-private 
partnership, cooperative agreement, memorandum of understanding, or 
similar agreement with a gateway community or a business in a gateway 
community.

SEC. 4. IMPROVED RECREATION VISITATION DATA.

    (a) Consistent Visitation Data.--
            (1) Annual visitation data.--The Secretaries shall 
        establish a single visitation data reporting system to report 
        accurate annual visitation data, in a consistent manner, for--
                    (A) each unit of Federal recreational lands and 
                waters; and
                    (B) land held in trust for an Indian Tribe, on 
                request of the Indian Tribe.
            (2) Categories of use.--Within the visitation data 
        reporting system established under paragraph (1), the 
        Secretaries shall--
                    (A) establish multiple categories of different 
                recreation activities that are reported consistently 
                across agencies; and
                    (B) provide an estimate of the number of visitors 
                for each applicable category established under 
                subparagraph (A) for each unit of Federal recreational 
                lands and waters.
    (b) Real-Time Data Pilot Program.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, using existing funds available to the 
        Secretaries, the Secretaries shall carry out a pilot program, 
        to be known as the ``Real-time Data Pilot Program'' (referred 
        to in this section as the ``Pilot Program''), to make available 
        to the public, for each unit of Federal recreational lands and 
        waters selected for participation in the Pilot Program under 
        paragraph (2)--
                    (A) real-time or predictive data on visitation 
                (including data and resources publicly available from 
                existing nongovernmental platform) at--
                            (i) the unit of Federal recreational lands 
                        and waters;
                            (ii) to the extent practicable, areas 
                        within the unit of Federal recreational lands 
                        and waters; and
                            (iii) to the extent practicable, recreation 
                        sites managed by any other Federal agency, a 
                        State agency, or a local agency that are 
                        located near the unit of Federal recreational 
                        lands and waters; and
                    (B) through multiple media platforms, information 
                about lesser-known recreation sites located near the 
                unit of Federal recreational lands and waters 
                (including recreation sites managed by any other 
                Federal agency, a State agency, or a local agency), in 
                an effort to encourage visitation among recreational 
                sites.
            (2) Locations.--
                    (A) Initial number of units.--On establishment of 
                the Pilot Program, the Secretaries shall select for 
                participation in the Pilot Program--
                            (i) 15 units of Federal recreational lands 
                        and waters managed by the Secretary; and
                            (ii) 5 units of Federal recreational lands 
                        and waters managed by the Secretary of 
                        Agriculture (acting through the Chief of the 
                        Forest Service).
                    (B) Expansion.--Not later than 5 years after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall 
                expand the Pilot Program by selecting 80 additional 
                units of Federal recreational lands and waters managed 
                by the Secretaries for participation in the Pilot 
                Program, not fewer than 50 of which shall be units 
                managed by the Secretary.
                    (C) Feedback; support of gateway communities.--The 
                Secretaries shall--
                            (i) solicit feedback regarding 
                        participation in the Pilot Program from 
                        communities adjacent to units of Federal 
                        recreational lands and waters and the public; 
                        and
                            (ii) in carrying out subparagraphs (A) and 
                        (B), select a unit of Federal recreation lands 
                        and waters to participate in the Pilot Program 
                        only if the community adjacent to the unit of 
                        Federal recreational lands and waters is 
                        supportive of the participation of the unit of 
                        Federal recreational lands and waters in the 
                        Pilot Program.
            (3) Dissemination of information.--The Secretaries may 
        disseminate the information described in paragraph (1) directly 
        or through an entity or organization referred to in subsection 
        (c).
    (c) Community Partners and Third-Party Providers.--For purposes of 
carrying out this section, the Secretary concerned may--
            (1) coordinate and partner with--
                    (A) communities adjacent to units of Federal 
                recreational lands and waters;
                    (B) State and local outdoor recreation and tourism 
                offices;
                    (C) local governments;
                    (D) Indian Tribes;
                    (E) trade associations;
                    (F) local outdoor recreation marketing 
                organizations;
                    (G) permitted facilitated recreation providers; or
                    (H) other relevant stakeholders; and
            (2) coordinate or enter into agreements, as appropriate, 
        with private sector and nonprofit partners, including--
                    (A) technology companies;
                    (B) geospatial data companies;
                    (C) experts in data science, analytics, and 
                operations research; or
                    (D) data companies.
    (d) Existing Programs.--The Secretaries may use existing programs 
or products of the Secretaries to carry out this section.
    (e) Privacy Clauses.--Nothing in this section provides authority to 
the Secretaries--
            (1) to monitor or record the movements of a visitor to a 
        unit of Federal recreational lands and waters;
            (2) to restrict, interfere with, or monitor a private 
        communication of a visitor to a unit of Federal recreational 
        lands and waters; or
            (3) to collect--
                    (A) information from owners of land adjacent to a 
                unit of Federal recreational lands and waters; or
                    (B) information on non-Federal land.
    (f) Reports.--Not later than January 1, 2024, and annually 
thereafter, the Secretaries shall publish on a website of the 
Secretaries a report that describes the annual visitation of each unit 
of Federal recreational lands and waters, including, to the maximum 
extent practicable, visitation categorized by recreational activity.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF A DIGITAL VERSION OF AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL--
              THE NATIONAL PARKS AND FEDERAL RECREATIONAL LANDS PASSES.

    Section 805(a) of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 
U.S.C. 6804(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) Digital recreation passes.--By not later than 
        January 1, 2024, the Secretaries shall--
                    ``(A) establish a digital version of the National 
                Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass that is able 
                to be stored on a mobile device; and
                    ``(B) on the completion of a sale of a National 
                Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass carried out 
                under paragraph (6)(A), make available to the 
                passholder the digital version of the National Parks 
                and Federal Recreational Lands Pass established under 
                subparagraph (A).''.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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