I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8401 
To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture 
to complete an interagency report on the effects of special recreation 
permits on environmental justice communities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 
Ms. HAALAND (for herself, Ms. MENG, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. 
DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, and Ms. TLAIB) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary 
of Agriculture to complete an interagency report on the 
effects of special recreation permits on environmental 
justice communities, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. INTERAGENCY REPORT ON SPECIAL RECRE-
ATION 
PERMITS 
BENEFITS 
TO 
ENVIRON-
MENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years following 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall submit a 
report to the Committee on Natural Resources of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate on the following: 
(1) Estimated use of special recreation permits 
by recreation service providers serving environmental 
justice communities. 
(2) Any national, regional, State, local, or site- 
specific policies, including those required under the 
Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 
U.S.C. 6801 et seq.) that facilitate public lands ac-
cess for recreational service providers serving envi-
ronmental justice communities. 
(3) Any case studies that may provide illus-
trative examples of how special recreation permits, 
partnerships, or cooperative agreements are being ef-
fectively used by land managers for the purposes of 
providing public lands access to recreation service 
providers serving environmental justice communities. 
(4) Identification of any barriers to public lands 
access for recreation service providers serving envi-
ronmental justice communities. 
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(5) Any recommendations for agency policy, or 
if necessary, action by Congress to encourage and 
simplify public lands access for recreational service 
providers serving environmental justice communities. 
(b) VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION BY SPECIAL RECRE-
ATION PROVIDERS.—The Secretaries— 
(1) shall contact all current or prospective spe-
cial recreation providers to request a voluntary esti-
mation of how many user days are used by individ-
uals from environmental justice communities; 
(2) shall request from recreational service pro-
viders and interested members of the public any 
other information that supports the reporting re-
quirements in subsection (a); and 
(3) shall not use participation or information 
provided as a condition in approving or rejecting a 
special recreation permit. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) The term ‘‘environmental justice commu-
nity’’ means a community with significant represen-
tation of communities of color, low-income commu-
nities, or Tribal and indigenous communities, that 
experiences, or is at risk of experiencing, higher or 
more adverse human health or environmental effects 
than other communities. 
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(2) The terms ‘‘recreation service provider’’, 
‘‘special recreation permit’’, ‘‘Secretaries’’, and 
‘‘Secretary’’ have the same meaning as defined in 
section 802 of the Federal Lands Recreation En-
hancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801). 
Æ 
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