I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9165 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to 
allocate resources for remote search and rescue activities conducted on 
Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior 
or the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2024 
Ms. MALOY (for herself, Mr. CASE, and Mr. CURTIS) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in 
addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant 
program to allocate resources for remote search and res-
cue activities conducted on Federal land under the juris-
diction of the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary 
of Agriculture, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Land Search 
and Rescue Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR REMOTE SEARCH AND RES-
CUE ACTIVITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es-
tablish a program to provide grants to allocate resources 
for remote search and rescue activities conducted on Fed-
eral land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary or the 
Secretary of Agriculture. 
(b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for a grant under 
the Program, an eligible recipient shall submit to the Sec-
retary an application in such form, at such time, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary determines to 
be appropriate. 
(c) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall prioritize appli-
cations from eligible recipients that serve an area with a 
high ratio of visitors to residents. 
(d) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the cost 
of an eligible purpose funded under the Program shall not 
exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the eligible purpose, 
as determined by the Secretary. 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE
PURPOSE.—The term ‘‘eligible 
purpose’’ means— 
(A) the purchase of equipment and gear 
necessary for remote search and rescue activi-
ties; 
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(B) the cost of maintenance and repair of 
remote search and rescue equipment owned or 
leased by an eligible recipient; and 
(C) reimbursement to an eligible recipient 
for remote search and rescue activities con-
ducted on Federal land under the jurisdiction of 
the Secretary or the Secretary of Agriculture. 
(2) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 
recipient’’ means a State, political subdivision there-
of, or their designee, that is— 
(A) authorized by State or Federal law to 
conduct remote search and rescue activities; 
and 
(B) determined by the Secretary to have 
the capability to carry out a project described 
in subsection (d). 
(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 
the program established under subsection (a). 
(4) REMOTE SEARCH AND RESCUE ACTIVITY.— 
The term ‘‘remote search and rescue activity’’ means 
an activity that uses, trains, or supports responders 
with specialized equipment to— 
(A) locate and recover the remains of de-
ceased individuals in remote areas; and 
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(B) locate, provide assistance to, and re-
move to safety individuals who are lost, injured, 
stranded, or entrapped in remote areas. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
Æ 
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