Title: 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.
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
This bill requires the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to complete an interagency report on the use of special recreation permits by recreation service providers serving environmental justice communities.
The bill defines an environmental justice community as a community with significant representation of communities of color, low-income communities, 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.
Interior and USDA (1) shall contact all current or prospective special recreation providers to request a voluntary estimation of how many user days are used by individuals from environmental justice communities; (2) shall request from recreational service providers and interested members of the public any other information that supports the reporting requirements in this bill; and (3) shall not use participation or information provided as a condition in approving or rejecting a special recreation permit.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8401 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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. Barragan, 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 
     addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be 
subsequently determined 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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. INTERAGENCY REPORT ON SPECIAL RECREATION PERMITS BENEFITS TO 
              ENVIRONMENTAL 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 access for recreational service 
        providers serving environmental justice communities.
            (3) Any case studies that may provide illustrative examples 
        of how special recreation permits, partnerships, or cooperative 
        agreements are being effectively 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 environmental justice 
        communities.
            (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 Recreation Providers.--The 
Secretaries--
            (1) shall contact all current or prospective special 
        recreation providers to request a voluntary estimation of how 
        many user days are used by individuals from environmental 
        justice communities;
            (2) shall request from recreational service providers and 
        interested members of the public any other information that 
        supports the reporting requirements 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 community'' means a 
        community with significant representation of communities of 
        color, low-income communities, 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.
            (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 Enhancement Act (16 U.S.C. 6801).
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