[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10162 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10162
To require the Secretary of the Interior to enter into an agreement
with the National Academy of Sciences to carry out a study on
reservation systems for Federal land.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 18, 2024
Ms. Porter introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on
Agriculture, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 to enter into an agreement
with the National Academy of Sciences to carry out a study on
reservation systems for Federal land.
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 ``Review and Evaluation of Strategies
for Equitable Reservations for Visitor Experiences Federal Land Act''
or the ``RESERVE Federal Land Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Booking window.--The term ``booking window'', with
respect to a Federal reservation system, means the time period
during which a reservation or lottery entry is available to the
public.
(2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means--
(A) public lands (as defined in section 103 of the
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43
U.S.C. 1702));
(B) National Forest System land;
(C) units of the National Park System;
(D) units of the National Wildlife Refuge System;
(E) sites administered by the Bureau of
Reclamation; and
(F) sites administered by the Corps of Engineers.
(3) Federal reservation system.--
(A) In general.--The term ``Federal reservation
system'' means any platform or method used by managers
of Federal land to manage the quantity, type,
distribution, and timing of recreational activities.
(B) Inclusions.--The term ``Federal reservation
system'' includes reservation, permit, lottery,
metering, pricing, merit-based, and other similar
management methods via online, telephone, paper, in-
person, or other methods.
(4) Recreational activity.--The term ``recreational
activity'' includes camping, backpacking, climbing, paddling
sports, fishing, hiking, driving, and other recreational
opportunities.
(5) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
(A) the Secretary of the Interior;
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture; and
(C) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the
Chief of Engineers.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES STUDY OF FEDERAL RESERVATION
SYSTEMS FOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES ON FEDERAL LAND.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Secretaries, acting jointly, shall,
not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences
to carry out a study of Federal reservation systems for
recreational activities on Federal land.
(2) Requirements.--In carrying out the study under
paragraph (1), the National Academy of Sciences shall consult
with the Secretaries to carry out the following:
(A) A review of the history of Federal reservation
systems, such as recreation.gov, including a review
of--
(i) the considerations, including data,
that led to the establishment of the applicable
Federal reservation system;
(ii) the iterations of the applicable
Federal reservation system over time to meet
the needs of the applicable Federal agency;
(iii) any visitor feedback provided with
respect to the applicable Federal reservation
system; and
(iv) scientific literature or studies
examining the efficacy of Federal reservation
systems, including user preferences with
respect to Federal reservation system design
and implementation.
(B) Based on available data and existing research,
answer the following questions:
(i) What are the benefits and challenges of
implementing Federal reservation systems to
achieve management goals for Federal land,
including resource protection, enjoyable
visitor experiences, and sustainable operations
and facility use?
(ii) What data are available, and what
additional data are needed, to understand
demand for recreation on Federal land? How can
the data be used to balance visitor management
and conservation goals?
(iii) What information is available
regarding Federal land users and Federal
reservation system users? What information is
available or needs to be collected regarding
demographics and characteristics of successful
and unsuccessful applicants using the Federal
reservation systems?
(iv) Do Federal reservation systems pose a
barrier for certain communities and user groups
to access appropriate recreation opportunities
on Federal land? If so, what is the nature of
any barriers identified?
(v) What best practices should be
considered in Federal reservation system
design, including visitation management system
options and booking windows, options to respond
to the needs specific to individual Federal
land management units, and equitable access to
recreational activities? What metrics can be
used to record outcomes of Federal reservation
system design?
(vi) How have fees been collected for
Federal reservation systems over time to meet
the needs of the applicable Federal agency? How
are the revenues from fees for Federal
reservation systems split between, and spent
by, Federal land units, Federal agencies, and
third-party contractors? How is the fee
structure disseminated to users? How could
dissemination of information with respect to
the fee structure be improved?
(vii) What are the odds of success with
respect to securing a reservation under Federal
reservation systems? How are the odds of
success disseminated to users? How could
dissemination of information with respect to
the odds of success be improved?
(viii) How are data, including data
collected by contractors, on Federal
reservation systems shared with Federal land
managers, researchers, and the public? How can
transparency be improved to inform the
decisionmaking of users of Federal reservation
systems?
(ix) How are Federal reservation systems
incorporating and adapting to emerging
technologies, such as geofencing, bots, or
third-party websites monitoring and reselling
reservations? Are Federal reservation systems
resilient to cyber threats?
(x) How can Federal reservation systems be
improved to reduce ``no shows'' and ensure that
recreation sites are being used during periods
of high demand? Would an increase in first-
come, first-served opportunities increase
equitable access to outdoor recreation on
Federal land?
(b) Report.--The agreement entered into under subsection (a)(1)
shall include a requirement that, not later than 18 months after the
date on which the agreement is entered into, the National Academy of
Sciences shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a
report that describes the results of the study carried out under that
subsection.
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