US Codex
Bill
Notes

S. 4451 — what changed

Review and Evaluation of Strategies for Equitable Reservations for Visitor Experiences Federal Land Act

From Reported in Senate to Engrossed in Senate. 3 sections amended between Reported in Senate and Engrossed in Senate.

Section 1 Short title

changed This Act may be cited as the “Review and Evaluation of Strategies for Equal Equitable Reservations for Visitor Experiences Federal Land Act” or the “RESERVE Federal Land Act”.

Sec. 2 Definitions

In this Act:

(1)
changed 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)
added Federal reservation system—
(A)
added 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)
added 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)
added Recreational activity— The term recreational activity includes camping, backpacking, climbing, paddling sports, fishing, hiking, driving, and other recreational opportunities.
(3)
removed Recreation activity— The term recreation activity includes camping, backpacking, climbing, fishing, hiking, driving, and other recreational opportunities.
(4)
removed Reservation system—
(A)
removed In general— The term reservation system means any platform or method used by managers of Federal land to ration recreation activities.
(B)
removed Inclusions— The term reservation system includes reservation, lottery, metering, pricing, merit-based, and other similar rationing methods via online, telephone, paper, in-person, or other methods.
(5)
changed Secretary—Secretaries— The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.Secretaries means—
(A)
added the Secretary of the Interior;
(B)
added the Secretary of Agriculture; and
(C)
added 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)
changed In general— The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Army, Secretaries, acting through the Chief of Engineers, 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 recreation recreational activities on Federal land.
(2)
changed 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)
changed A comprehensive review of the history of Federal reservation systems, such as recreation.gov, including a review of—
(i)
changed the studies considerations, including data, that led to the establishment of the applicable Federal reservation system;
(ii)
changed the iterations of the applicable Federal reservation system over time to meet the needs of the applicable Federal agency; andagency;
(iii)
changed any visitor feedback provided with respect to the applicable Federal reservation system.system; and
(iv)
added 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)
changed What are the benefits and challenges of implementing Federal reservation systems for visitor to achieve management and conservation goals for Federal land?land, including resource protection, enjoyable visitor experiences, and sustainable operations and facility use?
(ii)
changed What data are available 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)
changed 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)
changed What best practices should guide Do Federal reservation system design, systems pose a barrier for certain communities, including diversity of rationing mechanisms and booking windows, international communities, and would promote equal access user groups to access appropriate recreation activities? What metrics can be used to record outcomes opportunities on Federal land? If so, what is the nature of reservation system design?any barriers identified?
(v)
changed How have fees been collected for What best practices should be considered in Federal reservation systems over time system design, including visitation management system options and booking windows, options to meet respond to the needs of the applicable Federal agency? How are the revenues from fees for reservation systems split between, and spent by, specific to individual Federal land management units, Federal agencies, and third-party contractors? How is the fee structure disseminated to users? How could dissemination of information with respect equitable access to the fee structure recreational activities? What metrics can be improved?used to record outcomes of Federal reservation system design?
(vi)
changed What are How have fees been collected for Federal reservation systems over time to meet the odds needs of success with respect to securing a reservation under reservation systems? the applicable Federal agency? How are the odds of success 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 odds of success fee structure be improved?
(vii)
changed How What are data, including data collected by contractors, on reservation systems shared the odds of success with respect to securing a reservation under Federal land managers, researchers, and reservation systems? How are the public? odds of success disseminated to users? How can transparency be improved could dissemination of information with respect to inform the decisionmaking of users odds of reservation systems?success be improved?
(viii)
added 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)
added 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)
added 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)
changed Report— The agreement entered into under subsection (a)(1) shall include a requirement that, not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 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 subsection (a)(1).that subsection.