119-hr3340

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3340 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3340

 To provide for the standardization, publication, and accessibility of 
data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways, 
 and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 May 13, 2025

 Mr. Fry (for himself, Mr. Levin, and Mr. Panetta) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
 Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To provide for the standardization, publication, and accessibility of 
data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways, 
 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. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Modernizing Access to Our Public 
Oceans Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Exclusive economic zone.--The term ``exclusive economic 
 zone'' has the meaning given that term in 

section 107 of title 
 46, United States Code.

    (2) Fishing restriction.--The term ``fishing restriction'' 
 means a restriction on fishing in a federally managed fishery 
 established under 

section 303

    (b)

    (2) of the Magnuson-Stevens 
 Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1853

    (b)

    (2) ), 
 including--
        (A) a full or partial fishing closure, in terms of 
 both area and duration, or a seasonal closure;
        (B) a no-catch zone in the fishery;
            (C) a restriction on the method of catch for the 
 fishery; and
            (D) another restriction on fishing, as determined 
 by the Secretary.

    (3) Indian tribe; tribal organization.--The terms ``Indian 
 Tribe'' and ``Tribal organization'' have the meanings given 
 those terms in 

section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 
 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).

    (4) Native hawaiian organization.--The term ``Native 
 Hawaiian organization'' has the meaning given the term in 
 

section 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517), except that the term includes the 
 Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Office of Hawaiian 
 Affairs of the State of Hawaii.

    (5) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit 
 organization'' means an organization that is described in 
 

section 501
            (c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt 
 from taxation under 

section 501

    (a) of such Code.

    (6) Recreational vessel.--The term ``recreational vessel'' 
 has the meaning given that term in 

section 2101 of title 46, 
 United States Code.

    (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Commerce.

SEC. 3. DATA STANDARDIZATION.

 Not later than 31 months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, 
including State and local governments, Indian Tribes, and Native 
Hawaiian organizations, shall develop and adopt standards with respect 
to the coordination and dissemination of geospatial data relating to 
fishing restrictions, use of the exclusive economic zone by 
recreational vessels, and access to Federal waters by such vessels, 
including such data made available under 

section 4.

SEC. 4. DATA PUBLICATION AND ACCESSIBILITY.

    (a) Data on Fishing and Recreational Vessels in Exclusive Economic 
Zone.--Not later than 4 years after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of 
Science and Technology of the National Marine Fisheries Service, and to 
the maximum extent practicable, shall make available on a publicly 
accessible website geographic information system data that--

    (1) includes, with respect to the exclusive economic zone--
        (A) information with respect to the conditions 
 under which fishing restrictions are imposed and the 
 areas within the exclusive economic zone that are open 
 or closed to recreational boating, diving, and related 
 recreational activities (as determined by the 
 Secretary), including for safety reasons such as 
 because of the presence of harmful algal blooms;
        (B) the areas of the exclusive economic zone with 
 restrictions on the use of motorized propulsion, 
 horsepower, or fuel by or of recreational vessels; and
            (C) the types of recreational vessels that are 
 restricted on each area of the exclusive economic zone;

    (2) describes the geographic boundaries of areas where 
 fishing restrictions occur; and

    (3)
        (A) identifies Federal marine protected areas, including 
 National Marine Sanctuaries, national marine monuments, and 
 other federally protected waters; and
        (B) includes information on what fishing, recreational 
 boating, and other related recreational activities are 
 authorized in each such area.

    (b) Data on Navigation Within Exclusive Economic Zone.--

    (1) In general.--The Secretary shall continue to make 
 available digitized geographic information system data that 
 includes, with respect to access to the exclusive economic 
 zone--
        (A) navigation information;
        (B) bathymetric information;
            (C) depth charts; and
            (D) other information, consistent with law and 
 policy.

    (2) Website.--The Secretary shall, to the extent 
 practicable, make the data described in paragraph

    (1) available 
 on the website on which the Secretary makes the data described 
 in subsection

    (a) available.
            (c) Data Accessibility.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
website on which the Secretary makes the data described in subsections

    (a) and

    (b) available--

    (1) organizes that data so that the data is findable, 
 accessible, interoperable, and reusable; and

    (2) includes a mechanism by which users can be easily 
 updated when new data becomes available.
            (d) Public Comment.--The Secretary shall develop--

    (1) a process to allow members of the public to submit 
 questions or comments regarding the data described in 
 subsections

    (a) and

    (b) and the accessibility of that data 
 under subsection
            (c) ; and

    (2) methods to improve the accessibility of data.

    (e) Updates.--The Secretary shall update--

    (1) the data described in subsections

    (a)

    (1) and

    (b) not 
 less frequently than 2 times each year; and

    (2) the data described in paragraphs

    (2) and

    (3) of 
 subsection

    (a) in real time.

    (f) Nondisclosure of Certain Information.--The Secretary may not, 
consistent with applicable law and policy, disclose, in any geographic 
information system data made publicly available under this section--

    (1) information regarding the nature, location, character, 
 or ownership of historic, paleontological, cultural, or 
 archaeological resources; or

    (2) commercial fishing information, including proprietary 
 information.

    (g) Treatment of Tribal Waters and Fishing Areas.--The authorities 
granted by this section shall not apply with respect to any usual or 
accustomed fishing areas or Tribal waters.

SEC. 5. COOPERATION AND COORDINATION.

    (a) Community Partners and Third-Party Providers.--For purposes of 
carrying out this Act, the Secretary may--

    (1) coordinate and partner with non-Federal entities, 
 including--
        (A) States;
        (B) Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, 
 and Tribal organizations;
            (C) interstate commissions (as defined in 

section 303 of the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986 
 (16 U.S.C. 4102));
            (D) Regional Ocean Partnerships (as defined in 
 

section 10202 of the James M. Inhofe National Defense 
 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (16 U.S.C. 
 1468));
        (E) experts in data science, analytics, and 
 operations research;
        (F) the private sector, including technology or 
 geospatial data industries;
        (G) nonprofit organizations; and
        (H) institutions of higher education (as defined in 
 

section 201 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
 U.S.C. 1001)); and

    (2) enter into agreements with experts within entities 
 described in any of subparagraphs
        (A) through
        (H) of paragraph

    (1) to carry out any of the provisions of this Act.

    (b) Interagency Coordination.--The Secretary shall, to the maximum 
extent practicable, work with the relevant offices of the Department of 
the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, 
the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Interagency Working 
Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping codified by 

section 12203 of the 
Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act (33 U.S.C. 3502), to ensure 
compatibility and interoperability among applicable Federal databases 
with respect to the collection and dissemination of geospatial data 
relating to public outdoor recreational use of the exclusive economic 
zone.
            (c) Applicability of Federal, State, and Tribal Law and 
Regulations.--The Secretary, in developing and distributing geospatial 
data under this Act, shall make clear that the data are subject to 
applicable laws and regulations of the Federal Government, States, and 
Indian Tribes.

SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

 Nothing in this Act may be construed--

    (1) to modify or alter the definition of the term 
 ``navigable waters'' under any provision of Federal law;

    (2) to affect the jurisdiction or authority of Federal or 
 State agencies to regulate navigable waters;

    (3) to increase or diminish the responsibility or authority 
 of Federal or State agencies or Indian Tribes to manage 
 fisheries under existing law;

    (4) to satisfy any requirement for government-to-government 
 consultation with Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian 
 organizations; or

    (5) to affect or modify any treaty or other right of any 
 Indian Tribe.
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