119-s1083

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1083 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1083

 To provide for certain improvements to the housing and workforce 
 programs of Federal land management agencies, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 March 14, 2025

 Mr. Barrasso (for himself, Mr. Daines, and Mr. King) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
 Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To provide for certain improvements to the housing and workforce 
 programs of Federal land management agencies, 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.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Land Manager 
Housing and Workforce Improvement Act of 2025''.

    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title.

Sec. 2. Definitions.
 TITLE I--EXPANDING AUTHORITY

Sec. 101. Prioritizing National Park Service workforce housing.

Sec. 102. Authorizing the National Park Service to address workforce 
 housing off-park.

Sec. 103. Expanding National Park Service rental options.

Sec. 104. Leveraging National Park Service rental receipts for 
 workforce housing programming.

Sec. 105. Empowering the Forest Service to address workforce housing 
 needs.
 TITLE II--EXPANDING PARTNERSHIP CAPACITY

Sec. 201. Engaging partners to address National Park Service workforce 
 housing.

Sec. 202. Encouraging public-private cooperative management.

Sec. 203. Leveraging philanthropic support to address National Park 
 Service workforce housing.
 TITLE III--SUPPORTING WORKFORCE

Sec. 301. Supporting the land manager workforce.

Sec. 302. Supporting the seasonal National Park Service workforce.
 TITLE IV--REPORTS AND OVERSIGHT

Sec. 401. Quantifying the workforce housing needs of land managers.

Sec. 402. Conducting oversight on the housing programming of land 
 managers.

Sec. 403. Justifying emergency spending.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
 ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
        (A) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
 of the Senate;
        (B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
 Forestry of the Senate;
            (C) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
            (D) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
 of Representatives;
        (E) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
 Representatives; and
        (F) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
 Representatives.

    (2) Covered agencies.--The term ``covered agencies'' 
 means--
        (A) the National Park Service;
        (B) the Bureau of Land Management;
            (C) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; 
 and
            (D) the Forest Service.

    (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of the Interior.

 TITLE I--EXPANDING AUTHORITY

SEC. 101. PRIORITIZING NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WORKFORCE HOUSING.

 

Section 103502

    (a)

    (3) of title 54, United States Code, is amended--

    (1) by inserting ``quarters for field employees (as those 
 terms are defined in 

section 101331),'' after ``prioritize''; 
 and

    (2) by inserting a comma after ``facilities''.

SEC. 102. AUTHORIZING THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE TO ADDRESS WORKFORCE 
 HOUSING OFF-PARK.

 

Section 100901 of title 54, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (i) Acquisition of Land for Administration of System Units.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--To facilitate the administration of a 
 System unit, the Secretary may acquire, by donation, exchange, 
 or transfer from another Federal agency, not more than 20 acres 
 of land or interests in land, cumulatively, within the vicinity 
 of the System unit boundary for the development, construction, 
 maintenance, or operation of quarters for field employees (as 
 those terms are defined in 

section 101331) for the System unit.
 ``

    (2) Management.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--With respect to any land or 
 interest in land acquired by the Secretary under 
 paragraph

    (1) --
 ``
            (i) the land or interest in land shall 
 not--
 ``
            (I) be administered as part of 
 the System; or
 ``
            (II) be subject to the laws 
 (including regulations) governing the 
 associated System unit; but
 ``
            (ii) the Secretary shall--
 ``
            (I) have the authority to 
 supervise, manage, and control the 
 land; and
 ``
            (II) issue such rules and 
 regulations as the Secretary may 
 determine to be necessary and proper 
 for the use and management of the land.
 ``
        (B) Authorizations.--The Secretary may grant 
 exclusive privileges, leases, and permits for the use 
 of land acquired under paragraph

    (1) and enter into 
 contracts relating to such authorizations as authorized 
 under this title, notwithstanding any restriction on 
 such authorizations to land within a System unit 
 boundary.
 ``

    (3) Disposal.--If the Secretary determines that any land 
 or interest in land acquired under paragraph

    (1) no longer 
 supports the administration of the System unit--
 ``
        (A) the Secretary may determine the land and any 
 improvements to the land to be excess property for 
 disposal; and
 ``
        (B) the proceeds from the disposal of excess 
 property under subparagraph
        (A) shall be retained by 
 the Secretary and deposited in the special fund 
 established for the development, construction, 
 maintenance, or operation of quarters for field 
 employees (as so defined) described in 

section 101338

    (b) , to be expended by the Secretary without 
 further appropriation.''.

SEC. 103. EXPANDING NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RENTAL OPTIONS.

 

Section 101336 of title 54, United States Code, is amended, in the 
first sentence, by striking ``management, repair, and maintenance of 
field employee quarters'' and inserting ``development, construction, 
maintenance, or operation of quarters for field employees''.

SEC. 104. LEVERAGING NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RENTAL RECEIPTS FOR 
 WORKFORCE HOUSING PROGRAMMING.

 

Section 101338 of title 54, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (c) Use of Special Fund by National Park Service.--Amounts 
deposited by the Service in the special fund described in subsection

    (b) and established under 

section 320 of Public Law 98-473 (5 U.S.C. 
5911 note) shall be available for the development, construction, 
maintenance, or operation of quarters for field employees at System 
units.''.

SEC. 105. EMPOWERING THE FOREST SERVICE TO ADDRESS WORKFORCE HOUSING 
 NEEDS.

    (a) Use of Forest Service Structures or Improvements.--

Section 7 of 
the Act of April 24, 1950 (commonly known as the ``Granger-Thye Act'') 
(64 Stat. 84, chapter 97; 16 U.S.C. 580d), is amended by striking 
``thirty years as determined by him'' and inserting ``30 years, or in 
the case of a permit for workforce housing and related infrastructure, 
50 years, as determined to be appropriate by the Secretary of 
Agriculture''.

    (b) Conveyances of Forest Service Administrative Sites.--Title V of 
the Forest Service Facility Realignment and Enhancement Act of 2005 (16 
U.S.C. 580d note; Public Law 109-54) is amended--

    (1) in 

section 503--
        (A) by striking subsection

    (f) ; and
        (B) by redesignating subsection

    (g) as subsection

    (f) ; and

    (2) in 

section 504
            (c) (2) , by striking ``by competitive 
 sale'' and inserting ``by soliciting not fewer than 2 
 competitive bids''.

 TITLE II--EXPANDING PARTNERSHIP CAPACITY

SEC. 201. ENGAGING PARTNERS TO ADDRESS NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WORKFORCE 
 HOUSING.

 

Section 101701

    (a) of title 54, United States Code, is amended--

    (1) in paragraph

    (1) , by inserting, ``, including projects 
 for quarters for field employees (as those terms are defined in 
 

section 101331),'' after ``responsibilities of the Secretary''; 
 and

    (2) in paragraph

    (2) --
        (A) by inserting ``, Tribal,'' after ``State'';
        (B) by inserting ``(including an organization that 
 has a philanthropic agreement to fundraise or otherwise 
 generate donations on behalf of, or for the benefit of, 
 the Service)'' after ``organization''; and
            (C) by inserting ``(including an individual that 
 has a philanthropic agreement to fundraise or otherwise 
 generate donations on behalf of, or for the benefit of, 
 the Service)'' after ``individual''.

SEC. 202. ENCOURAGING PUBLIC-PRIVATE COOPERATIVE MANAGEMENT.

 

Section 101703 of title 54, United States Code, is amended to read 
as follows:
``

Sec. 101703. Cooperative management agreements
 ``

    (a) Definition of State.--In this section, the term `State' means 
each of the several States, the District of Columbia, and each 
territory of the United States.
 ``

    (b) Cooperative Management Agreements.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The Secretary, in accordance with the 
 laws generally applicable to System units and under such terms 
 and conditions as the Secretary considers appropriate, may 
 enter into a cooperative management agreement with a State, 
 Indian Tribe, or local government with park land adjacent to a 
 System unit, if the agreement would provide for more effective 
 and efficient management of a System unit and the adjacent non-
 Federal park land.
 ``

    (2) No transfer of administrative responsibilities.--The 
 Secretary may not transfer administration responsibilities for 
 any System unit under this subsection.
 ``
            (c) Provision of Goods and Services.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--The Secretary may provide or acquire 
 goods and services on a reimbursable basis as part of a 
 cooperative management agreement entered into under subsection

    (b) .
 ``

    (2) Retention of funds.--The Secretary may retain and 
 expend any funds received under this section without further 
 appropriation.
 ``
            (d) Co-Location.--The Secretary and a State, Indian Tribe, or 
local government may co-locate in offices or facilities owned or leased 
by either party as part of a cooperative management agreement entered 
into under subsection

    (b) .
 ``

    (e) Employees.--
 ``

    (1) Assignment of employee.--The Secretary may arrange an 
 assignment under 

section 3372 of title 5 of a Federal employee 
 or an employee of a State, Indian Tribe, or local government, 
 as mutually agreed on, for work, on the applicable Federal, 
 State, local, or Tribal park land covered by the cooperative 
 management agreement.
 ``

    (2) Extension of assignment.--An assignment under 
 paragraph

    (1) may be extended if the Secretary and the State, 
 Indian Tribe, or local government determine the extension to be 
 mutually beneficial.''.

SEC. 203. LEVERAGING PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT TO ADDRESS NATIONAL PARK 
 SERVICE WORKFORCE HOUSING.

 

Section 103501
            (c) (3) of title 54, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``(including funds and fairly valued durable goods and 
materials)'' and inserting ``(including any combination of cash, fairly 
valued services, and durable goods and materials)''.

 TITLE III--SUPPORTING WORKFORCE

SEC. 301. SUPPORTING THE LAND MANAGER WORKFORCE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary or the Secretary of Agriculture, as 
applicable, may recruit and directly appoint qualified individuals into 
the competitive service who are certified, in accordance with 
procedures established by the Secretary or the Secretary of 
Agriculture, as applicable, as maintaining a permanent and exclusive 
residence within the vicinity of a site administered by the National 
Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, or the 
Forest Service to a field unit which the individual would report to 
work into any position at or below grade GS-9 of the General Schedule, 
WG-15 of the Federal Wage System, or equivalent within the applicable 
field unit.

    (b) Requirements.--An appointment by the Secretary under subsection

    (a) shall be considered compliant with all applicable provisions of 
chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, if the Secretary ensures 
that the appointment action--

    (1) is consistent with the merit principles of 

section 2301 
 of that title; and

    (2) complies with the public notice requirements of 

section 3327 of that title.
            (c) Termination of Authority.--The authority provided under 
subsection

    (a) shall terminate on September 30, 2030.

SEC. 302. SUPPORTING THE SEASONAL NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WORKFORCE.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for 
purposes of determining the noncompetitive rehire eligibility of 
temporary seasonal employees of the National Park Service--

    (1) the Secretary shall establish a definition of what 
 constitutes a major subdivision of the National Park Service; 
 and

    (2) any requirement that a position be in the same local 
 commuting area shall not apply.

    (b) Termination of Authority.--The authority provided under 
subsection

    (a) shall terminate on September 30, 2030.

 TITLE IV--REPORTS AND OVERSIGHT

SEC. 401. QUANTIFYING THE WORKFORCE HOUSING NEEDS OF LAND MANAGERS.

 Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture shall jointly submit to 
the appropriate committees of Congress a needs assessment report that 
provides, with respect to housing the workforce of covered agencies, as 
applicable--

    (1) an analysis of the unit type and condition of--
        (A) housing owned by the covered agencies; and
        (B) housing leased by the covered agencies;

    (2) an analysis of the employment status of the occupants 
 of the housing analyzed under paragraph

    (1) , including--
        (A) whether the occupants are--
            (i) members of the permanent workforce; or
            (ii) members of the seasonal workforce; and
        (B) which positions identified under subparagraph
        (A) required housing provided by the applicable covered 
 agency as a condition of employment with the covered 
 agency; and

    (3) an analysis of the private housing markets within the 
 vicinity of a covered agency field unit, including--
        (A) the availability and affordability of housing 
 for sale or lease; and
        (B) the impact of vacation rental services on--
            (i) the cost of living; and
            (ii) the available supply of housing.

SEC. 402. CONDUCTING OVERSIGHT ON THE HOUSING PROGRAMMING OF LAND 
 MANAGERS.

    (a) Report to Congress.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that--

    (1) assesses, in consultation with the National Housing 
 Council described in Office of Management and Budget Circular 
 A-45, the effect of Office of Management and Budget Circular A-
 45R on the housing of the workforce of covered agencies;

    (2) assesses the effect of Office of Management and Budget 
 Circular A-11 on the housing of the workforce of covered 
 agencies;

    (3) assesses the effect of department-level guidance on the 
 housing of the workforce of covered agencies;

    (4) assesses the effect of agency-level guidance on the 
 housing of the workforce of covered agencies; and

    (5) identifies suggested administrative actions and 
 legislative proposals to reform the guidance assessed under 
 paragraphs

    (1) through

    (4) , including--
        (A) improvements to tenant experience;
        (B) improvements to workforce housing supply, 
 including--
            (i) housing managed by the covered 
 agencies; and
            (ii) leased private market housing;
            (C) improvements to financing options;
            (D) improvements to public-private partnerships;
        (E) improvements to philanthropic engagement; and
        (F) improvements to commuting times to report 
 stations, including--
            (i) available housing in the gateway 
 communities;
            (ii) available housing in the nearest 
 established community (as defined in Office of 
 Management and Budget Circular A-45); and
            (iii) differences between normal commuting 
 conditions and peak-commute traffic conditions, 
 including considerations for--
            (I) road quality and condition;
            (II) availability of public 
 transportation;
            (III) winter driving; and
            (IV) visitor traffic.

    (b) Implementation.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which 
the report is submitted under subsection

    (a) , the heads of the covered 
agencies shall carry out the administrative actions identified under 
paragraph

    (5) of that subsection.

SEC. 403. JUSTIFYING EMERGENCY SPENDING.

 

Section 5 of the Act of August 3, 1956 (70 Stat. 1033, chapter 950; 
7 U.S.C. 2228), is amended--

    (1) by striking the section designation and all that 
 follows through ``The Department'' and inserting the following:

``

SEC. 5. EMERGENCY SUBSISTENCE FOR EMPLOYEES.

 ``

    (a) In General.--The Department''; and

    (2) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (b) Report.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph

    (3) , not 
 later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary of 
 Agriculture furnishes subsistence to employees under subsection

    (a) , the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the 
 appropriate committees of Congress (as defined in 

section 2 of 
 the Land Manager Housing and Workforce Improvement Act of 2025) 
 a report providing--
 ``
        (A) 1 or more justifications for the use of the 
 authority;
 ``
        (B) the number of employees that were furnished 
 subsistence;
 ``
            (C) the estimated cost of furnishing subsistence; 
 and
 ``
            (D) the expected duration for which subsistence 
 is to be provided.
 ``

    (2) Office of management and budget.--The information for 
 a report required under paragraph

    (1) shall be produced in 
 coordination with, and approved by, the Director of the Office 
 of Management and Budget.
 ``

    (3) Exception.--A report under paragraph

    (1) shall not be 
 required in the case of an emergency resulting from a natural 
 disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster.''.
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