Public Access Protection Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9348 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9348

     To require the Secretary of the Army to include in any final
 recommendation for a water resources development project of the Corps
of Engineers a plan to maintain equivalent levels of access to existing
         public recreational amenities, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2026

 Ms. Friedman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

     To require the Secretary of the Army to include in any final
 recommendation for a water resources development project of the Corps
of Engineers a plan to maintain equivalent levels of access to existing
         public recreational amenities, 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 ``Public Access Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that, during construction of a water
resources development project of the Corps of Engineers that affects a
public recreational amenity, including a park, a trail, a green space,
a recreational waterway, and any other public open space, the Secretary
of the Army should--
            (1) maintain an equivalent level of recreational access to
        such public recreational amenity;
            (2) minimize temporary disruptions to such access through
        project planning and coordination with affected communities;
        and
            (3) provide alternative public access where necessary to
        ensure continued recreational opportunities for the duration of
        such construction.

SEC. 3. RECREATIONAL ACCESS PRESERVATION PLAN.

    To the maximum extent practicable, in carrying out a feasibility
study for a water resources development project of the Corps of
Engineers, the Secretary shall--
            (1) review the potential impact of construction of the
        project on existing public recreational amenities, including
        facilities for hiking, biking, walking, and waterborne
        recreation; and
            (2) include in any final recommendation for such project a
        plan to maintain an equivalent level of access to such
        amenities during construction of the project.
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