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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