Federal agencies must map waterway rules online for public access

What it does

This bill requires five federal agencies (Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Reclamation) to standardize, digitize, and publish online maps showing where people can and cannot fish, boat, and access federal waterways. Within 5 years, the agencies must post geographic data about waterway closures, boat ramp locations, fishing restrictions, and access points in a unified format so the public can easily find out where recreation is allowed.

Why we flagged it

The bill's sole operative mechanism is a mandate to standardize and publish existing federal waterway and fishing restriction data online. It creates no new rules, restrictions, or subsidies—only a requirement that agencies make information already in their possession publicly accessible in a unified digital format.

What the text implies

• Agencies must coordinate across five separate bureaucracies with different IT systems and data standards; implementation delays beyond the 5-year deadline are likely, and compliance costs may be substantial but are not quantified in the bill.
• Section 4(g) excludes disclosure of archaeological and paleontological site locations, which is appropriate for cultural resource protection but may limit public knowledge of sensitive federal lands.
• Section 5(a) permits agencies to contract with private geospatial and technology companies to collect and publish data; the bill does not specify data ownership, licensing, or restrictions on commercial reuse of the published datasets.
• The bill does not mandate real-time updates for waterway restrictions (only fishing restrictions), so boaters may encounter outdated closure information if agencies update less frequently than conditions change.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Citizens gain transparent, centralized access to federal waterway rules and recreation sites, reducing friction and information asymmetry when planning outdoor activities. The bill imposes no new restrictions on public access—it only requires agencies to publish data about existing rules in a standardized, user-friendly format.

Who stands to gain

• geospatial data companies (contracted to digitize and standardize data)
• technology companies (contracted for data aggregation and publication platforms)
• USGS (may be contracted to collect and publish data on behalf of agencies)

Named in the bill

Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of the Interior, Federal Geographic Data Committee, United States Geological Survey, State natural resource agencies, Tribal natural resource agencies

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 2 Democrats, 1 Republicans.

• Jan 3, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jan 3, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture and House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period…”
• Jan 21, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required)…”
• Jan 21, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”
• Dec 16, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous Consent”
• Dec 16, 2025 — Passed both chambers · Congress.gov: “Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S8766-8768)”
• Dec 18, 2025 — Sent to president · Congress.gov: “Presented to President”
• Dec 26, 2025 — Signed into law · Congress.gov: “Became Public Law No: 119-62”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $50,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 35 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Blake Moore, the sponsor, reported $1,475,500 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership — $50,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.