Public Land Search and Rescue Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9165 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9165

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to 
allocate resources for remote search and rescue activities conducted on 
Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or 
         the Secretary of Agriculture, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 2024

   Ms. Maloy (for herself, Mr. Case, and Mr. Curtis) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
   Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to 
allocate resources for remote search and rescue activities conducted on 
Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior or 
         the Secretary of Agriculture, 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 Land Search and Rescue Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR REMOTE SEARCH AND RESCUE ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a program to 
provide grants to allocate resources for remote search and rescue 
activities conducted on Federal land under the jurisdiction of the 
Secretary or the Secretary of Agriculture.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible for a grant under the Program, an 
eligible recipient shall submit to the Secretary an application in such 
form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary 
determines to be appropriate.
    (c) Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize applications from 
eligible recipients that serve an area with a high ratio of visitors to 
residents.
    (d) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of an eligible 
purpose funded under the Program shall not exceed 75 percent of the 
total cost of the eligible purpose, as determined by the Secretary.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible purpose.--The term ``eligible purpose'' 
        means--
                    (A) the purchase of equipment and gear necessary 
                for remote search and rescue activities;
                    (B) the cost of maintenance and repair of remote 
                search and rescue equipment owned or leased by an 
                eligible recipient; and
                    (C) reimbursement to an eligible recipient for 
                remote search and rescue activities conducted on 
                Federal land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary or 
                the Secretary of Agriculture.
            (2) Eligible recipient.--The term ``eligible recipient'' 
        means a State, political subdivision thereof, or their 
        designee, that is--
                    (A) authorized by State or Federal law to conduct 
                remote search and rescue activities; and
                    (B) determined by the Secretary to have the 
                capability to carry out a project described in 
                subsection (d).
            (3) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the program 
        established under subsection (a).
            (4) Remote search and rescue activity.--The term ``remote 
        search and rescue activity'' means an activity that uses, 
        trains, or supports responders with specialized equipment to--
                    (A) locate and recover the remains of deceased 
                individuals in remote areas; and
                    (B) locate, provide assistance to, and remove to 
                safety individuals who are lost, injured, stranded, or 
                entrapped in remote areas.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
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