H.R. 6127House118th Congress (2023-2025)Passed House

MAPWaters Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 12:40 PM UTC

The MAPWaters Act directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture, together with federal land and water agencies, to create common standards and publish online geographic data about public recreational use of federal waterways. It requires digitizing information on waterway access, restrictions, and fishing limits, and making it publicly available. The law mainly affects agencies such as the National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the public who use these waters.

Key Provisions

Develop and adopt interagency GIS data standards for recreational waterway information within 30 months of enactment.
Digitize and publish online GIS data on federal waterway restrictions (closures, motor limits, speed zones, etc.) by four years after enactment.
Publish GIS data on waterway access points like boat ramps, portages, and bathymetric charts within four years.
Publish real‑time GIS data on federal fishing restrictions, including closures and no‑take zones.
Establish a public comment process and update waterway data at least twice a year; fishing data updated in real time.
Coordinate with state, tribal, private, and nonprofit partners and may use USGS assistance to collect and share data.
Submit annual progress reports to designated congressional committees through 2033; the act does not alter existing waterway or fisheries jurisdiction.

Legislative Activity

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17 earlier actions

SenateCalendars Latest Action

Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 728.

December 18, 2024

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

November 1, 2023

HouseIntro Referral

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.

Natural Resources Committee

November 1, 2023

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries.

Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee

November 9, 2023

HouseCommittee

Subcommittee Hearings Held

Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee

November 14, 2023

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Forestry.

Forestry and Horticulture Subcommittee

August 30, 2024

HouseCommittee

Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Discharged

Natural Resources Committee

November 20, 2024

HouseCommittee

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Natural Resources Committee

November 20, 2024

HouseCommittee

Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by Unanimous Consent.

Natural Resources Committee

November 20, 2024

HouseCommittee

Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 118-842, Part I.

Natural Resources Committee

December 10, 2024

HouseCommittee

Committee on Agriculture discharged.

Agriculture Committee

December 10, 2024

HouseCalendars

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 687.

December 10, 2024

HouseFloor

Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

December 17, 2024 • 4:04 PM

HouseFloor

Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7266-7268)

December 17, 2024 • 4:04 PM

HouseFloor

DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 6127.

December 17, 2024 • 4:04 PM

HouseFloor

Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H7266-7267)

December 17, 2024 • 4:08 PM

HouseFloor

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H7266-7267)

December 17, 2024 • 4:08 PM

HouseFloor

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

December 17, 2024 • 4:08 PM

SenateCalendars

Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 728.

December 18, 2024

Floor Debate

3 members

What members said about H.R. 6127 on the floor

2 Republicans1 Democrat

Rep. Bruce WestermanR-AR-4 · Dec 17, 2024

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6127) to provide for the standardization, consolidation, and publication of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of…

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6127) to provide for the standardization, consolidation, and publication of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways among Federal land and water management agencies, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6127, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6127, the Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters Act, or MAPWaters Act, sponsored by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore).

This bill seeks to improve recreational access for our country's boaters and anglers by requiring agencies to digitize maps of Federal waterways and information related to the regulations and restrictions to accessing those waterways. The bill then calls upon Federal land management agencies to publish this information online and work with the private sector to make this information easily available to the public.

This bill is necessary because access to information related to regulations and restrictions to Federal waterways can often be hard to come by. The Natural Resources Committee heard testimony about a specific example of an unfortunate situation that happened at Yellowstone National Park. A group of backpackers was hiking to a remote lake in the park where the group planned to fish. Upon arriving at the lake, they discovered that half the lake was off-limits to fishing because of nesting swans. It just so happens that the half of the lake that was closed to fishing was the part of the lake they were permitted to fish.

This is unacceptable. Passing this bill would prevent incidents like this by ensuring this information is easily available to the public.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I again thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore) for his work on this bill and his work as a Member of this body to increase recreational access to our public lands.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Rep. Blake D. MooreR-UT-1 · Dec 17, 2024

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters Act, or MAPWaters Act, which passed the Natural Resources Committee unanimously last month. The…

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-DoveD-CA-37 · Dec 17, 2024

Mr. Speaker, the MAPWaters Act would improve the standardization and public access to information about Federal waterway restrictions, Federal waterway access and navigation, and Federal fishing…

Bill Text

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Placed on Calendar SenateIssued December 18, 2024

Calendar No. 728

118th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 6127

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

December 18 (legislative day, December 16), 2024

Received; read twice and placed on the calendar

AN ACT

To provide for the standardization, consolidation, and publication of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways among Federal land and water management agencies, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters Act or the MAPWaters Act.

Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

Federal fishing restriction

The term Federal fishing restriction means a defined area in which all or certain fishing activities are temporarily or permanently prohibited or restricted by a Federal land or water management agency.

(2)

Federal land or water management agency

The term Federal land or water management agency means—

(A)

the Bureau of Reclamation;

(B)

the National Park Service;

(C)

the Bureau of Land Management;

(D)

the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; and

(E)

the Forest Service.

(3)

Federal waterway

The term Federal waterway means any portion of a body of water managed partially or wholly by 1 or more of the relevant Secretaries.

(4)

Federal waterway restriction

The term Federal waterway restriction means a restriction on the access or use of a Federal waterway applied under applicable law by 1 or more of the Secretaries.

(5)

Secretaries

The term Secretaries means—

(A)

the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service; and

(B)

the Secretary of the Interior.

Interagency data standardization

Not later than 30 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries, in coordination with the Federal Geographic Data Committee established by section 753(a) of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (43 U.S.C. 2802(a)), shall jointly develop and adopt interagency standards to ensure compatibility and interoperability among applicable Federal databases with respect to the collection and dissemination of geospatial data relating to public outdoor recreational access of Federal waterways and Federal fishing restrictions.

Data consolidation and publication

(a)

Federal waterway restrictions

Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, each of the Secretaries, to the maximum extent practicable, shall digitize and make publicly available online, as applicable, geographic information system data that includes, with respect to Federal waterway restrictions—

(1)

status information with respect to the conditions under which Federal waterways are open or closed to entry or watercraft, including watercraft inspection, decontamination requirements, low-elevation aircraft, or diving;

(2)

the dates on which Federal waterways are seasonally closed to entry or watercraft;

(3)

the areas of Federal waterways with restrictions on motorized propulsion, horsepower, or fuel type;

(4)

the areas of Federal waterways with anchoring restrictions, no wake zones, exclusion zones, danger areas, or vessel speed restrictions;

(5)

Federal waterway restrictions on the direction of travel, including upstream or downstream travel; and

(6)

the types of watercraft that are restricted on each area of a Federal waterway, including the permissibility of—

(A)

canoes;

(B)

rafts and driftboats;

(C)

motorboats;

(D)

personal watercraft;

(E)

airboats;

(F)

amphibious aircraft;

(G)

hovercraft;

(H)

oversnow vehicles and other motorized vehicles on frozen bodies of water; and

(I)

oceangoing ships; and

(7)

citations documenting the source of the restrictions.

(b)

Federal waterway access and navigation information

(1)

(A)

the location of boat ramps, portages, and fishing access sites under the authority of the Federal land or water management agency; and

(B)

the identification of the dates on which the facilities and sites identified under subparagraph (A) are open or closed, as applicable; and

(2)

bathymetric information and depth charts, as feasible.

(c)

Federal fishing restrictions

Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, each of the Secretaries, to the maximum extent practicable, shall digitize and make publicly available online geographic information system data that describes, with respect to Federal fishing restrictions—

(1)

the location and geographic boundaries of Federal fishing restrictions on recreational and commercial fishing, including—

(A)

full or partial closures;

(B)

no-take zones; and

(C)

Federal fishing restrictions within or surrounding marine protected areas;

(2)

Federal fishing restrictions enacted pursuant to section 302(b) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1732(b)); and

(3)

Federal requirements with respect to catch and release.

(d)

Public comment

The Secretaries shall develop a process to allow members of the public to submit questions or comments regarding the information described in subsections (a) and (b).

(e)

Updates

The Secretaries, to the maximum extent practicable, shall update—

(1)

the data described in subsections (a) and (b) not less frequently than 2 times per year; and

(2)

the data described in subsection (c) in real time as changes go into effect.

(f)

Exclusion

This section shall not apply to irrigation canals and flowage easements.

(g)

Disclosure

Any geographic information system data made publicly available under this section shall not disclose information regarding the nature, location, character, or ownership of historic, paleontological, or archaeological resources, consistent with applicable law.

Cooperation and coordination

(a)

Community partners and third-party providers

For purposes of carrying out this Act, the Secretaries may—

(1)

coordinate and partner with non-Federal agencies and private sector and nonprofit partners, including—

(A)

State, territorial, and District of Columbia natural resource agencies;

(B)

Tribal natural resource agencies;

(C)

technology companies;

(D)

geospatial data companies; and

(E)

experts in data science, analytics, and operations research; and

(2)

enter into an agreement with a third party to carry out any provision of this Act.

(b)

United States Geological Survey

The Secretaries may work with the Director of the United States Geological Survey to collect, aggregate, digitize, standardize, and publish data on behalf of the Secretaries to meet the requirements of this Act.

(c)

Requirement

With respect to data developed and distributed under this Act, the Secretaries shall include a notice that any geospatial data are subject to applicable Federal, State, and Tribal regulations.

Reports

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act and annually thereafter through March 30, 2033, the Secretaries shall submit a report that describes the progress made by the Secretaries with respect to meeting the requirements of this Act to—

(1)

the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate;

(2)

the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate;

(3)

the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives;

(4)

the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; and

(5)

the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives.

Effect

Nothing in this Act—

(1)

modifies or alters the definition of the term navigable waters under Federal law;

(2)

affects the jurisdiction or authority of State or Federal agencies to regulate navigable waters;

(3)

modifies or alters the authority or jurisdiction of Federal or State agencies to manage fisheries; or

(4)

authorizes or is intended to result in the closing of or restriction of access to waters open to hunting, fishing, or other forms of outdoor recreation as of the date of the enactment of this Act.

Passed the House of Representatives December 17, 2024.

Kevin F. McCumber,

Clerk.

December 18 (legislative day, December 16), 2024

Received; read twice and placed on the calendar