Modernizing Access to Our Public Waters Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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

Madam Speaker, I support this bill. It is a good idea to standardize information to improve the accessibility of that information if we want to help users, such as recreational fishers, navigate and access Federal waterways. This includes access, fishing restrictions, and navigation information, which are all very important.

On the Natural Resources Committee, we strive to ensure that Federal outdoor spaces are accessible to fishers, hunters, boaters, and other recreational users. It is important that they have up-to-date, easily accessible maps. This will allow us to improve outdoor recreation experiences while protecting existing natural, cultural, and recreational values.

To that end, this bill will direct agencies to develop and adopt interagency standards, ensuring that their databases are compatible and interoperable. They can more effectively collect and disseminate geospatial data to help inform folks about recreational opportunities.

I see multiple important applications for collecting and publishing this data. It could include vessel speed restrictions, the types of watercraft allowed in certain areas, the location of boat ramps, fishing sites, equipment and bait usage restrictions, and even waterway catch and release policies which can vary from place to place.

By standardizing and digitizing all of this, it gives Americans the information they need and the confidence to engage in recreation without the nightmare of searching through and trying to decipher a tangled web of information on numerous agency websites.

Madam Speaker, this is a good bill. I support this bill. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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