Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

In the Natural Resources Committee, we heard testimony from Jodi Goldberg, who shared a story about the search for her brother Keith, who had been murdered and whose body was presumed to be in the vicinity of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

A nonprofit search-and-rescue team attempted to search within the recreation area but was delayed by the National Park Service for over a year. By the time the search-and-recovery team was allowed access to search for Mr. Goldberg's remains, they were found in a matter of hours.

The bureaucratic delays and roadblocks constructed by the National Park Service are at best unnecessary. Much worse than that, they have caused undue suffering to families who simply want to look for their loved ones.

This bipartisan bill makes perfect sense. The Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act, sponsored by Congressman Joe Heck, would require the Federal land management agencies to quickly issue permits to qualify search-and-recovery groups. This would also eliminate the requirement to obtain costly insurance provided they waive liability against the Federal Government.

I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation.

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