[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5063 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5063

  To ensure continuity of staffing at Federal beaches, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 29, 2025

   Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To ensure continuity of staffing at Federal beaches, 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 ``Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act''.

SEC. 2. ADEQUATE LIFEGUARD STAFFING AT FEDERAL SWIMMING AREAS AND 
              BEACHES.

    (a) In General.--If the Secretary determines there is a staffing 
shortage with respect to a designated swim location, the Secretary 
shall seek to enter into an agreement with one or more local government 
agencies to enable lifeguards employed by those local government 
agencies to--
            (1) adequately staff such designated swim location during 
        normal seasonal operating hours; and
            (2) ensure visitor safety and provide rescue and first aid 
        services at the designated swim location as necessary.
    (b) Reimbursement.--
            (1) In general.--In entering into an agreement under 
        subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure that the local 
        government agency providing the lifeguard services is 
        reimbursed for all reasonable costs incurred by the local 
        government agency in carrying out the agreement.
            (2) Current agreements.--If an agreement has been entered 
        into by the Secretary and a local government agency for 
        lifeguard services at a designated swim location on or before 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
        amend such agreement as necessary to provide for the 
        reimbursement of the local government agency for all reasonable 
        costs incurred by the local government agency in carrying out 
        the agreement, regardless of the terms of the original 
        agreement relating to cost sharing.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Designated swim location.--The term ``designated swim 
        location'' means a swimming area or swimming beach--
                    (A) on lands and waters managed by the National 
                Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife 
                Service, the Bureau of Land Management, or the Bureau 
                of Reclamation; and
                    (B) that is typically monitored by federally 
                employed lifeguards during normal seasonal operating 
                hours.
            (2) Staffing shortage.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``staffing shortage'' 
                means a level of staffing that negatively impacts the 
                ability to adequately staff a designated swim location 
                with federally employed lifeguards and will likely 
                result or has resulted in a designated swim location 
                being left unmonitored by federally employed lifeguards 
                during normal seasonal operating hours.
                    (B) Exclusion.--The term ``staffing shortage'' does 
                not refer to short-term staffing shortages caused by 
                temporary absences, such as an employee taking annual 
                or sick leave.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
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