HR3777-119

What This Bill Does

The Public Land Search and Rescue Act creates a grant program for remote search and rescue on federal lands. Within one year, the Secretary of the Interior must establish grants to allocate resources for remote search and rescue activities conducted on federal land under Interior or Agriculture jurisdiction. Eligible recipients are states, political subdivisions, or their designees that are authorized by state or federal law to conduct remote search and rescue and that Interior determines have the capability to carry out the activities. Applicants must submit information in the form and timing the Secretary requires. Interior must prioritize areas with a high ratio of visitors to residents, which targets gateway communities and rural counties whose rescue burden comes from public-land visitation rather than local population size. The federal share is capped at 75 percent. Eligible purposes include purchasing equipment and gear, maintaining and repairing remote rescue equipment, and reimbursing eligible recipients for remote search and rescue activities on covered federal lands.

Who Benefits and How

County search and rescue teams benefit from grant funding for equipment, repairs, and reimbursement on federal lands. Gateway communities benefit because high visitor-to-resident areas receive application priority. Public land visitors benefit if better-funded rescue teams respond faster in remote areas. State emergency agencies benefit from a federal grant pathway for remote public-land rescue capacity.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Interior grant staff must establish the program, evaluate applicants, and administer cost-share rules. Agriculture land managers must coordinate with rescue activities on National Forest System lands. Local governments must provide or secure the nonfederal share for grant-funded purposes. Federal taxpayers fund up to 75 percent of eligible search and rescue costs.

Key Provisions

• Requires Interior to establish a remote search and rescue grant program within one year.
• Funds search and rescue activities on Interior and Agriculture federal lands.
• Prioritizes eligible recipients serving high visitor-to-resident areas.
• Limits the federal share to 75 percent of eligible costs.
• Provides grants for equipment, maintenance, repair, and reimbursement of rescue activities.