United States 119th Congress Status: Passed Senate Bipartisan · 1 R · 1 I cosponsors

S 759 — Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act

Last action — Held at the desk.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 26, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 46% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Moderate

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    1 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (1 R · 1 I) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans ActThis bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to publish geospatial data related to public recreational use of federal waterways (e.g., boating and fishing).Under the bill, NOAA must consult with relevant stakeholders (including state and local governments, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations) to develop and adopt standards for the coordination and dissemination of geospatial data relating to fishing restrictions and recreational vessels' use of federal waterways, including the exclusive economic zone of the United States (EEZ). (The EEZ generally includes waters between 3 and 200 miles seaward from the U.S. coastline.)Within four years after the bill is enacted, NOAA must provide geographic information system data on a public website that identifies and describes the locations where and conditions under which certain recreational activities are restricted in federal waterways. Specifically, the website must identify (1) locations where fishing restrictions are imposed, (2) areas in the EEZ with restrictions on specified recreational vessel types, and (3) federally protected areas (e.g., National Marine Sanctuaries). NOAA must also continue to provide digitized navigation information related to the EEZ and make the information available on the website to the extent practicable.The bill allows NOAA to coordinate and partner with nonfederal entities to carry out this bill. It also directs NOAA to work with other federal agencies to ensure compatibility and interoperability among federal databases with respect to collecting and disseminating geospatial data related to the public outdoor recreational use of the EEZ.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

6 added · 178 removed

Plain-language change summary

The recent changes in the bill replace the previously existing text with a new engrossed version, including the designation of the bill as "AN ACT" and indicating its passage in the Senate. Notably, the sections that defined terms related to federal fishing areas and waterways have been removed, which means those specific definitions will no longer be included in the bill. This deletion affects how terms related to fishing restrictions and waterways are understood in the context of this legislation.

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Previous
Latest
759 Reported in Senate (RS)] <DOC> Calendar No.
759 Engrossed in Senate (ES)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S.
117 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S.
759 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To provide for the standardization, publication, and accessibility of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways, and for other purposes.
759 [Report No.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1.
119-40] To provide for the standardization, publication, and accessibility of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 26, 2025 Mr.
Cruz (for himself and Mr.
King) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation July 16, 2025 Reported by Mr.
Cruz, with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To provide for the standardization, publication, and accessibility of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, <DELETED>SECTION 1.
SHORT TITLE.</DELETED> <DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans Act''.</DELETED> <DELETED>SEC.
2.
DEFINITIONS.</DELETED> <DELETED> In this Act:</DELETED> <DELETED> (1) Federal fishing restriction area.--The term ``Federal fishing restriction area'' means a defined area in which all or certain fishing activities are temporarily or permanently banned or restricted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.</DELETED> <DELETED> (2) Federal waterway.--The term ``Federal waterway'' means any portion of a body of water managed in part or in entirety by the Secretary.</DELETED> <DELETED> (3) Federal waterway restriction.--The term ``Federal waterway restriction'' means a restriction on access to or use of a Federal waterway applied under applicable law by the Secretary.</DELETED> <DELETED> (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce.</DELETED> <DELETED>SEC.
3.
DATA STANDARDIZATION.</DELETED> <DELETED> Not later than 31 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, shall develop and adopt standards with respect to the collection and dissemination of geospatial data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways and Federal fishing restriction areas, including such data made available under section 4.</DELETED> <DELETED>SEC.
4.
DATA PUBLICATION AND ACCESSIBILITY.</DELETED> <DELETED> (a) Federal Waterway Fishing Access Data.--Not later than years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, shall make available on a publicly accessible website geographic information system data that--</DELETED> <DELETED> (1) includes, with respect to Federal waterway restrictions--</DELETED> <DELETED> (A) information with respect to the conditions under which Federal waterways are open or closed to entry, watercraft, low-elevation aircraft, or diving;</DELETED> <DELETED> (B) the areas of Federal waterways with restrictions on motorized propulsion, horsepower, or gasoline fuel;</DELETED> <DELETED> (C) the areas of Federal waterways with anchoring restrictions, no-wake zones, or vessel speed restrictions;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (D) the types of watercraft that are restricted on each area of a Federal waterway, including the permissibility of--</DELETED> <DELETED> (i) motorboats;</DELETED> <DELETED> (ii) non-motorized watercraft;</DELETED> <DELETED> (iii) personal watercraft;</DELETED> <DELETED> (iv) airboats;</DELETED> <DELETED> (v) amphibious aircraft;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (vi) oceangoing ships;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (2) describes--</DELETED> <DELETED> (A) the location and geographic boundaries of Federal fishing restriction areas, including-- </DELETED> <DELETED> (i) any zones where, and periods when, fishing is limited under paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) of section 303(b) of the Magnuson- Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C.
1853(b));</DELETED> <DELETED> (ii) full and partial closures, in terms of both area and duration, as well as seasonal closures;</DELETED> <DELETED> (iii) no-catch zones;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (iv) Federal fishing restrictions within or surrounding marine protected areas, including National Marine Sanctuaries;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (B) to the maximum extent practicable, restrictions imposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on method of catch, such as requirements relating to the use of circle hooks, descending devices, and trolling.</DELETED> <DELETED> (b) Federal Waterway Access and Navigation Information.-- </DELETED> <DELETED> (1) In general.--The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, continue to make available digitized geographic information system data that includes, with respect to access to Federal waterways--</DELETED> <DELETED> (A) navigation information;</DELETED> <DELETED> (B) bathymetric information;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (C) depth charts.</DELETED> <DELETED> (2) Website.--The Secretary shall make the data described in paragraph (1) available on the website on which the Secretary makes the data described in subsection (a) available.</DELETED> <DELETED> (c) Data Accessibility.--The Secretary shall ensure that the website on which the Secretary makes the data described in subsections (a) and (b) available--</DELETED> <DELETED> (1) organizes that data so that the data is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (2) includes a mechanism by which users can be easily updated when new data becomes available.</DELETED> <DELETED> (d) Public Comment.--The Secretary shall develop a process to allow members of the public to submit questions or comments regarding the data described in subsections (a) and (b) and the accessibility of that data under subsection (c).</DELETED> <DELETED> (e) Updates.--The Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, shall update--</DELETED> <DELETED> (1) the data described in subsections (a)(1) and (b) not less frequently than 2 times each year;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (2) the data described in subsection (a)(2) in real time as changes to Federal fishing restriction areas take effect.</DELETED> <DELETED> (f) Nondisclosure of Certain Information.--The Secretary may not disclose, in any geographic information system data made publicly available under this section, information regarding the nature, location, character, or ownership of historic, paleontological, cultural, or archaeological resources, consistent with applicable law.</DELETED> <DELETED>SEC.
5.
COOPERATION AND COORDINATION.</DELETED> <DELETED> (a) Community Partners and Third-Party Providers.--For purposes of carrying out this Act, the Secretary may--</DELETED> <DELETED> (1) coordinate and partner with non-Federal entities, including--</DELETED> <DELETED> (A) State agencies;</DELETED> <DELETED> (B) interstate marine fisheries commissions;</DELETED> <DELETED> (C) Regional Ocean Partnerships;</DELETED> <DELETED> (D) experts in data science, analytics, and operations research;</DELETED> <DELETED> (E) the private sector, including technology or geospatial data industries;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (F) nonprofit organizations;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (2) enter into agreements with experts described in subparagraph (D) of paragraph (1), or experts within entities described in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (E), or (F) of that paragraph, to carry out any of the provisions of this Act.</DELETED> <DELETED> (b) Interagency Coordination.--The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, work with the relevant offices of the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping codified by section 12203 of the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act (33 U.S.C.
3502) to ensure compatibility and interoperability among applicable Federal databases with respect to the collection and dissemination of geospatial data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways and Federal fishing restriction areas.</DELETED> <DELETED> (c) Applicability of Federal, State, and Tribal Regulations.--The Secretary, in developing and distributing geospatial data under this Act, shall make clear that the data are subject to-- </DELETED> <DELETED> (1) applicable Federal regulations;
and</DELETED> <DELETED> (2) applicable State and Tribal regulations.</DELETED> <DELETED>SEC.
6.
RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.</DELETED> <DELETED> Nothing in this Act may be construed--</DELETED> <DELETED> (1) to modify or alter the definition of the term ``navigable waters'' under any provision of Federal law;</DELETED> <DELETED> (2) to affect the jurisdiction or authority of Federal or State agencies to regulate navigable waters;
or</DELETED> <DELETED> (3) to increase or diminish the responsibility or authority of Federal or State agencies to manage fisheries.</DELETED> SECTION 1.
Calendar No.
Passed the Senate September 10, 2025.
117 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S.
Attest:
759 [Report No.
Secretary.
119-40] _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To provide for the standardization, publication, and accessibility of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways, and for other purposes.
119th CONGRESS 1st Session S.
_______________________________________________________________________ July 16, 2025 Reported with an amendment
759 _______________________________________________________________________ AN ACT To provide for the standardization, publication, and accessibility of data relating to public outdoor recreational use of Federal waterways, and for other purposes.
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What Congress says this changes

S. Rept. 119-40

Published by the reporting committee Not generated — this is the committee's own “Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported”.

The committee states that this bill does not amend existing law. (S. Rept. 119-40)

Source: S. Rept. 119-40 · govinfo

Action History

  1. Message on Senate action sent to the House.

  2. Received in the House.

  3. Held at the desk.

  4. Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.

  5. Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6556; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S6556)

  6. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-40.

  7. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-40.

  8. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 117.

  9. Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

  10. Introduced in Senate

  11. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 545 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (545)

545 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 545 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment transportation
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 759 do?
Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans ActThis bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to publish geospatial data related to public recreational use of federal waterways (e.g., boating and fishing).Under the bill, NOAA must consult with relevant stakeholders (including state and local governments, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations) to develop and adopt standards for the coordination and dissemination of geospatial data relating to fishing restrictions and recreational vessels' use of federal waterways, including the exclusive economic zone of the United States (EEZ). (The EEZ generally includes waters between 3 and 200 miles seaward from the U.S. coastline.)Within four years after the bill is enacted, NOAA must provide geographic information system data on a public website that identifies and describes the locations where and conditions under which certain recreational activities are restricted in federal waterways. Specifically, the website must identify (1) locations where fishing restrictions are imposed, (2) areas in the EEZ with restrictions on specified recreational vessel types, and (3) federally protected areas (e.g., National Marine Sanctuaries). NOAA must also continue to provide digitized navigation information related to the EEZ and make the information available on the website to the extent practicable.The bill allows NOAA to coordinate and partner with nonfederal entities to carry out this bill. It also directs NOAA to work with other federal agencies to ensure compatibility and interoperability among federal databases with respect to collecting and disseminating geospatial data related to the public outdoor recreational use of the EEZ.
Who sponsors S 759?
S 759 is sponsored by Cruz, Ted (Republican) and King, Angus S., Jr. (Independent).
What is the current status of S 759?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 26, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track S 759?
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