# H.R. 187 (119th): Modernizing Access to our Public Waters Act or the MAPWaters Act of 2025 or the MAPWaters Act of 2025 This act directs the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to standardize and publish data relating to the public's access to federal waterways for recreational use

Modernizing Access to our Public Waters Act or the MAPWaters Act of 2025 or the MAPWaters Act of 2025 This act directs the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to standardize and publish data relating to the public's access to federal waterways for recreational use. (Sec. 3) The Forest Service and Interior must jointly develop and adopt interagency standards for data collection and dissemination of geospatial data relating to public outdoor recreational access of federal waterways and federal fishing restrictions. The standards must ensure compatibility and interoperability among applicable federal databases with respect to collection and dissemination of such data. (Sec. 4) Within five years, the Forest Service and Interior must also digitize and make publicly available online certain geographic information system data about (1) federal waterway restrictions, (2) federal waterway access and navigation information, and (3) federal fishing restrictions. They must also update the data about waterway restrictions, waterway access, and navigation information at least twice per year. Data about fishing restrictions must be updated in real time as changes go into effect. The Forest Service and Interior must also develop a process to allow members of the public to submit questions or comments regarding the data regarding waterway restrictions, waterway access, and navigation information. The requirements under this section do not apply to irrigation canals and flowage easements. (Sec. 5) To carry out the act, the Forest Service and Interior may (1) coordinate and partner with nonfederal agencies, private entities, and nonprofit partners; and (2) enter into agreements with third parties. The Forest Service and Interior may work with the U.S. Geological Survey to collect, aggregate, digitize, standardize, and publish data on their behalf. (Sec. 6) The Forest Service and Interior must annually report to specified congressional committees on their progress in meeting the requirements of this act.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: data_transparency. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: public_lands. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: recreation_access. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: water_policy. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 19: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: This is an ordinary administrative data and transparency measure. It offers a modest public good by making recreational access and fishing restriction information more available, but it does not directly restrain evil or defend justice in a strong sense, and it raises no real moral concern. Its classification is prudential rather than clearly good or evil.
Theological note: The bill concerns stewardship of publicly held natural resources and the practical access of citizens to waters and recreation. Scripture's call to faithful stewardship of creation and to honest, orderly public administration gives modest relevance here. The measure is administrative and does not itself touch a named moral harm, so its relevance is limited to ordinary public-good considerations rather than a hard moral verdict.

## Recorded votes

Roll 19: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended. Yea 413 · Nay 0 · Other 19.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-187-119/