Protecting Guides and Outfitters from Coronavirus Vaccine Mandates in the Great Outdoors Act

Protecting Guides and Outfitters from Coronavirus Vaccine Mandates in the Great Outdoors Act

This bill prohibits the denying of certain permit applications for activities on federal lands and waters for reasons based on the coronavirus vaccination status of applicants or their employees.

Specifically, the Department of the Interior shall not deny based on vaccination status (1) a commercial use authorization to provide services to visitors to National Park System units, or (2) a special recreation permit for specialized recreation uses of federal recreational lands and waters.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6263 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6263

To amend title 54, United States Code, and the Federal Lands Recreation 
    Enhancement Act to prohibit medical discrimination relating to 
 applications for commercial use authorizations and special recreation 
  permits, and to clarify the status of the holders of commercial use 
 authorizations and special recreation permits, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 14, 2021

 Mr. Diaz-Balart introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 
Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 54, United States Code, and the Federal Lands Recreation 
    Enhancement Act to prohibit medical discrimination relating to 
 applications for commercial use authorizations and special recreation 
  permits, and to clarify the status of the holders of commercial use 
 authorizations and special recreation permits, 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 ``Protecting Guides and Outfitters 
from Coronavirus Vaccine Mandates in the Great Outdoors Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE COMMERCIAL USE AUTHORIZATIONS.

    Section 101925(b) of title 54, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Prohibition of medical discrimination.--The Secretary 
        shall not deny an application for a commercial use 
        authorization under this section for any reason relating to the 
        coronavirus vaccination status of an applicant or an employee 
        of an applicant.
            ``(4) Status of holder of commercial use authorization.--A 
        holder of a commercial use authorization issued under this 
        section shall not be considered to be an employee, contractor, 
        or subcontractor of the Federal Government.''.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCY PERMITTING.

    Section 803(h) of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (16 
U.S.C. 6802(h)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``The Secretary may'' and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Prohibition of medical discrimination.--The Secretary 
        shall not deny an application for a special recreation permit 
        under paragraph (1) for any reason relating to the coronavirus 
        vaccination status of an applicant or an employee of an 
        applicant.
            ``(3) Status of holder of special recreation permit.--A 
        holder of a special recreation permit issued under paragraph 
        (1) shall not be considered to be an employee, contractor, or 
        subcontractor of the Federal Government.''.
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