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H.R. 5063 · House bill · 119th Congress
This bill establishes requirements to ensure an adequate staff of lifeguards at swimming areas and swimming beaches managed by the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, or the Bureau of Reclamation that are typically monitored by federally employed lifeguards during normal seasonal operating hours.
If the Department of the Interior determines there is a staffing shortage of lifeguards that will leave a swimming area or beach unmonitored by federally employed lifeguards during normal seasonal operating hours, Interior may enter into an agreement with local government agencies to provide lifeguards. Interior must ensure that a local government agency providing lifeguard services is reimbursed for all reasonable costs it incurred in carrying out the agreement.
The bill does not apply to short-term staffing shortages caused by temporary absences, such as an employee taking annual or sick leave.
This Act may be cited as the “Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act”.
(a) In general.— If the Secretary determines there is a staffing shortage with respect to a designated swim location, the Secretary may 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.— 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.
(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.