House · HR 187 · 119th Congress
MAPWaters Act of 2025
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Summary
This bill requires federal land agencies to collect, standardize, and post online data about public access to federal waterways. It covers fishing rules, boat ramps, waterway restrictions, and navigation details. Boaters, anglers, and other outdoor users across the country would benefit from having this information in one place.
In Favor
Right now, rules about federal waterways are scattered across different agency websites. This bill puts boating limits, fishing closures, and access sites into one easy online database. Outdoor users can plan safer trips without hunting through confusing and outdated agency pages.
Against
Building and maintaining this database will cost staff time and agency money over several years. The five-year deadline is tight for agencies already stretched thin. Keeping fishing restriction data updated in real time adds a lasting workload that Congress did not fund directly in this bill.
Additional Considerations
Purpose & Problem
Is the problem real and worth federal action?
The bill directs federal land and water agencies to collect, standardize, and post online data about public access to federal waterways for outdoor recreation. It targets the problem of scattered, hard-to-find information about waterway rules and access points.
Scope & Related Provisions
Does it stay focused, or carry unrelated add-ons?
The bill stays focused on waterway data. All its main parts cover rules for water access, fishing limits, navigation details, and agency coordination to build and share that data.
Who Is Affected
Who benefits, and who bears the cost?
Outdoor recreationists, boaters, and anglers gain access to organized, public data about federal waterways. The Forest Service, Interior Department, and five named land and water agencies take on new duties to digitize and publish that data.
Cost & Funding
Is it affordable and responsibly funded?
The bill does not include a dollar amount, a fee, or a CBO cost estimate. It directs two cabinet departments and five agencies to develop standards, digitize records, build a comment process, and file annual reports, shifting those workloads onto those agencies.
Risks & Implementation
What could go wrong in practice?
Agencies must meet a 30-month standard-setting deadline and a 5-year data publication deadline. The bill requires fishing restriction data to update in real time, which depends on each agency having systems fast enough to meet that standard.
For the actual bill text, see congress.gov.
AI-generated · Published 7/24/2026