Do Search-and-Rescue Teams Need Easier Access to Federal Lands? (H.R. 373)

What is H.R. 373?

(Updated January 31, 2017)

This bill would create an expedited process for search-and-rescue groups to get access to federal lands. "Good Samaritan" search-and-recovery missions — where this bill gets its name — are searches for one or more missing people who are believed to be dead when the search begins.

Federal agencies would not require an eligible organizations or people involved in these search-and-rescue missions to have liability insurance when accessing federal lands. However, search teams would have to acknowledge that they are unable to file a tort claim, that they're not employees of the federal government, and sign a waiver releasing the federal government from liability.

Federal agencies would have 48 hours to notify the person or organization making a request to conduct a search-and-recovery mission within 48 hours of the request being made. If they deny the request, the agency would have to explain why, plus any actions that the applicant could take to meet the requirements for approval.

Argument in favor

Bureaucracy shouldn’t prevent volunteers — who are willing to absolve the federal government of liability — from searching for missing persons on federal lands.

Argument opposed

Federal agencies need to ensure the safety of searchers, and shouldn’t be rushing through approving requests for search-and-rescue missions on federal lands.

Impact

People missing on federal lands, individuals and organizations that would conduct a good Samaritan search and recovery mission, families and friends of the missing, federal agencies that oversee federal lands, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Interior.

Cost of H.R. 373

A CBO cost estimate found that implementing this bill would have no impact on the federal budget.

Additional Info

Of Note:

The impetus for this legislation came about after the National Park Service required a volunteer organization to obtain a $1 million liability insurance policy before allowing them to search for the body of a missing Las Vegas cab-driver — Keith Goldberg — on federal land.

It took the organization 10 months to raise enough money to afford the policy, they received a permit to access the federal land a month later, and found his remains within three hours of beginning their search.

Media:

Sponsoring Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV) Press Release

CBO Cost Estimate

Las Vegas Sun Times

KPNR Nevada Public Radio

Las Vegas Review-Journal (Context)

USA Today (Context)