[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2850 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2850

To assist States and local governments develop and implement emergency 
notification systems suitable for use on public recreational lands, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 7, 2011

 Ms. Richardson (for herself and Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas) introduced 
      the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Homeland Security, 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 assist States and local governments develop and implement emergency 
notification systems suitable for use on public recreational lands, 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 ``Communication and Alert Maintenance 
Program for Early Response Act'' or ``CAMPER Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The National Park System manages 392 sites that cover 
        more than 83 million acres.
            (2) According to the National Park Service, there were 
        275,581,547 recreational visits to National Park System sites 
        in 2007, which marks an increase of nearly 3 million visits 
        from 2006.
            (3) The number of recreational visits specified in 
        paragraph (2) does not include Forest Service, Bureau of Land 
        Management, Bureau of Reclamation, or Army Corps of Engineer 
        sites or include State and local parks, which also cover a 
        significant land area.
            (4) For example, in California, over 79.5 million people 
        visited California State Parks, over 1.3 million acres of land, 
        in the 2007/2008 fiscal year.
            (5) Many State and local park systems, including the 
        California Department of Parks and Recreation, have no 
        emergency notification system suitable for use on public 
        recreational lands to warn persons using such lands of imminent 
        emergency situations.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR DEVELOPMENT AND 
              IMPLEMENTATION OF EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR USE 
              ON STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECREATIONAL LANDS.

    (a) Technical Assistance Authorized.--The Secretary of Homeland 
Security may provide technical assistance to a State or local 
government to develop and implement an emergency notification system 
suitable for use on public recreational lands administered by the State 
or local government to warn persons using such lands of emergency 
situations, including natural disasters and acts of terrorism or other 
man-made disasters.
    (b) Implementation Grants.--
            (1) Grants authorized.--The Secretary of Homeland Security 
        may make grants, on a competitive basis, to States and local 
        governments to procure and install emergency notification 
        systems on public recreational lands, as described in 
        subsection (a).
            (2) Maximum grant.--A grant under this subsection may not 
        exceed $100,000.
            (3) Cost-sharing requirements.--
                    (A) Recipient share.--A grant recipient shall 
                provide matching non-Federal funds, either in cash or 
                in-kind support, in an amount equal to not less than 
                five percent of the Federal funds provided in a grant 
                under this subsection.
                    (B) Waiver.--The Secretary may establish conditions 
                under which the cost-sharing requirements of 
                subparagraph (A) may be reduced or waived.
    (c) Reporting Requirement.--For each fiscal year in which technical 
assistance and grants are provided under this section, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall submit to the Committees on Homeland Security 
of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report--
            (1) describing the present state of preparedness of State 
        park and recreation departments to provide adequate emergency 
        notification in the event of emergency situations, including 
        natural disasters and acts of terrorism or other man-made 
        disasters; and
            (2) containing such recommendations for additional 
        legislative action as the Secretary considers appropriate.
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