[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 127 (Monday, July 20, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S4293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2455. Ms. CORTEZ MASTO (for herself, Mr. Daines, Mr. Blumenthal,
Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cramer, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Jones, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Peters,
Ms. Rosen, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Udall, and Mrs. Blackburn) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr.
Inhofe to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1085. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON OUTDOOR RECREATION FOR
VETERANS.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall establish a task force to be known as the
``Task Force on Outdoor Recreation for Veterans'' (in this
section referred to as the ``Task Force'').
(b) Composition.--The Task Force shall be composed of the
following members or their designees:
(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
(2) The Secretary of the Interior.
(3) The Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(4) The Secretary of Agriculture.
(5) The Secretary of Defense.
(6) The Secretary of Homeland Security.
(7) The Chief of the Army Corps of Engineers.
(8) Any other member that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
determines to be appropriate.
(c) Chairpersons.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs and
the Secretary of the Interior shall serve as co-chairpersons
of the Task Force (in this section referred to as the
``Chairpersons'').
(d) Duties.--
(1) Task force.--The duties of the Task Force shall be--
(A) to identify opportunities to formalize coordination
between the Department of Veterans Affairs, public land
agencies, and partner organizations regarding the use of
public lands or other outdoor spaces for medical treatment
and recreational therapy for veterans;
(B) to identify barriers that exist to providing veterans
with opportunities for medical treatment and therapy through
the use of outdoor recreation on public lands or other
outdoor spaces; and
(C) to develop recommendations to better facilitate the use
of public lands or other outdoor spaces for preventative
care, medical treatment, and therapy for veterans.
(2) Consultation.--The Task Force shall carry out the
duties under paragraph (1) in consultation with appropriate
veterans outdoor recreation groups.
(e) Reports.--
(1) Preliminary report.--Not later than 180 days after the
date on which the Task Force is established, the Chairpersons
shall submit to Congress a report on the preliminary findings
of the Task Force.
(2) Final report.--Not later than one year after the date
of the submittal of the preliminary report under paragraph
(1), the Chairpersons shall submit to Congress a report on
the findings of the Task Force, which shall include the
recommendations developed under subsection (d)(1)(C).
(f) Duration.--The Task Force shall terminate on the date
that is one year after the date of the submittal of the final
report under in subsection (e)(2).
(g) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``public lands'' means any recreational lands
under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government or a State
or local government.
(2) The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given that term in
section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
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