Bill Summary
The LOTTERY Act is a proposed bill that aims to create a public lottery system for obtaining permits to use motorized or non-motorized boats in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This lottery system will be available on a recreational website maintained by the Federal Government. The bill also highlights the importance of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for outdoor tourism and the local economy. The Act mandates that the Secretary of Agriculture carry out this lottery system starting from January 1, 2020, and make it publicly available on a recreation website.
Possible Impacts
1. People who regularly visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for recreation may have to adjust to a new lottery system for obtaining permits for motorized or nonmotorized boats.
2. Outfitters and cooperators who rely on the previous lottery system may be negatively affected by the change and may have to adapt their businesses to the new system.
3. The local economies in the region may be impacted by the change in lottery system, as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a major attraction for outdoor tourism.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1475 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1475
To create a publicly available lottery system for permits for the use
of motorized or nonmotorized boats in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Wilderness, and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 28, 2019
Mr. Stauber (for himself, Mr. LaHood, and Mr. Emmer) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources
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A BILL
To create a publicly available lottery system for permits for the use
of motorized or nonmotorized boats in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Wilderness, 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 ``Letting Outdoor Tourism Thrive for
Every Recreation Yearly Act'' or the ``LOTTERY Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Before the 2019 season, outfitters, cooperators, and
visitors used a lottery system to obtain permits for the use of
motorized or nonmotorized boats in the Boundary Waters Canoe
Area Wilderness.
(2) The lottery system described in paragraph (1) was
publicly available on a recreational website of the Federal
Government.
(3) The lottery system described in paragraph (1) is widely
supported and accepted by cooperators.
(4) With respect to the 2019 season, the Forest Service
changed the lottery system to obtain permits for the use of
motorized or nonmotorized boats in the Boundary Waters Canoe
Area Wilderness.
(5) The system described in paragraph (4) was not effective
or successful.
(6) The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is an
international destination for boating and outdoor recreation,
boasts world class fishing, camping, and excursion
opportunities, and is a tremendous asset to the local economies
in the region.
SEC. 3. PERMITS IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA WILDERNESS.
Beginning January 1, 2020, the Secretary of Agriculture shall--
(1) carry out a lottery system to issue permits for the use
of motorized or nonmotorized boats in the Boundary Waters Canoe
Area Wilderness established under Public Law 95-495 (92 Stat.
1648); and
(2) make such lottery system publicly available on a
recreation website of the Federal Government.
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