The LAKES Act changes how recreation areas at lakes and waterways managed by the Army Corps of Engineers handle their money and operations. Right now, only government agencies can collect entrance fees and manage these recreation areas. This bill opens things up by allowing nonprofit organizations to also collect fees and run these facilities, as long as they can prove they have the financial ability to do the job and can cover any damages if something goes wrong.

The bill also makes sure that when fees are collected at a recreation site, at least 80% of that money gets spent directly on maintaining and operating that specific site—preventing fees from being used for other purposes. Additionally, the Corps can now share the money it collects from online reservation services with the nonprofit groups or local governments that actually manage the facilities, giving them more resources to improve visitor experiences and maintain the areas. Essentially, this gives nonprofit organizations a bigger role in running public recreation areas and ensures that the money collected from visitors stays focused on improving those exact locations.

LAKES Act

Cramer, Kevin

Lake Access Keeping Economies Strong Act or the LAKES Act This bill modifies requirements relating to the collection and retention of user fees at certain recreation facilities. Specifically, the bill modifies requirements for a cost-sharing program for the management of recreation facilities established by the Water Resources Development Act of 1992. Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers may enter into cooperative agreements with nonfederal public and private entities to provide for operation and management of recreation facilities and natural resources at civil works projects. The bill requires private entities entering such agreements to be nonprofit. The bill requires the Corps, before entering into a cooperative agreement, to ensure that such entities have the authority and capability to (1) carry out the terms of the agreement, and (2) pay any damages in the event of a failure to perform. It also authorizes the Corps to allow private nonprofit entities to collect user fees. Currently, only nonfederal public entities may collect such fees. The bill also authorizes the Corps and other federal agencies to transfer to nonfederal public entities or private nonprofit entities user fees received by the Corps or another federal agency under a visitor reservation service for recreation facilities and natural resources managed by the nonfederal public entities or private nonprofit entities. In addition, the bill modifies requirements under the Flood Control Act of 1968 to direct the Corps to spend at least 80% of the fees collected at a recreational site for the operation and maintenance of that site.