The Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to partner with local governments to address lifeguard staffing shortages at federal swimming areas and ensure visitor safety.
Jennifer Kiggans
Representative
VA-2
The Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to address lifeguard staffing shortages at federal swimming areas by partnering with local government agencies. Under this legislation, local lifeguards can be deployed to federal sites to ensure visitor safety, with the federal government providing full reimbursement for all reasonable costs incurred.
Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act Authorizes Local Lifeguard Partnerships to End Federal Staffing Shortages
The Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act aims to keep public swimming areas open and safe by allowing the Department of the Interior to hire local help when federal lifeguard chairs are empty. Under Section 2, if a federal beach or swimming hole managed by agencies like the National Park Service or the Bureau of Land Management doesn't have enough federal staff to watch the water, the Secretary of the Interior can sign a deal with local city or county governments. These local lifeguards would step in during normal seasonal hours to provide rescue and first aid services, ensuring that a lack of federal personnel doesn't lead to closed gates or 'swim at your own risk' signs for the public.
Backfilling the Stand
This bill focuses on 'designated swim locations'—the specific spots on federal land that people actually use for recreation. To prevent these areas from being left unmonitored, the legislation creates a formal process for local agencies to lend their staff. For example, if a National Park beach is short-staffed during a busy July weekend, a nearby municipal lifeguard crew could be brought in to cover the shifts. The bill is specific about what counts as a 'staffing shortage': it refers to a systemic lack of employees that would result in an unmonitored beach, not just a one-off day where a lifeguard calls in sick (Section 2(d)(2)).
Covering the Tab
One of the most practical parts of this bill is the reimbursement clause. It mandates that the Secretary of the Interior must pay local government agencies back for all 'reasonable costs' they rack up while helping out. This means if a local town sends its lifeguards to a nearby federal lake, the local taxpayers aren't the ones footing the bill for the federal government’s staffing issues. For a seasonal worker or a local parks department, this provides a clear financial path to collaborate without draining local budgets, keeping the focus on water safety rather than who is holding the checkbook.