This part says who may help with the work. The leaders may team up with states, tribes and firms, and may hire a third party. They may work with the USGS. They must follow other laws, add a notice, and use maps that already exist.
The document says “can”Who acts: the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the InteriorHow: statuteSec. 5 in the PDF
What the document says
“For purposes of carrying out this Act, the Secretaries may-- (1) coordinate and partner with non-Federal agencies and private sector and nonprofit partners, including-- (A) State natural resource agencies; (B) Tribal natural resource agencies; (C) technology companies; (D) geospatial data companies; and (E) experts in data science, analytics, and operations research; and (2) enter into an agreement with a third party to carry out any provision of this Act.”
The Secretaries may coordinate and partner with non-Federal agencies and with private sector and nonprofit partners, including State and Tribal natural resource agencies, technology companies, geospatial data companies, and experts in data science, analytics and operations research. They may also enter into an agreement with a third party to carry out any provision of the Act.
What the document actually says
“For purposes of carrying out this Act, the Secretaries may-- (1) coordinate and partner with non-Federal agencies and private sector and nonprofit partners, including-- (A) State natural resource agencies; (B) Tribal natural resource agencies; (C) technology companies; (D) geospatial data companies; and (E) experts in data science, analytics, and operations research; and (2) enter into an agreement with a third party to carry out any provision of this Act.”
That sentence, in plain words
The leaders can team up with others to do this work. They can work with state and tribal agencies. They can work with tech firms and data experts. They can hire an outside group for any part.
What this is about
The word can matters here. None of this is a must. The leaders pick whether to bring others in. The list of partners is open ended.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “can”Who acts: the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the InteriorHow: statuteSec. 5 in the PDF
What the document says
“The Secretaries may work with the Director of the United States Geological Survey to collect, aggregate, digitize, standardize, and publish data on behalf of the Secretaries to meet the requirements of this Act.”
The Secretaries may work with the Director of the United States Geological Survey to collect, aggregate, digitize, standardize and publish data on the Secretaries' behalf, in order to meet the Act's requirements.
What the document actually says
“The Secretaries may work with the Director of the United States Geological Survey to collect, aggregate, digitize, standardize, and publish data on behalf of the Secretaries to meet the requirements of this Act.”
That sentence, in plain words
The leaders can work with the head of the USGS. That group can gather and sort the data. It can put the data out for them.
What this is about
USGS is short for the United States Geological Survey. This is a choice, not a must. The duties in the last part stay with the leaders.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the InteriorHow: statuteSec. 5 in the PDF
What the document says
“With respect to data developed and distributed under this Act, the Secretaries shall-- (1) develop the data in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and Tribal laws (including regulations); and (2) include a notice that any geospatial data are subject to applicable Federal, State, and Tribal laws (including regulations).”
For data developed and distributed under the Act, the Secretaries must develop it in accordance with applicable Federal, State and Tribal laws, including regulations, and must include a notice that any geospatial data are subject to those same laws.
What the document actually says
“With respect to data developed and distributed under this Act, the Secretaries shall-- (1) develop the data in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and Tribal laws (including regulations); and (2) include a notice that any geospatial data are subject to applicable Federal, State, and Tribal laws (including regulations).”
That sentence, in plain words
The leaders must build the data under other laws. Those are federal, state and tribal laws. They must add a note saying the data falls under those laws.
What this is about
The note goes out with the map data. It tells users that other laws apply. All three kinds of law are named.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
The document says “shall”Who acts: the Secretary concernedHow: statuteSec. 5 in the PDF
What the document says
“To the extent practicable, the Secretary concerned shall use or incorporate existing applicable data, maps, and resources in carrying out this Act, including data, maps, and resources developed and published under-- (1) the Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act (16 U.S.C. 6851 et seq.); (2) section 103 of division DD of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (43 U.S.C. 776); or (3) other applicable law.”
To the extent practicable, the Secretary concerned must use or incorporate existing applicable data, maps and resources when carrying out the Act, including those developed and published under the Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act (16 U.S.C. 6851 et seq.), section 103 of division DD of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (43 U.S.C. 776), or other applicable law. The term Secretary concerned is not among the terms defined in section 2.
What the document actually says
“To the extent practicable, the Secretary concerned shall use or incorporate existing applicable data, maps, and resources in carrying out this Act, including data, maps, and resources developed and published under-- (1) the Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act (16 U.S.C. 6851 et seq.); (2) section 103 of division DD of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (43 U.S.C. 776); or (3) other applicable law.”
That sentence, in plain words
Maps that already exist must be used. That holds where it can be done. Two older laws made such maps. Other laws may have made more.
What this is about
One older law did the same job for public land. The other is part of a spending law from 2023. This law does not say what those maps show.
No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.
Modernizing Access to our Public Waters Act of 2025, Public Law 119-62, sec. 5, 139 Stat. 1981 (2025). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-119publ62/html/PLAW-119publ62.htm
This page
“Cooperation and Coordination,” Modernizing Access to our Public Waters Act of 2025, section 5. Read the Mandate, https://readthemandate.org/modernizing-access-our-public-waters-act-2025/section-5/ (retrieved August 26, 2026).
Cite the document when the claim is about what the document says. Cite this page when the indexing, the wording or the record of what has happened is what is being relied on.
What This Page Covers, and What It Leaves Out
Each of the section's four subsections: the partnering and third party authority in subsection (a), the United States Geological Survey authority in subsection (b), the two requirements in subsection (c), and the duty to use existing efforts in subsection (d).
Nothing in the section is left out.
Subsection (d) uses the term Secretary concerned, which is not among the terms defined in section 2, and it cites the Modernizing Access to Our Public Land Act (16 U.S.C. 6851 et seq.) and section 103 of division DD of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (43 U.S.C. 776). Neither of those statutes is indexed here, so nothing recorded says what data or maps they produced.
