Crank and Mike Kennedy introduced the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, which would restore a presumption of access on Forest Service and BLM lands and add clearer review procedures for restricting recreation.
Introduce and support the Public Lands Access Restoration Act to restore a presumption of access on Forest Service and BLM lands and create clearer review procedures for restricting recreation.
Occurrences
Mr. Crank (for himself and Mr. Kennedy of Utah) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture... Bill Number H.R. 7979... Short Title Public Lands Access Restoration Act... Full Title To restore the presumption of access on lands managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
H.R. 7979 (Rep. Crank), “Public Lands Access Restoration Act”
Representative Crank’s “Public Lands Access Restoration Act” restores a commonsense “open unless posted closed” approach to roads and trails managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, improving public access, transparency, and outdoor recreation opportunities.
Evidence
GovInfo lists H.R. 7979 as introduced in the House on March 18, 2026 by Mr. Crank (for himself and Mr. Kennedy of Utah) and referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture.
The House Committee on Natural Resources repository shows a March 26, 2026 legislative hearing on H.R. 7979, with the bill text, hearing memo, and BLM and USDA statement-for-the-record materials posted for the hearing.
The House Committee on Natural Resources held a March 26, 2026 legislative hearing on H.R. 7979, with related bill text, hearing memo, and agency statement-for-the-record materials posted for the hearing.
The memorandum states that H.R. 7979, the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, sponsored by Representative Jeff Crank, would establish access-related procedures and transparency/accountability provisions for federal land access decisions.
USDA’s statement references H.R. 7979, the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, as part of the March 26, 2026 hearing record.
GovInfo lists H.R. 7979, the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, in the 119th Congress, 2nd Session. The action says Mr. Crank introduced the bill on March 18, 2026, with referral to the House Committees on Natural Resources and Agriculture. The full title is to restore the presumption of access on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands.
The introduced bill text states that H.R. 7979 is the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, introduced in the House by Mr. Crank. Section 2 would presume covered roads or trails are open to motorized access unless restricted, require clear and convincing evidence for restrictions, require signage and updated maps, provide public notice and a 30-day comment period, and require five-year review of restrictions.
The House Committee Repository records a March 26, 2026 Subcommittee on Federal Lands legislative hearing that included H.R. 7979 (Rep. Crank), the Public Lands Access Restoration Act. The page lists bill text, hearing memo, BLM statement, USDA Forest Service testimony, and stakeholder testimony tied to H.R. 7979.
The committee hearing memo says Representative Crank's Public Lands Access Restoration Act restores an open-unless-posted-closed approach to roads and trails managed by the Forest Service and BLM, improving public access, transparency, and outdoor recreation opportunities. It further describes H.R. 7979 as sponsored by Representative Jeff Crank and as requiring roads and trails on federal land to be presumed open unless explicitly restricted by BLM or USFS.
BLM's statement for the record says H.R. 7979 would establish a presumption that designated roads and trails on BLM-managed lands remain available for public motorized vehicle use unless clear and convincing evidence supports closure or restriction. It also identifies procedural requirements including signage, updated official maps, Federal Register and local newspaper notice, a 30-day public comment period, and five-year review of closures.
USDA Forest Service testimony before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands addresses H.R. 7979, the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, and presents USDA's views on the bill at the March 26, 2026 hearing.
The Trails Preservation Alliance testimony says it supports H.R. 7979, the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, which was introduced by Representative Crank earlier in March 2026. The testimony describes the bill as reinstating an open-unless-posted-closed policy and requiring a public process and clear and convincing evidence for closures.
Assessments
The promise was to introduce and support the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, not necessarily to secure enactment. The evidence shows Crank introduced H.R. 7979 on March 18, 2026, during his current House term, and the bill text matches the promised substance: a presumption of access on Forest Service and BLM lands plus notice, comment, signage, mapping, and review procedures for restrictions. The March 26, 2026 subcommittee hearing and agency/stakeholder materials show concrete support and advancement beyond mere filing. Because the promised action was introduction and support, this is fulfilled in the same term.
The promise was to introduce and support the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, not necessarily to enact it. Evidence shows Jeff Crank introduced H.R. 7979 on March 18, 2026, and the bill then received a House committee hearing on March 26, 2026, demonstrating concrete follow-through and active support during his current federal term. Because the claimed action was introduction and support, those steps are sufficient to count the promise as delivered.
The promise was to introduce and support the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, not necessarily to enact it. Evidence shows Jeff Crank introduced H.R. 7979 on March 18, 2026 and the bill then received a House committee hearing on March 26, 2026, which demonstrates both introduction and active support during his current federal term. Because the promised action was performed, this counts as delivered in the same term.
Jeff Crank did introduce H.R. 7979, the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, and it received committee hearing attention in March 2026, so he materially advanced the proposal in the same term. But the evidence does not show enactment or a completed restoration of access policy, so this is partial rather than full delivery.
The promise was to introduce and support the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, not necessarily to enact it. Evidence shows Rep. Jeff Crank introduced H.R. 7979 on March 18, 2026, and the bill then received a House committee legislative hearing on March 26, 2026 with formal committee materials and agency statements in the record. That satisfies both introducing and actively supporting the measure during his current term.
The promise was specifically to introduce and support the Public Lands Access Restoration Act, not necessarily to secure enactment. The evidence shows Crank introduced H.R. 7979 on March 18, 2026 during his current House term, with himself as sponsor, and the bill then received a House committee legislative hearing with related materials and agency statements. That satisfies both introduction and material support in the same federal term.