Great American Outdoors Act: Difference between revisions

The '''Great American Outdoors Act''' (H.R. 1957)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1957/amendments|title=Amendments: H.R.1957 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)|website=Congress.gov|access-date=August 11, 2020}}</ref> is a piece of legislation passed by the [[United States Congress]], signed by [[President of the United States|President]] [[Donald Trump|Donald J. Trump]], and activated into Public Law (Public Law No. 116-152) in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1957/text/pl|title=Text - H.R.1957 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Great American Outdoors Act|first=John|last=Lewis|date=August 4, 2020|website=www.congress.gov|access-date=November 24, 2020}}</ref> It has two major components: fully and permanently fund the [[Land and Water Conservation Fund]] (LWCF) at $900 million per year, and providing $9.5 billion over five years ($1.9 billion annually) to address a maintenance backlog at [[National Park Service|American national parks]], including updating facilities to increase accessibility for the general public.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|last=Hulse|first=Carl|date=June 8, 2020|title=Senate Moves Toward Preserving Public Lands, and Political Careers|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/us/politics/senate-public-lands.html|access-date=June 10, 2020|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610005950/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/08/us/politics/senate-public-lands.html|archive-date=June 10, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Everett|first=Burgess|title=Gardner brawls with Hickenlooper over threat to block recess|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/21/cory-gardner-senate-recess-273081|access-date=June 10, 2020|website=Politico|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610175859/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/21/cory-gardner-senate-recess-273081|archive-date=June 10, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="SJMN_1">{{cite news | url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/08/04/billions-for-national-parks-as-historic-bill-becomes-law/ | title=Billions for national parks as historic bill becomes law - Amid election-year politics Trump signs rare bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act | last=Rogers | first=Paul | newspaper=[[San Jose Mercury News]] | date=August 4, 2020 | access-date=August 5, 2020 | quote=First, it will provide $9.5 billion over the next five years to repair roads, restrooms, trails and campgrounds at America’s 419 national parks — from Yosemite to the Everglades — and at other public lands where facilities have fallen into disrepair after years of neglect and funding shortfalls. ... Second and more enduring, the bill would guarantee $900 million a year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund in perpetuity. }}</ref> The ''[[Associated Press]]'' wrote that it would be "the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Daly|first=Matthew|date=June 13, 2020|title=In time of crises, lands bill gives Senate a chance to unite|url=https://apnews.com/446007949924f6a5775918a88dbd5042|access-date=June 15, 2020|website=AP News}}</ref>  

The bill was first introduced in the House of Representatives by [[John Lewis]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]-[[Georgia (U.S. state)|GA]]) as the [[Taxpayer First Act|Taxpayer First Act of 2019]] on March 28, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lewis|first=John|date=July 24, 2020|title=H.R.1957 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Great American Outdoors Act|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1957|access-date=August 4, 2020|website=www.congress.gov}}</ref> After inserting amendments, Senator [[Cory Gardner]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]–[[Colorado|CO]]) reintroduced the bill in the Senate on March 9, 2020, during the [[116th United States Congress]] as the Great American Outdoors Act.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Gardner|first=Cory|date=March 10, 2020|title=Cosponsors - S.3422 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Great American Outdoors Act|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3422/cosponsors|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430053443/https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3422/cosponsors|archive-date=April 30, 2020|access-date=June 10, 2020|website=www.congress.gov}}</ref> On June 9, it passed a procedural vote 80–17 and moved to full consideration before the Senate.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Great American Outdoors Act Moves Toward Final Senate Passage {{!}} SGB Media Online|url=https://sgbonline.com/great-american-outdoors-act-moves-toward-final-senate-passage/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610190250/https://sgbonline.com/great-american-outdoors-act-moves-toward-final-senate-passage/|archive-date=June 10, 2020|access-date=June 10, 2020|website=sgbonline.com|date=June 10, 2020 }}</ref>