Policy Alert: America’s Outdoor Recreation Act reintroduced in Senate
Mar 19, 2023 08:08PM ● By WNC Business
WASHINGTON - Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) reintroduced America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, the most comprehensive package of outdoor recreation bills in a generation. This bipartisan legislation will provide sizable federal support to build outdoor recreation opportunities across the country in various ways, including the following:
In May 2022, OIA and 23 of its members expressed support for this bill in a letter to Congress. In December, numerous members and OIA’s government affairs team attended meetings in Washington, D. C. to discuss with lawmakers the importance of America’s Outdoor Recreation Act to the outdoor recreation economy.
“After building significant support for the legislation in the last Congress with lawmakers, industry leaders, and other stakeholders, we are thrilled to see Senators Manchin and Barrasso reintroduce this historic comprehensive outdoor recreation bill. This package would provide meaningful support for outdoor recreation opportunities across the country at a time when a record number of Americans are getting outdoors and benefitting from the mental and physical health benefits these spaces provide,” Kent Ebersole, OIA interim executive director, said.
Outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of American life, with over 162.4 million Americans ages six and over getting outside each year, about 54% of the population. Outdoor recreation is also a pillar of the United States economy, contributing more than $862 billion annually and supporting 4.5 million jobs. Federal support for and investments in recreation infrastructure and public lands, like those within America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, are critical to the continued success and increased growth of the outdoor industry.
“We applaud these forward-thinking lawmakers for their leadership and their commitment to improving access to America’s lands and waters. We also greatly appreciate the strong interest from House members—including Reps. Curtis and Neguse—in producing similar bipartisan companion legislation. We were very excited to learn this week of plans for a legislative hearing in the House to consider several bills that could be incorporated into the House version of this legislation. We thank House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva for prioritizing this legislation and taking action in their committee to move us closer to final passage of this important legislation,” Ebersole said.
OIA members are raising their voices in support of AORA. If you would like to learn more about this historic legislation and how you can get involved in advocating alongside OIA to amplify the industry’s shared policy agenda, contact [email protected].
Source: Outdoor Industry Association
- Developing and supporting specific recreation infrastructure like cycling trails and outdoor entrepreneurial training programs
- Establishing programs that support public-private partnerships to modernize and improve public lands
- Utilizing real-time data more efficiently to identify visitor trends, extend the length of the season for public access to federal lands, and improve user communications
In May 2022, OIA and 23 of its members expressed support for this bill in a letter to Congress. In December, numerous members and OIA’s government affairs team attended meetings in Washington, D. C. to discuss with lawmakers the importance of America’s Outdoor Recreation Act to the outdoor recreation economy.
“After building significant support for the legislation in the last Congress with lawmakers, industry leaders, and other stakeholders, we are thrilled to see Senators Manchin and Barrasso reintroduce this historic comprehensive outdoor recreation bill. This package would provide meaningful support for outdoor recreation opportunities across the country at a time when a record number of Americans are getting outdoors and benefitting from the mental and physical health benefits these spaces provide,” Kent Ebersole, OIA interim executive director, said.
Outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of American life, with over 162.4 million Americans ages six and over getting outside each year, about 54% of the population. Outdoor recreation is also a pillar of the United States economy, contributing more than $862 billion annually and supporting 4.5 million jobs. Federal support for and investments in recreation infrastructure and public lands, like those within America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, are critical to the continued success and increased growth of the outdoor industry.
“We applaud these forward-thinking lawmakers for their leadership and their commitment to improving access to America’s lands and waters. We also greatly appreciate the strong interest from House members—including Reps. Curtis and Neguse—in producing similar bipartisan companion legislation. We were very excited to learn this week of plans for a legislative hearing in the House to consider several bills that could be incorporated into the House version of this legislation. We thank House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Grijalva for prioritizing this legislation and taking action in their committee to move us closer to final passage of this important legislation,” Ebersole said.
OIA members are raising their voices in support of AORA. If you would like to learn more about this historic legislation and how you can get involved in advocating alongside OIA to amplify the industry’s shared policy agenda, contact [email protected].
Source: Outdoor Industry Association