Great American Outdoors Act

Great American Outdoors Act
Long title	An Act to amend title 54, United States Code, to establish, fund, and provide for the use of amounts in a National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to address the maintenance backlog of the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, and the Bureau of Indian Education, and to provide permanent, dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and for other purposes.
Enacted by	the 116th United States Congress
Citations
Public law	Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 116–152 (text) (PDF)
Legislative history
	Introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 1957 (Taxpayer First Act of 2019) by John Lewis (D–GA) on March 28, 2019; Committee consideration by House Committee on Ways and Means; passed committee on April 9, 2019; House Financial Services Committee; committee discharged on April 9, 2019; Passed the House of Representatives on April 9, 2019 (voice vote); Passed the Senate as the Great American Outdoors Act on June 17, 2020 (73–25); Signed into law by President Donald Trump on August 4, 2020;

The Great American Outdoors Act (H.R. 1957)^[2] is a piece of legislation passed by the United States Congress, signed by President Donald J. Trump, and activated into Public Law (Public Law No. 116-152) in 2020.^[3] 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 American national parks, including updating facilities to increase accessibility for the general public.^[4]^[5]^[6] The Associated Press wrote that it would be "the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century."^[7]

However, after the legislation was passed, the Trump administration's Executive Order 3388 was deemed to have weakened the effects of the GAOA.^[8] These rules and restrictions were reverted by the Biden administration on February 11, 2021.^[9]

^ "All Information (Except Text) for H.R.1957 - Great American Outdoors Act". Congress.gov. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
^ "Amendments: H.R.1957 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)". Congress.gov. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
^ Lewis, John (August 4, 2020). "Text - H.R.1957 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Great American Outdoors Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
^ Hulse, Carl (June 8, 2020). "Senate Moves Toward Preserving Public Lands, and Political Careers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ Everett, Burgess. "Gardner brawls with Hickenlooper over threat to block recess". Politico. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
^ Rogers, Paul (August 4, 2020). "Billions for national parks as historic bill becomes law - Amid election-year politics Trump signs rare bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved August 5, 2020. 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.
^ Daly, Matthew (June 13, 2020). "In time of crises, lands bill gives Senate a chance to unite". AP News. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
^ "Trump Swiftly Blows Up His One Decent Conservation Action". HuffPost. November 20, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2024.
^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[1] "All Information (Except Text) for H.R.1957 - Great American Outdoors Act". Congress.gov. Retrieved September 3, 2020.

[2] "Amendments: H.R.1957 — 116th Congress (2019-2020)". Congress.gov. Retrieved August 11, 2020.

[3] Lewis, John (August 4, 2020). "Text - H.R.1957 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Great American Outdoors Act". www.congress.gov. Retrieved November 24, 2020.

[:0-4] Hulse, Carl (June 8, 2020). "Senate Moves Toward Preserving Public Lands, and Political Careers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[:1-5] Everett, Burgess. "Gardner brawls with Hickenlooper over threat to block recess". Politico. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

[SJMN_1-6] Rogers, Paul (August 4, 2020). "Billions for national parks as historic bill becomes law - Amid election-year politics Trump signs rare bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved August 5, 2020. 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.

[7] Daly, Matthew (June 13, 2020). "In time of crises, lands bill gives Senate a chance to unite". AP News. Retrieved June 15, 2020.

[:3-8] "Trump Swiftly Blows Up His One Decent Conservation Action". HuffPost. November 20, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2024.

[:4-9] Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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