Congress begins reauthorization process for Great American Outdoors Act

Key Takeaways

UPDATE: On June 24, the House Natural Resources Committee advanced legislation to reauthorize the Great American Outdoors Act (P.L. 116-52). After amendments, the legislation mirrors the bill approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 17. Bipartisan, bicameral legislation to extend authorization for the Legacy Restoration Fund now awaits a vote before both chambers of Congress. Among other changes, the legislation would codify surcharges for foreign visitors to National Park System units that already charge visitor fees.

On June 10, the leaders of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources introduced the Great American Outdoors 250 Act, which would reauthorize programs stood up in the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to invest in recreation facilities on public lands. Led by Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), the bipartisan proposal would provide $1.9 billion annually to tackle deferred maintenance projects.

On May 1, Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced the bipartisan America the Beautiful Act (S. 1547), which would reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund. After amendments, the America the Beautiful Act would reauthorize the program with similar but not identical changes as the Great American Outdoors 250 Act.

Background

The National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF) was established by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA; P.L. 116-152) in 2020 to address longstanding deferred maintenance projects on federal land managed by five agencies – the National Park Service (NPS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS). Their combined deferred maintenance backlog is estimated at over $40 billion.  

GAOA set funding for the LRF at $1.9 billion annually and drew from federal revenues from energy development on public lands. LRF-funded projects targeted recreation and visitor access such as roads, visitor centers, sewage and other infrastructure facilities. The LRF cannot be used for land purchases to add to the federal estate.  

The program is set to expire on September 30, 2026.

Proposed Bills

House Proposal

The House’s GAOA 250 would reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund for 5 years and make several changes to the program, including new sources of revenue and process changes. The proposed legislation reauthorizes the GAOA’s Legacy Restoration Fund and directs agencies to sharpen their focus on addressing deferred maintenance projects.  

The bill would codify a $100 surcharge on entrance fees for foreign visitors and a $250 price on annual visitor passes for foreign visitors with 80 percent of collected fees being returned to projects in the unit where they were collected. It also would allow the public to donate to the LRF

GAOA 250 would also provide guidance on project selection, including directing agencies to focus on mission-critical facilities or infrastructure at risk of failure. It would additionally permit land management agencies to partner with non-profits to carry out projects, establish a pilot for sportsmen’s projects for hunting and fishing access and require a public dashboard to track project statuses.

Senate Proposal

Under the America the Beautiful Act, the LRF would be reauthorized at $1.9 billion per year for 5 years. The bill would also allow the public to make donations to the LRF. It also authorizes the National Park Service to levy a surcharge on foreign visitors. Unlike the House proposal, the America the Beautiful Act does not set a fixed amount for the surcharge and requires that NPS consult gateway communities such as county governments before setting the fee.

During a markup, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee amended the America the Beautiful Act to reflect some changes to the LRF proposed in GAOA 250. Originally, the bill would not have made any major programmatic changes.

Impacts on Counties

In the more than 60 percent of counties nationwide that are home to federal lands, communities rely on federal infrastructure for recreation access and to support local economic development. Keeping public land facilities in good repair reduces burdens on counties, which may be negatively impacted if critical infrastructure fails.  

Public lands counties strongly support reducing the federal deferred maintenance backlog, which will ease tourism access and improve necessary infrastructure to conduct crucial resource and land management activities. NACo urges swift reauthorization of the LRF to continue to address investment needs on public lands.

Next Steps

The LRF program receives broad bipartisan support in Congress, and counties urge Congress to ensure that the program continues by passing reauthorization legislation. While the two bills are similar, identical bills must be passed by both chambers of Congress. NACo will continue to engage with Congressional leaders to ensure that federal land management agencies are upkeeping critical infrastructure that local communities rely on.

GAOA 250 has yet to be marked up by the House Natural Resources Committee. The America the Beautiful Act was advanced by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 17. NACo will provide updates on the reauthorization process as Congress considers both pieces of legislation.