The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a package aimed at increasing people’s access to outdoor recreation.
The bipartisan EXPLORE Act includes provisions calling for more opportunities to spend time in national parks, forests, and other public lands.
The bill was passed by voice vote.
If the bill is debated in the Senate, it is expected that it will have a good chance of passing.
This isn’t the first time bipartisan lawmakers have pushed public lands policy in an election year. In 2020, President Trump signed a bipartisan bill that spends billions of dollars to address the backlog in national park maintenance and codify other conservation spending.
The EXPLORE Act includes a wide range of provisions, including making it easier to obtain permits for activities on public lands and developing more biking trails.
The bill also codifies a fund called the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program to expand outdoor opportunities to urban and low-income areas, and a federal council to coordinate recreation across multiple federal agencies. This is what we aim for.
It also aims to expand access for groups including veterans and Americans with disabilities. Developing strategies to coordinate visits for veterans and pilot programs to employ them in federally protected jobs. We also aim to develop new trails that are accessible to people with disabilities and increase the availability of information about those that are already accessible.
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