[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8288 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8288
To correct shortfalls in the Great American Outdoors Act by providing
fairness and parity to Eastern States, strengthening commitments to
urban recreation, establishing logic in funding priorities, and
ensuring appropriate consequences for shifts in funding sources, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 17, 2020
Mr. Bishop of Utah introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To correct shortfalls in the Great American Outdoors Act by providing
fairness and parity to Eastern States, strengthening commitments to
urban recreation, establishing logic in funding priorities, and
ensuring appropriate consequences for shifts in funding sources, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Improving the Not-So-Great American
Outdoors Act''.
SEC. 2. ENSURING FAIRNESS AND PARITY FOR EASTERN STATES.
Section 200306(a) of title 54, United States Code, is amended by
adding the at the end the following:
``(5) Except for amounts specifically authorized by an Act
of Congress, not less than 50 percent of the land acreage or
interests in land acreage acquired pursuant to this section
shall be east of the 100th meridian.''.
SEC. 3. STRENGTHENING COMMITMENTS TO URBAN RECREATION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Eligible entity.--
(A) In general.--The term ``eligible entity''
means--
(i) a State;
(ii) a political subdivision of a State,
including--
(I) a city; and
(II) a county;
(iii) a special purpose district, including
park districts; and
(iv) an Indian Tribe.
(B) Political subdivisions and indian tribes.--A
political subdivision of a State or an Indian Tribe
shall be considered an eligible entity only if the
political subdivision or Indian Tribe represents or
otherwise serves a qualifying urban area.
(2) Outdoor recreation legacy partnership grant program.--
The term ``Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Grant
Program'' means the program established under subsection (b).
(3) Qualifying urban area.--The term ``qualifying urban
area'' means an area identified by the Census Bureau as an
``urban area'' in the most recent census.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish an outdoor
recreation legacy partnership grant program under which the Secretary
may award grants to eligible entities for projects--
(1) to acquire land and water for parks and other outdoor
recreation purposes;
(2) to develop new or renovate existing outdoor recreation
facilities; and
(3) to develop projects that provide opportunities for
outdoor education and public lands volunteerism.
(c) Matching Requirement.--
(1) In general.--As a condition of receiving a grant under
subsection (b), an eligible entity shall provide matching funds
in the form of cash or an in-kind contribution in an amount
equal to not less than 100 percent of the amounts made
available under the grant.
(2) Sources.--The matching amounts referred to in paragraph
(1) may include amounts made available from State, local,
nongovernmental, or private sources.
(3) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive all or part of the
matching requirement under paragraph (1) if the Secretary
determines that--
(A) no reasonable means are available through which
an applicant can meet the matching requirement; and
(B) the probable benefit of such project outweighs
the public interest in such matching requirement.
(d) Eligible Uses.--
(1) In general.--A grant recipient may use a grant awarded
under this section--
(A) to acquire land or water that provides outdoor
recreation opportunities to the public; and
(B) to develop or renovate outdoor recreational
facilities that provide outdoor recreation
opportunities to the public, with priority given to
projects that--
(i) create or significantly enhance access
to park and recreational opportunities in an
urban or suburban area that lacks access to
such activities;
(ii) engage and empower underserved
communities and youth;
(iii) provide opportunities for youth
employment or job training;
(iv) establish or expand public-private
partnerships, with a focus on leveraging
resources; and
(v) take advantage of coordination among
various levels of government.
(2) Limitations on use.--A grant recipient may not use
grant funds for--
(A) grant administration costs;
(B) incidental costs related to land acquisition,
including appraisal and titling;
(C) operation and maintenance activities;
(D) facilities that support semiprofessional or
professional athletics;
(E) indoor facilities such as recreation centers or
facilities that support primarily non-outdoor purposes;
or
(F) acquisition of land or interests in land that
restrict access to specific persons.
(e) National Park Service Requirements.--In carrying out the
Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Grant Program, the Secretary
shall--
(1) conduct an initial screening and technical review of
applications received; and
(2) evaluate and score all qualifying applications.
(f) Reporting.--Each grant recipient that receives a grant under
this section shall annually submit to the Secretary performance and
financial reports that--
(1) summarize project activities conducted during the
report period; and
(2) provide the status of the project, including of
description of how the project has improved access to parkland,
open space, or recreational facilities from the community
perspective.
(g) Funding.--Section 200306(a) of title 54, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(7) Five percent of the amounts shall be allocated to
provide grants under the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership
Grant Program established under section 3 of the Improving the
Not-So-Great American Outdoors Act.''.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHING LOGIC IN FUNDING PRIORITIES.
Section 200402(b) of title 54, United States Code, is amended by--
(1) redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
(2) adding the following after paragraph (2)--
``(3) Insufficient funds.--In any of fiscal years 2021
through 2025 in which the total amount deposited into the Fund
is less than $1,900,000,000, sufficient funds (if available)
under section 200306 5 of title 54, United States Code, shall
also be available for the uses of the Fund in accordance with
this chapter in such amounts as are necessary to ensure that a
total of $1,900,000,000 is available for those uses for that
fiscal year. If sufficient funds are not available under
section 200306 of title 54, United States Code, to ensure the
$1,900,000,000 total, then the maximum amount allocated to that
section shall be made available for the uses of the Fund.''.
SEC. 5. TRANSPARENCY IN PROJECT FUNDING ALLOCATION.
Section 200303(c)(2)(B) of title 54, United States Code, is amended
by inserting ``only in accordance with the detailed submission to
Congress under paragraph (1)'' after ``allocated by the President''
both places it appears.
SEC. 6. APPROPRIATE CONSEQUENCES REGARDING FUNDING SOURCES.
In the first fiscal year in which receipts under section
200302(c)(2) of title 54, United States Code, are unavailable for
deposit in the Land and Water Conservation Fund established under that
section, the Land and Water Conservation Fund shall be repealed, any
existing unobligated balances shall revert to the general Treasury, and
any future revenues and collections that would have been deposited in
that Fund shall instead be deposited in the general Treasury.
SEC. 7. ENSURING AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR MAINTENANCE BACKLOG.
Section 200302(c) of title 54, United States Code, is amended by
striking ``not less than''.
SEC. 8. CONFORMING AMENDMENT.
Section 200306(a)(2)(B) of title 54, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) Limitation.--Except for areas
specifically authorized by Act of Congress, not
more than 15 percent of the acreage added to
the National Forest System pursuant to this
section shall be west of the 100th meridian.''.
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