[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1065 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1065
To codify the existing Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program of
the National Park Service, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 17, 2023
Ms. Barragan (for herself, Mr. Turner, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mrs.
Napolitano, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Norton, Ms.
Bonamici, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Titus, Mr. Casten, Mr. Himes,
Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Evans, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Jayapal, Ms.
Chu, and Ms. Stansbury) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To codify the existing Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program of
the National Park Service, 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 ``Outdoors for All Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an
entity that represents or otherwise serves a qualifying area.
(2) Eligible nonprofit organization.--The term ``eligible
nonprofit organization'' means an organization that is
described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 and is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such
code.
(3) Entity.--The term ``entity'' means--
(A) a State;
(B) a political subdivision of a State, including--
(i) a city;
(ii) a county; and
(iii) a special purpose district that
manages open space, including a park district;
and
(C) an Indian Tribe, urban Indian organization, or
Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian community or
organization.
(4) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(5) Low-income community.--The term ``low-income
community'' means any census block group in which 30 percent or
more of the population are individuals with an annual household
equal to, or less than, the greater of--
(A) an amount equal to 80 percent of the median
income of the area in which the household is located,
as reported by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development; and
(B) an amount equal to 200 percent of the Federal
poverty line.
(6) Outdoor recreation legacy partnership program.--The
term ``Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program'' means
the program established under section 3(a).
(7) Qualifying area.--The term ``qualifying area'' means--
(A) an urbanized area or urban cluster that has a
population of 25,000 or more in the most recent census;
(B) 2 or more adjacent urban clusters with a
combined population of 25,000 or more in the most
recent census; or
(C) an area administered by an Indian Tribe or an
Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian community
organization.
(8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
(9) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, and each territory of the
United States.
SEC. 3. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.
(a) Establishment of Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish an outdoor
recreation legacy partnership program under which the Secretary
may award grants to eligible entities for projects--
(A) to acquire land and water for parks and other
outdoor recreation purposes in qualifying areas; and
(B) to develop new or renovate existing outdoor
recreation facilities that provide outdoor recreation
opportunities to the public in qualifying areas.
(2) Priority.--In awarding grants to eligible entities
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to
projects that--
(A) create or significantly enhance access to park
and recreational opportunities in an urban neighborhood
or community;
(B) engage and empower underserved communities and
youth;
(C) provide employment or job training
opportunities for youth or underserved communities;
(D) establish or expand public-private
partnerships, with a focus on leveraging resources; and
(E) take advantage of coordination among various
levels of government.
(b) Matching Requirement.--
(1) In general.--As a condition of receiving a grant under
subsection (a), 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) 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
the eligible entity can meet the matching requirement;
and
(B) the probable benefit of the project outweighs
the public interest in the matching requirement.
(3) Administrative expenses.--Not more than 10 percent of
funds provided to an eligible entity under a grant awarded
under subsection (a) may be used for administrative expenses.
(c) Considerations.--In awarding grants to eligible entities under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall consider the extent to which a
project would--
(1) provide recreation opportunities in underserved
communities in which access to parks is not adequate to meet
local needs;
(2) provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and public
land volunteerism;
(3) support innovative or cost-effective ways to enhance
parks and other recreation--
(A) opportunities; or
(B) delivery of services;
(4) support park and recreation programming provided by
cities, including cooperative agreements with community-based
eligible nonprofit organizations;
(5) develop Native American event sites and cultural
gathering spaces; and
(6) provide benefits such as community resilience,
reduction of urban heat islands, enhanced water or air quality,
or habitat for fish or wildlife.
(d) Eligible Uses.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), a grant
recipient may use a grant awarded under subsection (a) for a
project described in paragraph (1) or (2) of that subsection.
(2) Limitations on use.--A grant recipient may not use
grant funds for--
(A) incidental costs related to land acquisition,
including appraisal and titling;
(B) operation and maintenance activities;
(C) facilities that support semiprofessional or
professional athletics;
(D) indoor facilities, such as recreation centers
or facilities that support primarily non-outdoor
purposes; or
(E) acquisition of land or interests in land that
restrict access to specific persons.
SEC. 4. REVIEW AND EVALUATION REQUIREMENTS.
In carrying out the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program,
the Secretary shall--
(1) conduct an initial screening and technical review of
applications received;
(2) evaluate and score all qualifying applications; and
(3) provide culturally and linguistically appropriate
information to eligible entities (including low-income
communities and eligible entities serving low-income
communities) on--
(A) the opportunity to apply for grants under this
Act;
(B) the application procedures by which eligible
entities may apply for grants under this Act; and
(C) eligible uses for grants under this Act.
SEC. 5. REPORTING.
(a) Annual Reports.--Not later than 30 days after the last day of
each report period, each State lead agency that receives a grant under
this Act 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.
(b) Final Reports.--Not later than 90 days after the earlier of the
date of expiration of a project period or the completion of a project,
each State lead agency that receives a grant under this Act shall
submit to the Secretary a final report containing such information as
the Secretary may require.
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