Bi-partisan legislation has been introduced in both the House and the Senate that would make recreation on public lands a higher priority for the federal government. S. 1967, introduced in the Senate by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and H.R. 3458, introduced in the House by Reps. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) would do the following:
Simplifies procedures for the issuance of recreational permits by setting time limits for the processing of such permits; reduces fees; mandates online purchases; and provides for the issuance of a single joint permit for multijurisdictional trips
Directs federal land agencies to make recreation a priority when making land and water management decisions
Encourages the use of volunteers in trail maintenance including the creation of uniform interagency trail maintenance standards for trails the cross agency jurisdictional boundaries
Seeks to enhance coordination between federal and state recreation agencies and allows for the purchase of a state(s) and federal recreation pass with one transaction
This legislation is widely supported by a diverse group of recreation organizations, motorized and non-motorized, including ARRA. Despite this strong support, it’s critical that we secure more co-sponsors for the legislation in both the House and Senate. Will you do your part by writing to your Representative and your Senators requesting their co-sponsorship of these respective bills?
The ARRA Action Center makes it easy for you to reach out to Congress. Take a few minutes now and send an important message to your elected representatives on Capitol Hill.
