House Passes the Great American Outdoors Act ! President Lanterman Comments..

Washington (CNN)The House voted on Wednesday to approve a sweeping and historic conservation and public lands bill that President Donald Trump has pledged to sign into law.

NASORLO President, Linda Lanterman KS had this to say about this effort: “The passing of this landmark bill is a true testament to the power of grassroots efforts and local communities coming together to showcase the tremendous value of outdoor recreation,” Linda Lanterman, Kansas State Parks director and president of NASORLO said. “These funds will materialize campgrounds, ball fields, and playgrounds in both urban and rural communities, having a direct benefit on youth and families and state and local parks. I’m thrilled to finally see equitable funding for the spaces that continue to add so much to our quality of life. What a win.” 

The following is a summary from CNN..

The measure — the Great American Outdoors Act and will now go to the President’s desk for his signature. The legislation would fully and permanently fund a conservation program known as the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which was set up by Congress in the 1960s and has been chronically underfunded. The measure will require mandatory funding of the program at a level of $900 million annually. Funding for the program does not use taxpayer dollars. Instead it comes from revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments. The legislation would also dedicate funding for backlogged maintenance projects on federal lands run by the National Park Service, the Forest Service and other agencies.

Congressional approval of the legislation represents a rare moment of bipartisan unity on Capitol Hill and comes at a time of national crisis as the country grapples with the devastating toll of the coronavirus pandemic and gears up for contentious negotiations over further relief to address the economic and public health fallout from the spread of the disease.

Congressional Democrats, including Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, have fought for permanent reauthorization and full funding of the LWCF for years, making the passage of the bill a major victory for Democrats.
“The stars aligned correctly this time,” Grijalva said in an interview with CNN ahead of the vote on Wednesday. “This is a popular program, people want it, and I think regardless of party people are responding.”

“To have it on the brink of being approved is personally very satisfying and — worth the work,” he said.
Approval of the measure also represents a victory for two Republican senators who pushed for its passage in the upper chamber and are facing competitive reelection races this year: Cory Gardner of Colorado and Steve Daines of Montana.

Gardner and Daines worked together, including meeting with Trump directly to make their case and win his support for the bill. Gardner and Daines secured a commitment from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring it to a vote and from the President to sign it into law.
“I think it’s a response to a groundswell of public support that pushed it over the edge,” Grijalva said of the drive to enact the legislation.
“It got politicized, and now it’s seen as a political plus – if you don’t support the Land and Water Conservation Fund then there’s going to be a reaction on the part of the public,” he said.