Great American Outdoors Act

Great American Outdoors Act

Long title	An Act to amend title 54, United States Code, to establish, fund, and provide for the use of amounts in a National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to address the maintenance backlog of the National Park Service, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Forest Service, and the Bureau of Indian Education, and to provide permanent, dedicated funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and for other purposes.
Nicknames	Great American Outdoors Act
Legislative history
Introduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 1957 by John Lewis (D–GA) on March 28, 2019 Committee consideration by House Committee on Ways and Means; passed committee on April 9, 2019 House Financial Services Committee; committee discharged on April 9, 2019 Passed the House of Representatives on April 9, 2019 (voice vote) Passed the Senate on June 17, 2020 (73–25) Signed into law by President Donald Trump on August 4, 2020

The Great American Outdoors Act (H.R.1957) is a bill passed by the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Donald Trump on 4th August 2020. It has two major components: fully and permanently funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and providing $9.5 billion in funding to address a maintenance backlog at American national parks. The Associated Press wrote that it would be "the most significant conservation legislation enacted in nearly half a century."

Legislative history

The Great American Outdoors Act was introduced in the House of Representatives by John Lewis (D-GA) on March 28, 2019. After inserting amendments, Senator Cory Gardner (R–CO) reintroduced the bill on March 9, 2020, during the 116th United States Congress. On June 9, it passed a procedural vote 80–17 and moved to full consideration before the Senate. The bill passed the Senate on June 17 by a vote of 73–25. On July 22, the bill was passed by the House on a bipartisan vote of 310–107.