Great American Outdoors Act
This bill establishes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to support deferred maintenance projects on federal lands.
For FY2021-FY2025, there shall be deposited into the fund an amount equal to 50% of all federal revenues from the development of oil, gas, coal, or alternative or renewable energy on federal lands and waters. Deposited amounts must not exceed $1.9 billion for any fiscal year.
The fund must be used for priority deferred maintenance projects in specified systems that are administered by
The Government Accountability Office must report on the effect of the fund in reducing the backlog of priority deferred maintenance projects for the specified agencies.
Additionally, the bill makes funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) permanent. The President shall annually report to Congress specified details regarding the allocation of funds to the LWCF. Congress may provide for alternate allocations using specified procedures.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7092 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7092
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 4, 2020
Mr. Cunningham (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Sherrill, Mr.
Simpson, Mr. Cox of California, Mr. Katko, Ms. Torres Small of New
Mexico, Mr. Zeldin, Ms. Kendra S. Horn of Oklahoma, Mr. Stivers, Mr.
Golden, and Mr. Fortenberry) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the
Committees on Agriculture, and the Budget, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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.
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 ``Great American Outdoors Act''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARKS AND PUBLIC LAND LEGACY RESTORATION FUND.
(a) In General.--Subtitle II of title 54, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after chapter 2003 the following:
``CHAPTER 2004--NATIONAL PARKS AND PUBLIC LAND LEGACY RESTORATION FUND
``Sec.
``200401. Definitions.
``200402. National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.
``Sec. 200401. Definitions
``In this chapter:
``(1) Asset.--The term `asset' means any real property,
including any physical structure or grouping of structures,
landscape, trail, or other tangible property, that--
``(A) has a specific service or function; and
``(B) is tracked and managed as a distinct,
identifiable entity by the applicable covered agency.
``(2) Covered agency.--The term `covered agency' means--
``(A) the Service;
``(B) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service;
``(C) the Forest Service;
``(D) the Bureau of Land Management; and
``(E) the Bureau of Indian Education.
``(3) Fund.--The term `Fund' means the National Parks and
Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund established by section
200402(a).
``(4) Project.--The term `project' means any activity to
reduce or eliminate deferred maintenance of an asset, which may
include resolving directly related infrastructure deficiencies
of the asset that would not by itself be classified as deferred
maintenance.
``Sec. 200402. National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund
``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury of the
United States a fund to be known as the `National Parks and Public Land
Legacy Restoration Fund'.
``(b) Deposits.--
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), for
each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025, there shall be
deposited in the Fund an amount equal to 50 percent of all
energy development revenues due and payable to the United
States from oil, gas, coal, or alternative or renewable energy
development on Federal land and water credited, covered, or
deposited as miscellaneous receipts under Federal law in the
preceding fiscal year.
``(2) Maximum amount.--The amount deposited in the Fund
under paragraph (1) shall not exceed $1,900,000,000 for any
fiscal year.
``(3) Effect on other revenues.--Nothing in this section
affects the disposition of revenues that--
``(A) are due to the United States, special funds,
trust funds, or States from mineral and energy
development on Federal land and water; or
``(B) have been otherwise appropriated--
``(i) under Federal law, including--
``(I) the Gulf of Mexico Energy
Security Act of 2006 (43 U.S.C. 1331
note; Public Law 109-432); and
``(II) the Mineral Leasing Act (30
U.S.C. 181 et seq.); or
``(ii) from--
``(I) the Land and Water
Conservation Fund established under
chapter 2003; or
``(II) the Historic Preservation
Fund established under chapter 3031.
``(c) Availability of Funds.--Amounts deposited in the Fund shall
be available to the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture, as
provided in subsection (e), without further appropriation or fiscal
year limitation.
``(d) Investment of Amounts.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may request the Secretary
of the Treasury to invest any portion of the Fund that is not,
as determined by the Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Agriculture, required to meet the current needs of
the Fund.
``(2) Requirement.--An investment requested under paragraph
(1) shall be made by the Secretary of the Treasury in a public
debt security--
``(A) with a maturity suitable to the needs of the
Fund, as determined by the Secretary; and
``(B) bearing interest at a rate determined by the
Secretary of the Treasury, taking into consideration
current market yields on outstanding marketable
obligations of the United States of comparable
maturity.
``(3) Credits to fund.--The income on investments of the
Fund under this subsection shall be credited to, and form a
part of, the Fund.
``(e) Use of Funds.--
``(1) In general.--Amounts deposited in the Fund for each
fiscal year shall be used for priority deferred maintenance
projects in the System, in the National Wildlife Refuge System,
on public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management,
for the Bureau of Indian Education schools, and in the National
Forest System, as follows:
``(A) Seventy percent of the amounts deposited in
the Fund for each fiscal year shall be allocated to the
Service.
``(B) Fifteen percent of the amounts deposited in
the Fund for each fiscal year shall be allocated to the
Forest Service.
``(C) Five percent of the amounts deposited in the
Fund for each fiscal year shall be allocated to the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
``(D) Five percent of the amounts deposited in the
Fund for each fiscal year shall be allocated to the
Bureau of Land Management.
``(E) Five percent of the amounts deposited in the
Fund for each fiscal year shall be allocated to the
Bureau of Indian Education.
``(2) Limitations.--
``(A) Non-transportation projects.--Over the term
of the Fund, within each covered agency, not less than
65 percent of amounts from the Fund shall be allocated
for non-transportation projects.
``(B) Transportation projects.--The amounts
remaining in the Fund after the allocations required
under subparagraph (A) may be allocated for
transportation projects of the covered agencies,
including paved and unpaved roads, bridges, tunnels,
and paved parking areas.
``(C) Plan.--Any priority deferred maintenance
project funded under this section shall be consistent
with an applicable transportation, deferred
maintenance, or capital improvement plan developed by
the applicable covered agency.
``(f) Prohibited Use of Funds.--No amounts in the Fund shall be
used--
``(1) for land acquisition;
``(2) to supplant discretionary funding made available for
annually recurring facility operations, maintenance, and
construction needs; or
``(3) for bonuses for employees of the Federal Government
that are carrying out this section.
``(g) Submission of Priority List of Projects to Congress.--Not
later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this section, the
Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to the
Committees on Energy and Natural Resources and Appropriations of the
Senate and the Committees on Natural Resources and Appropriations of
the House of Representatives a list of projects to be funded for fiscal
year 2021 that--
``(1) are identified by the Secretary and the Secretary of
Agriculture as priority deferred maintenance projects; and
``(2) as of the date of the submission of the list, are
ready to be implemented.
``(h) Submission of Annual List of Projects to Congress.--Until the
date on which all of the amounts in the Fund are expended, the
President shall annually submit to Congress, together with the annual
budget of the United States, a list of projects to be funded from the
Fund that includes a detailed description of each project, including
the estimated expenditures from the Fund for the project for the
applicable fiscal year.
``(i) Alternate Allocation.--
``(1) In general.--Appropriations Acts may provide for
alternate allocation of amounts made available under this
section, consistent with the allocations to covered agencies
under subsection (e)(1).
``(2) Allocation by president.--
``(A) No alternate allocations.--If Congress has
not enacted legislation establishing alternate
allocations by the date on which the Act making full-
year appropriations for the Department of the Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies for the applicable
fiscal year is enacted into law, amounts made available
under subsection (c) shall be allocated by the
President.
``(B) Insufficient alternate allocation.--If
Congress enacts legislation establishing alternate
allocations for amounts made available under subsection
(c) that are less than the full amount appropriated
under that subsection, the difference between the
amount appropriated and the alternate allocation shall
be allocated by the President.
``(j) Public Donations.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary and the Secretary of
Agriculture may accept public cash or in-kind donations that
advance efforts--
``(A) to reduce the deferred maintenance backlog;
and
``(B) to encourage relevant public-private
partnerships.
``(2) Credits to fund.--Any cash donations accepted under
paragraph (1) shall be--
``(A) credited to, and form a part of, the Fund;
and
``(B) allocated to the covered agency for which the
donation was made.
``(3) Other allocations.--Any donations allocated to a
covered agency under paragraph (2)(B) shall be allocated to the
applicable covered agency independently of the allocations
under subsection (e)(1).
``(k) Required Consideration for Accessibility.--In expending
amounts from the Fund, the Secretary and the Secretary of Agriculture
shall incorporate measures to improve the accessibility of assets and
accommodate visitors and employees with disabilities in accordance with
applicable law.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of chapters for subtitle II of
title 54, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item
relating to chapter 2003 the following:
``2004. National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration 200401''.
Fund.
(c) GAO Study.--Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall--
(1) conduct a study on the implementation of this section
and the amendments made by this section, including whether this
section and the amendments made by this section have
effectively reduced the priority deferred maintenance backlog
of the covered agencies (as that term is defined in section
200401 of title 54, United States Code); and
(2) submit to Congress a report that describes the results
of the study under paragraph (1).
SEC. 3. PERMANENT FULL FUNDING OF THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND.
(a) In General.--Section 200303 of title 54, United States Code, is
amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 200303. Availability of funds
``(a) In General.--Any amounts deposited in the Fund under section
200302 for fiscal year 2020 and each fiscal year thereafter shall be
made available for expenditure for fiscal year 2021 and each fiscal
year thereafter, without further appropriation or fiscal year
limitation, to carry out the purposes of the Fund (including accounts
and programs made available from the Fund pursuant to the Further
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-94; 133 Stat.
2534)).
``(b) Additional Amounts.--Amounts made available under subsection
(a) shall be in addition to amounts made available to the Fund under
section 105 of the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (43
U.S.C. 1331 note; Public Law 109-432) or otherwise appropriated from
the Fund.
``(c) Allocation Authority.--
``(1) Submission of cost estimates.--The President shall
submit to Congress detailed account, program, and project
allocations of the full amount made available under subsection
(a)--
``(A) for fiscal year 2021, not later than 90 days
after the date of enactment of the Great American
Outdoors Act; and
``(B) for each fiscal year thereafter, as part of
the annual budget submission of the President.
``(2) Alternate allocation.--
``(A) In general.--Appropriations Acts may provide
for alternate allocation of amounts made available
under subsection (a), including allocations by account,
program, and project.
``(B) Allocation by president.--
``(i) No alternate allocations.--If
Congress has not enacted legislation
establishing alternate allocations by the date
on which the Act making full-year
appropriations for the Department of the
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies for
the applicable fiscal year is enacted into law,
amounts made available under subsection (a)
shall be allocated by the President.
``(ii) Insufficient alternate allocation.--
If Congress enacts legislation establishing
alternate allocations for amounts made
available under subsection (a) that are less
than the full amount appropriated under that
subsection, the difference between the amount
appropriated and the alternate allocation shall
be allocated by the President.
``(3) Recreational public access.--Amounts expended from
the Fund under this section shall be consistent with the
requirements for recreational public access for hunting,
fishing, recreational shooting, or other outdoor recreational
purposes under section 200306(c).
``(4) Annual report.--The President shall submit to
Congress an annual report that describes the final allocation
by account, program, and project of amounts made available
under subsection (a), including a description of the status of
obligations and expenditures.''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Section 200302(c) of title 54, United States Code, is
amended by striking paragraph (3).
(2) Section 200306(a)(2)(B) of title 54, United States
Code, is amended by striking clause (iii).
(c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 2003 of
title 54, United States Code, is amended by striking the item relating
to section 200303 and inserting the following:
``200303. Availability of funds.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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