The House of Representatives passed the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act on Tuesday afternoon by voice vote. The bipartisan support included supporting speeches from Republicans and Democrats, each side remarking how nice it was to agree on legislation.
The bill moves to the Senate, where a companion bill has been introduced in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The Senate bill is titled the America’s Outdoor Recreation Act (AORA).
House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman led the Republican side on the House floor supporting the EXPLORE Act.
“Access to America’s beautiful public lands and waters is part of what makes our country the greatest nation on earth,” Westerman said. “As an avid outdoorsman, I am proud to champion the EXPLORE Act and see it pass out of the House today. This seminal piece of legislation will modernize visitor experiences, increase accessibility for veterans and service members, create new opportunities and trails for climbers and bikers, and support small businesses and gateway communities that depend on access to our public lands.”
New Mexico Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez led the floor speeches for the Democratic side.
“Thanks to the leadership of Chair Westerman and Ranking Member (Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz.), the amended bill before us today adds some meaningful and impactful provisions to the Senate version of this bill. There is more work to be done, and we look forward to working with our Senate colleagues as they process the new pieces added by the house. There are very good pieces added by the House which we want the Senate to adopt.”
RVIA President and CEO Craig Kirby said the association would like to thank Westerman and Grijalva for their leadership in the legislation.
He said, “This first-of-its-kind comprehensive outdoor recreation package will make sustainable improvements to our nation’s campgrounds and greatly improve the experiences of current and future RVers.”
More than 100 outdoor organizations support the EXPLORE Act. The legislation will:
- Improve access to public lands and waters for outdoor recreation
- Modernize technology to improve visitor experiences, like increasing broadband connectivity and creating digital recreation passes
- Streamline the permitting process and reduce fees for small businesses that depend on public land access
- Protect rock climbing in iconic places and create new long-distance bike trails
- Restore campgrounds and modernize infrastructure
- Support gateway communities by addressing housing shortages and outdated infrastructure
- Improve accessibility for military service members, veterans, individuals with disabilities and kids
Before the final vote, the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable issued a letter to House members urging their support.
“On behalf of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Association (ORR), the over 30 national outdoor recreation trade associations, and all who benefit from time outside, we appreciate your strong support for the recreation economy and stand with you in urging the passage of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act.” the letter stated.
Grijalva, who was not present for the vote, said he was heartened by the bill’s provisions to promote accessibility, increase veterans’ job opportunities and close a nature gap in underserved urban communities.
“It is critical that we build on this progress,” he said, “to support place-based conservation and restoration and further invest in land management agencies so we can sustainably manage our public lands for future generations.”
