I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8288 
To correct shortfalls in the Great American Outdoors Act by providing fair-
ness and parity to Eastern States, strengthening commitments to urban 
recreation, establishing logic in funding priorities, and ensuring appro-
priate consequences for shifts in funding sources, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 
Mr. BISHOP of Utah introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To correct shortfalls in the Great American Outdoors Act 
by providing fairness and parity to Eastern States, 
strengthening commitments to urban recreation, estab-
lishing logic in funding priorities, and ensuring appro-
priate consequences for shifts in funding sources, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving the Not- 
So-Great American Outdoors Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ENSURING FAIRNESS AND PARITY FOR EASTERN 
STATES. 
Section 200306(a) of title 54, United States Code, 
is amended by adding the at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) Except for amounts specifically authorized 
by an Act of Congress, not less than 50 percent of 
the land acreage or interests in land acreage ac-
quired pursuant to this section shall be east of the 
100th meridian.’’. 
SEC. 
3. 
STRENGTHENING 
COMMITMENTS 
TO 
URBAN 
RECREATION. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(i) a State; 
(ii) a political subdivision of a State, 
including— 
(I) a city; and 
(II) a county; 
(iii) a special purpose district, includ-
ing park districts; and 
(iv) an Indian Tribe. 
(B) POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS AND INDIAN 
TRIBES.—A political subdivision of a State or 
an Indian Tribe shall be considered an eligible 
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entity only if the political subdivision or Indian 
Tribe represents or otherwise serves a quali-
fying urban area. 
(2) OUTDOOR RECREATION LEGACY PARTNER-
SHIP GRANT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Outdoor Recre-
ation Legacy Partnership Grant Program’’ means 
the program established under subsection (b). 
(3) QUALIFYING
URBAN
AREA.—The term 
‘‘qualifying urban area’’ means an area identified by 
the Census Bureau as an ‘‘urban area’’ in the most 
recent census. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 
an outdoor recreation legacy partnership grant program 
under which the Secretary may award grants to eligible 
entities for projects— 
(1) to acquire land and water for parks and 
other outdoor recreation purposes; 
(2) to develop new or renovate existing outdoor 
recreation facilities; and 
(3) to develop projects that provide opportuni-
ties for outdoor education and public lands vol-
unteerism. 
(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of receiving a 
grant under subsection (b), an eligible entity shall 
provide matching funds in the form of cash or an in- 
kind contribution in an amount equal to not less 
than 100 percent of the amounts made available 
under the grant. 
(2) SOURCES.—The matching amounts referred 
to in paragraph (1) may include amounts made 
available from State, local, nongovernmental, or pri-
vate sources. 
(3) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive all or 
part of the matching requirement under paragraph 
(1) if the Secretary determines that— 
(A) no reasonable means are available 
through which an applicant can meet the 
matching requirement; and 
(B) the probable benefit of such project 
outweighs the public interest in such matching 
requirement. 
(d) ELIGIBLE USES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant recipient may use a 
grant awarded under this section— 
(A) to acquire land or water that provides 
outdoor recreation opportunities to the public; 
and 
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(B) to develop or renovate outdoor rec-
reational facilities that provide outdoor recre-
ation opportunities to the public, with priority 
given to projects that— 
(i) create or significantly enhance ac-
cess to park and recreational opportunities 
in an urban or suburban area that lacks 
access to such activities; 
(ii) engage and empower underserved 
communities and youth; 
(iii) provide opportunities for youth 
employment or job training; 
(iv) establish or expand public-private 
partnerships, with a focus on leveraging re-
sources; and 
(v) take advantage of coordination 
among various levels of government. 
(2) LIMITATIONS ON USE.—A grant recipient 
may not use grant funds for— 
(A) grant administration costs; 
(B) incidental costs related to land acquisi-
tion, including appraisal and titling; 
(C) operation and maintenance activities; 
(D) facilities that support semiprofessional 
or professional athletics; 
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(E) indoor facilities such as recreation cen-
ters or facilities that support primarily non-out-
door purposes; or 
(F) acquisition of land or interests in land 
that restrict access to specific persons. 
(e) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—In 
carrying out the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership 
Grant Program, the Secretary shall— 
(1) conduct an initial screening and technical 
review of applications received; and 
(2) evaluate and score all qualifying applica-
tions. 
(f) REPORTING.—Each grant recipient that receives 
a grant under this section shall annually submit to the 
Secretary performance and financial reports that— 
(1) summarize project activities conducted dur-
ing the report period; and 
(2) provide the status of the project, including 
of description of how the project has improved ac-
cess to parkland, open space, or recreational facili-
ties from the community perspective. 
(g) FUNDING.—Section 200306(a) of title 54, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(7) Five percent of the amounts shall be allo-
cated to provide grants under the Outdoor Recre-
ation Legacy Partnership Grant Program estab-
lished under section 3 of the Improving the Not-So- 
Great American Outdoors Act.’’. 
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHING LOGIC IN FUNDING PRIORITIES. 
Section 200402(b) of title 54, United States Code, 
is amended by— 
(1) redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph 
(4); and 
(2) adding the following after paragraph (2)— 
‘‘(3) INSUFFICIENT FUNDS.—In any of fiscal 
years 2021 through 2025 in which the total amount 
deposited into the Fund is less than $1,900,000,000, 
sufficient funds (if available) under section 200306 
5 of title 54, United States Code, shall also be avail-
able for the uses of the Fund in accordance with this 
chapter in such amounts as are necessary to ensure 
that a total of $1,900,000,000 is available for those 
uses for that fiscal year. If sufficient funds are not 
available under section 200306 of title 54, United 
States Code, to ensure the $1,900,000,000 total, 
then the maximum amount allocated to that section 
shall be made available for the uses of the Fund.’’. 
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SEC. 5. TRANSPARENCY IN PROJECT FUNDING ALLOCA-
TION. 
Section 200303(c)(2)(B) of title 54, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘only in accordance with 
the detailed submission to Congress under paragraph (1)’’ 
after ‘‘allocated by the President’’ both places it appears. 
SEC. 6. APPROPRIATE CONSEQUENCES REGARDING FUND-
ING SOURCES. 
In the first fiscal year in which receipts under section 
200302(c)(2) of title 54, United States Code, are unavail-
able for deposit in the Land and Water Conservation 
Fund established under that section, the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund shall be repealed, any existing unobli-
gated balances shall revert to the general Treasury, and 
any future revenues and collections that would have been 
deposited in that Fund shall instead be deposited in the 
general Treasury. 
SEC. 7. ENSURING AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR MAINTE-
NANCE BACKLOG. 
Section 200302(c) of title 54, United States Code, 
is amended by striking ‘‘not less than’’. 
SEC. 8. CONFORMING AMENDMENT. 
Section 200306(a)(2)(B) of title 54, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(iii) LIMITATION.—Except for areas 
specifically authorized by Act of Congress, 
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not more than 15 percent of the acreage 
added to the National Forest System pur-
suant to this section shall be west of the 
100th meridian.’’. 
Æ 
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