Title: Improving the Not-So-Great American Outdoors Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Improving the Not-So-Great American Outdoors Act
This bill modifies several provisions pertaining to the Great American Outdoors Act, including those relating to funding priorities and grant matching requirements. It also requires the Department of the Interior to establish an outdoor recreation legacy partnership grant program to acquire land and water for parks and other outdoor recreation purposes, develop new or renovate existing outdoor recreation facilities, and develop projects that provide opportunities for outdoor education and public lands volunteerism.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8288 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8288

 To correct shortfalls in the Great American Outdoors Act by providing 
  fairness and parity to Eastern States, strengthening commitments to 
    urban recreation, establishing logic in funding priorities, and 
 ensuring appropriate 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, establishing logic in funding priorities, and 
 ensuring appropriate consequences for shifts in funding sources, 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 ``Improving the Not-So-Great American 
Outdoors Act''.

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 acquired 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 entity'' 
                means--
                            (i) a State;
                            (ii) a political subdivision of a State, 
                        including--
                                    (I) a city; and
                                    (II) a county;
                            (iii) a special purpose district, including 
                        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 entity only if the 
                political subdivision or Indian Tribe represents or 
                otherwise serves a qualifying urban area.
            (2) Outdoor recreation legacy partnership grant program.--
        The term ``Outdoor Recreation 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 opportunities for 
        outdoor education and public lands volunteerism.
    (c) Matching Requirement.--
            (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 private 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
                    (B) to develop or renovate outdoor recreational 
                facilities that provide outdoor recreation 
                opportunities to the public, with priority given to 
                projects that--
                            (i) create or significantly enhance access 
                        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 
                        resources; 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 acquisition, 
                including appraisal and titling;
                    (C) operation and maintenance activities;
                    (D) facilities that support semiprofessional or 
                professional athletics;
                    (E) indoor facilities such as recreation centers or 
                facilities that support primarily non-outdoor 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 applications.
    (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 during the 
        report period; and
            (2) provide the status of the project, including of 
        description of how the project has improved access to parkland, 
        open space, or recreational facilities from the community 
        perspective.
    (g) Funding.--Section 200306(a) of title 54, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(7) Five percent of the amounts shall be allocated to 
        provide grants under the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership 
        Grant Program established 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 available 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.''.

SEC. 5. TRANSPARENCY IN PROJECT FUNDING ALLOCATION.

    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 FUNDING SOURCES.

    In the first fiscal year in which receipts under section 
200302(c)(2) of title 54, United States Code, are unavailable for 
deposit in the Land and Water Conservation Fund established under that 
section, the Land and Water Conservation Fund shall be repealed, any 
existing unobligated 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 MAINTENANCE 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, not 
                        more than 15 percent of the acreage added to 
                        the National Forest System pursuant to this 
                        section shall be west of the 100th meridian.''.
                                 <all>