Great American Outdoors Act

Bill: 116-hr-7092
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Cunningham, Joe [D-SC-1]
Introduced: 2020-06-04
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources

Appropriations

Coal

Congressional oversight

Department of Agriculture

Department of the Interior

Disability and paralysis

Education programs funding

Energy revenues and royalties

Executive agency funding and structure

Forests, forestry, trees

Government studies and investigations

Government trust funds

Hunting and fishing

Indian social and development programs

Interest, dividends, interest rates

Land transfers

Land use and conservation

Minority education

Oil and gas

Outdoor recreation

Parks, recreation areas, trails

Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents

Public-private cooperation

Securities

Transportation programs funding

Wildlife conservation and habitat protection
Latest action: action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 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.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-06-04
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Great American Outdoors Act</b></p> <p>This bill establishes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to support deferred maintenance projects on federal lands. </p> <p>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. </p> <p>The fund must be used for priority deferred maintenance projects in specified systems that are administered by</p> <ul> <li>the National Park Service, </li> <li>the Forest Service, </li> <li>the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, </li> <li>the Bureau of Land Management, and </li> <li>the Bureau of Indian Education. </li></ul> <p>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. </p> <p>Additionally, the bill makes funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) permanent. The President shall annually&nbsp;report to Congress specified details regarding the allocation of funds to the LWCF. Congress may provide for alternate allocations using specified procedures. </p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7092 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Great American Outdoors Act . 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: 2004 National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund Sec. 200401. Definitions. 200402. National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund. 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. 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 Fund 200401 . (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). 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: 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. .