[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H8139-H8140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1645
EVERY KID OUTDOORS ACT
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3186) to establish an Every Kid Outdoors program, and for
other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3186
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 ``Every Kid Outdoors Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Federal land and waters.--The term ``Federal land and
waters'' means any Federal land or body of water under the
jurisdiction of any of the Secretaries to which the public
has access.
(2) Program.--The term ``program'' means the Every Kid
Outdoors program established under section 3(a).
(3) Secretaries.--The term ``Secretaries'' means--
(A) the Secretary of the Interior, acting through--
(i) the Director of the National Park Service;
(ii) the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service;
(iii) the Director of the Bureau of Land Management; and
(iv) the Commissioner of Reclamation;
(B) the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief
of the Forest Service;
(C) the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration; and
(D) the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of
Engineers of the Corps of Engineers.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the
Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of
the United States, and any other territory or possession of
the United States.
(5) Student or students.--The term ``student'' or
``students'' means any fourth grader or home-schooled learner
10 years of age residing in the United States, including any
territory or possession of the United States.
SEC. 3. EVERY KID OUTDOORS PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretaries shall jointly establish
a program, to be known as the ``Every Kid Outdoors program'',
to provide free access to Federal land and waters for
students and accompanying individuals in accordance with this
section.
(b) Annual Passes.--
(1) In general.--At the request of a student, the
Secretaries shall issue a pass to the student, which allows
access to Federal lands and waters for which access is
subject to an entrance, standard amenity, or day use fee,
free of charge for the student and--
(A) in the case of a per-vehicle fee area--
(i) any passengers accompanying the student in a private,
noncommercial vehicle; or
(ii) not more than 3 adults accompanying the student on
bicycles; or
(B) in the case of a per-person fee area, not more than 3
adults accompanying the student.
(2) Term.--A pass described in paragraph (1) shall be
effective during the period beginning on September 1 and
ending on August 31 of the following year.
(3) Presence of a student in grade four required.--A pass
described in paragraph (1) shall be effective only if the
student to which the pass was issued is present at the point
of entry to the applicable Federal land or water.
(c) Other Activities.--In carrying out the program, the
Secretaries--
(1) may collaborate with State Park systems that opt to
implement a complementary Every Kid Outdoors State park pass;
(2) may coordinate with the Secretary of Education to
implement the program;
(3) shall maintain a publicly available website with
information about the program;
(4) may provide visitor services for the program; and
(5) may support approved partners of the Federal land and
waters by providing the partners with opportunities to
participate in the program.
(d) Reports.--The Secretary of the Interior, in
coordination with each Secretary, shall prepare a
comprehensive report to Congress each year describing--
(1) the implementation of the program;
(2) the number and geographical distribution of students
who participated in the program; and
(3) the number of passes described in subsection (b)(1)
that were distributed.
(e) Sunset.--The authorities provided in this Act,
including the reporting requirement, shall expire on the date
that is seven years after the date of enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Montana (Mr. Gianforte) and the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms.
Tsongas) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Montana.
General Leave
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Montana?
There was no objection.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
The Every Kid in a Park program launched in 2015 as part of the
National Park Service's centennial anniversary to encourage the next
generation of park visitors. The program offers fourth graders and
their families free entrance to our national parks. To date, Every Kid
in a Park has enabled more than 350,000 fourth graders to use our
national parks and public lands as outdoor classrooms. I have
personally seen the positive impacts visiting national parks, historic
sites, and recreation areas can have on young people in my home State
of Montana.
Special places like Glacier National Park, Little Bighorn Battlefield
National Monument, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, and the
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument will be more accessible
to fourth graders from all over the country with the passage of this
bill.
H.R. 3186 codifies this program by directing seven agencies to
jointly establish the Every Kid Outdoors program to provide any fourth
grader in the U.S. with a pass to gain free access to Federal lands and
waters. This includes the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of
Reclamation, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this measure, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, DC, June 14, 2018.
Hon. Rob Bishop,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Bishop: Thank you for the opportunity to
review the relevant provisions of the text of H.R. 3186, the
Every Kid Outdoors Act, which was favorably reported out of
your Committee on May 16, 2018. As you are aware, the bill
was primarily referred to the Committee on Natural Resources,
while the Agriculture Committee received an additional
referral.
I recognize and appreciate your desire to bring this
legislation before the House in an expeditious manner.
Accordingly, I agree to discharge H.R. 3186 from further
consideration by the Committee on Agriculture. I do so with
the understanding that by discharging the bill, the Committee
on Agriculture does not waive any future jurisdictional claim
on this or similar matters. Further, the Committee on
Agriculture reserves the right to seek the appointment of
conferees, if it should become necessary.
I ask that you insert a copy of our exchange of letters
into the Congressional Record during consideration of this
measure on the House floor.
Thank you for your courtesy in this matter and I look
forward to continued cooperation between our respective
committees.
Sincerely,
K. Michael Conaway,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC, August 1, 2018.
Hon. K. Michael Conaway,
Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: On May 16, 2018, the Committee on
Natural Resources ordered favorably reported H.R. 3186, the
Every Kid Outdoors Act. This bill was additionally referred
to the Committee on Agriculture.
I thank you for allowing the Committee on Agriculture to be
discharged from further consideration of the bill so that it
may be scheduled by the Majority Leader. This discharge in no
way affects your jurisdiction
[[Page H8140]]
over the subject matter of the bill, and it will not serve as
precedent for future referrals. In addition, should a
conference on the bill be necessary, I would support your
request to have the Committee on Agriculture represented on
the conference committee. Finally, I would be pleased to
include this letter and your response in the bill report and
in the Congressional Record.
Thank you for your response and cooperation. I look forward
to further opportunities to work with you this Congress.
Sincerely,
Rob Bishop,
Chairman,
Committee on Natural Resources.
____
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of
Representatives,
Washington, DC, July 19, 2018.
Hon. Rob Bishop,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Bishop: I write concerning H.R. 3186, the
Every Kid Outdoors Act. This legislation includes matters
that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure.
In order to expedite Floor consideration of H.R. 3186, the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will forgo
action on this bill. However, this is conditional on our
mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill
does not prejudice the Committee with respect to the
appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional
claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or
similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X
jurisdiction. I appreciate you working with us on the base
text of the bill and request you urge the Speaker to name
members of the Committee to any conference committee named to
consider such provisions.
Please place a copy of this letter and your response
acknowledging our jurisdictional interest in the
Congressional Record during House Floor consideration of the
bill. I look forward to working with the Committee on Natural
Resources as the bill moves through the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Bill Shuster,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC, August 1, 2018.
Hon. Bill Shuster,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Washington, DC,
Dear Mr. Chairman: On May 16, 2018, the Committee on
Natural Resources ordered favorably reported H.R. 3186, the
Every Kid Outdoors Act. This bill was additionally referred
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
I thank you for allowing the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure to be discharged from further
consideration of the bill so that it may be scheduled by the
Majority Leader. This discharge in no way affects your
jurisdiction over the subject matter of the bill, and it will
not serve as precedent for future referrals. In addition,
should a conference on the bill be necessary, I would support
your request to have the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure represented on the conference committee.
Finally, I would be pleased to include this letter and your
response in the bill report and in the Congressional Record.
Thank you for your response and cooperation. I look forward
to further opportunities to work with you this Congress.
Sincerely,
Rob Bishop,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources.
Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3186, the
Every Kid Outdoors Act, which I was proud to introduce with my
colleague Representative Tipton, and Representatives Stefanik and
DeGette.
The idea that there should be national public lands that belong to
and are managed on behalf of the American people is a value that dates
back to the founding of our country and is embedded in our
Constitution. Our Nation's public lands protect, celebrate, and give
access to the many places that have shaped and defined who we are as
Americans.
Places like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Ellis Island, and, in my
own district, Minute Man National Historical Park, which commemorates
the shot heard 'round the world, and Lowell National Historical Park,
the first urban national park of its kind, which commemorates and
protects the role that the city played in spawning our country's
industrial revolution.
H.R. 3186 provides America's fourth graders and their families free
entrance to all of our treasured national parks, historic sites,
wildlife refuges, and other federally managed lands and waters, more
than 2,000 sites in all. This will encourage a new and more diverse
generation to learn about our country's national and historic treasures
and fall in love with our public lands and great outdoors.
As documented by the Congressional Budget Office, the legislation
codifies an existing program and will, therefore, result in no
additional cost to the Federal Government.
In addition to providing free entrance to our public lands, the Every
Kid Outdoors Act will also strengthen partnerships between our Federal
land management agencies, schools, nonprofits, and private-sector
businesses to support outdoor education programming and recreation
opportunities for our country's young people.
I have seen the value of these partnerships firsthand and the impact
they can have on our young people. In 2015, I had the opportunity, at
Minute Man National Historical Park, to present fourth grade students
from one of the larger cities in my district with their very own park
pass. I will never forget their excitement at this opportunity. For
many of them, it was the first time they had ever visited a national
park, but I am confident it won't be their last.
I thank Mr. Tipton for his work with me on this bipartisan
legislation and Chairman Bishop for his support in committee and
bringing it to the floor. The Every Kid Outdoors Act will encourage a
new and more diverse generation to learn about our country's natural
and historic treasures and fall in love with our public lands and great
outdoors.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Montana (Mr. Gianforte) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3186, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________