[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.

                          ____________________