[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 9, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H2146-H2147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                       OUTDOOR LEGACY PARTNERSHIP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Barragan) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, today Congress will consider the EXPLORE 
Act. It is a bipartisan bill that will improve outdoor access and 
recreation opportunities for Americans.
  This legislation includes my bill, the Outdoors for All Act, which 
updates the Outdoor Legacy Partnership program and codifies it into 
law.
  I am proud to lead this bipartisan bill with my House colleague, 
Representative   Michael Turner. With Outdoors for All, we protect the 
urban park funding in the Outdoor Legacy Partnership program. We 
modernize the program to include Tribes, smaller cities, and to fully 
account for the benefit parks provide.
  Access to urban parks and the outdoors is a bipartisan issue because 
every community wants parks for its residents. Urban parks are good for 
our economy, our environment, and our physical and mental health.
  However, not every community has access to parks, especially low-
income communities and communities of color. This is a challenge in my 
district in Los Angeles, where far too many kids cannot walk to a park.
  Now, this disparity is personal. When I was a kid, I grew up in the 
Harbor Gateway. I had to take a bus to go to baseball practice because 
there was not a field I could walk to.
  My district also includes the L.A. Harbor community of Wilmington, 
which has the highest concentration of refineries throughout 
California. Close to 20 percent of the total land area in Wilmington is 
occupied by refineries. For context, that is 3\1/2\ times more than is 
available for parks and outdoor space.
  With passage of the Outdoors for All Act, we can fund new trails, 
parks, green spaces, and playgrounds to bring

[[Page H2147]]

nature's benefits directly to our communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the coalition of environmental groups, outdoor 
recreation advocates, businesses, and local governments that have 
worked day in and day out to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I also thank Natural Resources Chairman Westerman and my 
friend, Ranking Member Raul Grijalva, who have worked together on 
today's bipartisan outdoor recreation package.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the EXPLORE Act 
and to work with the Senate to get a strong outdoor recreation bill 
passed this Congress.

                          ____________________