Congress is coming together to enhance access, improve visitor experiences and create new outdoor recreation opportunities at ‘America’s Best Idea’ – our national parks and public lands – and invest in Bureau of Indian Education facilities. This legislation conserves these uniquely American places and will create new opportunities in rural gateway and tribal communities.
Advance legislation to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund, invest in national parks, public lands, and Bureau of Indian Education facilities, and expand outdoor recreation access and opportunities.
Occurrences
Evidence
Congress.gov lists Rep. Bruce Westerman as sponsor of H.R. 6492, introduced November 29, 2023, and says it became Public Law 118-234 on January 4, 2025 after passing the House by voice vote and the Senate by unanimous consent.
Public Law 118-234 states its purpose is improving recreation opportunities and access to federal public land. It creates outdoor recreation policy, accessibility, youth, veteran, permitting, trail, pass, campground, broadband, and partnership provisions.
The Great American Outdoors Act established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, funded it for fiscal years 2021 through 2025, and allocated shares to NPS, Forest Service, FWS, BLM, and Bureau of Indian Education projects.
The Clerk records the House vote on the Great American Outdoors Act as passed, 310-107, and lists Rep. Westerman of Arkansas voting Yea.
Interior’s April 2026 GAOA LRF page describes the fund as authorizing annual Interior funding for FY2021-FY2025 for deferred maintenance and repair at BLM, NPS, FWS, and BIE-funded schools.
Interior says GAOA LRF investments maintain and restore infrastructure at national parks, public lands, National Wildlife Refuges, and BIE-funded schools, including projects that expand accessibility and keep sites open to the public.
Assessments
Westerman materially delivered the outdoor recreation access portion by sponsoring H.R. 6492, the EXPLORE Act, which became Public Law 118-234 on January 4, 2025 during the same congressional term. Existing GAOA Legacy Restoration Fund investments also supported national parks, public lands, wildlife refuges, and BIE-funded school facilities, and Westerman had voted for the original GAOA. However, the core reauthorization element is not shown as enacted: the LRF materials still describe a FY2021-FY2025 funding window, with no evidence of reauthorization beyond FY2025. Because major components were advanced or delivered but the reauthorization promise was not fulfilled, partial credit is appropriate.