{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr1957-116/featured_great-american-outdoors-act-1592523046.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr1957-116/featured_large_great-american-outdoors-act-1592523046.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr1957-116.png"},"introduced_on":"2019-03-28","title_override":"Should Revenue From Energy Developed on Other Public Lands Be Used to Address the $12B Maintenance Backlog at the National Park Service & Other Public Land Agencies?","summary_override":"

(UPDATE - 6/6/20): This bill has been amended from its original form to serve as the legislative vehicle for a bipartisan bill that would use funds generated from energy development on federal lands & waters to address the nearly $12 billion backlog of deferred maintenance projects at National Parks and on other public lands. In its original form, the bill was known as the Taxpayers First Act, which was subsequently enacted as a separate standalone bill. The current bill, known as the Great American Outdoors Act, would establish a National Parks & Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to support deferred maintenance projects on federal lands, and make funding for the Land & Water Conservation Fund permanent. A breakdown of the bill’s current provisions can be found below.

For fiscal years 2021-2025, the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund would receive an amount equal to 50% of all federal revenues from the development of oil, gas, coal, or alternative & renewable energy on federal lands & waters. Deposited amounts wouldn’t be allowed to exceed $1.9 billion for any fiscal year. Deposited funds would be used for priority deferred maintenance projects in the public lands systems specified below, and funds would be distributed in the corresponding proportions listed below:

National Park Service - 70% of funds;
Forest Service - 15% of funds;
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - 5% of funds;
Bureau of Land Management - 5% of funds; and
Bureau of Indian Education - 5% of funds.

Funds in the National Parks & Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund couldn’t be used for land acquisition; to supplant discretionary funding made available for annually recurring facility operations, maintenance, and construction needs; or for bonuses for employees of the federal government carrying out this section.

The Secretary of the Interior & Secretary of Agriculture (who oversees the Forest Service) would submit a list of priority projects to Congress within 90 days of the bill’s enactment, and each year thereafter which lists each project, describes it, and estimates spending on it for a given fiscal year. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) would be required to produce a report on the effectiveness of the fund in reducing the backlog of priority deferred maintenance projects for the specified agencies.

This bill would also allow public cash or in-kind donations to the Fund, which may be used to reduce the NPS maintenance backlog or to encourage relevant public-private partnerships.

Additionally, this bill would make funding for the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) permanent. The president would be required to provide Congress with an annual report with details regarding the allocation of funds to the LWCF. Congress would be able to provide for alternate allocations using specified procedures.

","official_title":"To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modernize and improve the Internal Revenue Service, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Great American Outdoors Act","popular_title":"","short_summary":"Great American Outdoors Act This bill establishes the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to support deferred maintenance projects on federal lands. For FY2021-FY2025, there shall be deposited into the fund an amount equal to 50% of energy development revenues credited, covered, or deposited as miscellaneous receipts from oil, gas, coal, or alternative or renewable energy development on federal lands and waters. Deposited amounts must not exceed $1.9 billion for any fiscal...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Visitors to public parks; National Park Service; energy development revenues; Dept. of the Interior; and the Treasury Dept.","argument_for":"Between them, the National Park Service, Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, & Bureau of Indian Education manage many of America’s most important public lands. This bipartisan bill would use revenue from energy development on other lands to fund a $12 billion backlog of much-needed restoration and maintenance projects on the lands these agencies manage, which will benefit many Americans for years to come.","argument_against":"Using tax revenue from energy developed on other federal lands to fund maintenance at national parks and federally-held public lands frequented by the public would make it harder for the U.S. to stop using fossil fuels. Instead, Congress should spend more money on public land maintenance and relevant agencies should raise their fees for consumers.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr1957-116","bill_id":"hr1957-116","formal_id":"H.R. 1957","chamber":"house","congress":116,"last_action_at":"2020-08-04T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2020-07-22T00:00:00.000Z","debated_on":"2019-04-05T20:45:37.000Z","congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1957","plain_text_url":null,"shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr1957-116.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/1957/text","is_current_congress":true,"last_version_on":null,"related_bill_ids":null,"progress":"Awaiting Signature","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":true,"position_count":705,"committees":[],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr1957-116","details":"/api/bills/hr1957-116/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr1957-116","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr1957-116/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr1957-116/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":28,"slug":"hr1957-116-great-american-outdoors-act","latest_chamber_votes_id":"hr1957-116","official_url":null,"target_video":false,"following":false,"vote_count":3796,"yea_vote_count":2833,"nay_vote_count":961,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":true,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["taxes","energy","public-land-and-resources","government"],"issue_ids":["fossil-fuel","fishing-and-hunting","taxes","energy","public-land-and-resources","national-parks","government","federal-agencies"],"sponsor_id":345}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"fossil-fuel","name":"Fossil Fuel","slug":"fossil-fuel","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Fossil Fuel. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.\r\n","page_title":"Fossil Fuel Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/fossil-fuel/black_fossil-fuel-1430233274.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/fossil-fuel/grey_fossil-fuel-1430233274.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/fossil-fuel/white_fossil-fuel-1430233274.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"fishing-and-hunting","name":"Fishing & Hunting","slug":"fishing-and-hunting","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Fishing & Hunting. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.\r\n","page_title":"Fishing & Hunting Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/fishing-and-hunting/black_fishing-and-hunting-1432148244.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/fishing-and-hunting/grey_fishing-and-hunting-1432148244.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/fishing-and-hunting/white_fishing-and-hunting-1432148244.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"taxes","name":"Taxes","slug":"taxes","description":"US Congressional Legislation related to all types of Taxation: Income Tax, Sales Tax, Property Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Employment Taxes, and the Administration and collection of taxes (including regulating the IRS).","page_title":"Tax Related Federal Legislation including: Income and Sales Tax, Regulating the IRS - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/taxes/black_taxes-1429042039.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/taxes/grey_taxes-1429042039.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/taxes/white_taxes-1429042039.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"energy","name":"Energy","slug":"energy","description":"The Federal government directly impacts and regulates energy production in the US, including: Coal, Nuclear, Oil and Natural Gas, Electric and alternative and renewable resources (solar, hydrogen, and others). Legislation can relate to regulating public utilities and utility rates, lighting and heating and the auto industry. ","page_title":"Federal legislation related to producing energy for the US - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/energy/black_energy-1429042038.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/energy/grey_energy-1429042038.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/energy/white_energy-1429042038.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"public-land-and-resources","name":"Public Land & Resources","slug":"public-land-and-resources","description":"US Congressional Legislation related to the administration of Public Lands, including: National Parks, Historic Sites, Marine and Coastal Resources, Monuments, Mining, Parks and Wilderness Areas. ","page_title":"US Federal legislation about Public Lands, National Parks and Wilderness - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/public-land-and-resources/black_public-land-and-resources-1429042039.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/public-land-and-resources/grey_public-land-and-resources-1429042039.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/public-land-and-resources/white_public-land-and-resources-1429042039.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"national-parks","name":"National Parks","slug":"national-parks","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding National Parks. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"National Parks Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/national-parks/black_national-parks-1430398057.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/national-parks/grey_national-parks-1430398057.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/national-parks/white_national-parks-1430398057.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"government","name":"Government","slug":"government","description":"Federal legislation related to the operations of the US Federal Government. Bills can encompass government administration, regulation of political parties, the US postal service, US territories and public contracts.","page_title":"US Government - Federal legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/black_government-1453508811.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/grey_government-1453508811.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/government/white_government-1453508811.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"federal-agencies","name":"Federal Agencies","slug":"federal-agencies","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Federal Agencies. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Federal Agencies Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/black_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/grey_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/federal-agencies/white_federal-agencies-1429042054.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Nick-Papagiorgio","vote_count":549,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/8mrQqDZd/large_8mrqqdzd-1540629584.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/8mrQqDZd/small_8mrqqdzd-1540629584.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/8mrQqDZd/tiny_8mrqqdzd-1540629584.jpg","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/548189080/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/8mrQqDZd/following","followers":"/api/users/8mrQqDZd/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"nick-papagiorgio","issue_count":14,"is_following":null,"influence_score":1510,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":22,"following_count":4,"position_count":387,"id":"8mrQqDZd","partner_id":null},{"name":"Jason","vote_count":1092,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-2.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/e9XeoJXW/following","followers":"/api/users/e9XeoJXW/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":11,"is_following":null,"influence_score":1450,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":20,"following_count":4,"position_count":460,"id":"e9XeoJXW","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"de63a490-7f70-41d8-b824-89839549c7dd","argument_for":"“Taxpayer first” bill? I think they mean tax prep industry first bill. Republicans: you wonder why normal people hate you. Shit like this is why. You have become a caricature of yourselves. ","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":1,"upvotes_for_count":1,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":1,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/de63a490-7f70-41d8-b824-89839549c7dd"},"body":"“Taxpayer first” bill? I think they mean tax prep industry first bill. Republicans: you wonder why normal people hate you. Shit like this is why. You have become a caricature of yourselves. ","stance":"yea","created_at":"2019-04-09T16:47:37.858Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/de63a490-7f70-41d8-b824-89839549c7dd.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr1957-116","user_id":"8mrQqDZd","endorser_ids":["e9XeoJXW"]}}

Like Causes?

Nick-Papagiorgio

Should Revenue From Energy Developed on Other Public Lands Be Used to Address the $12B Maintenance Backlog at the National Park Service & Other Public Land Agencies?