Senate Passes Great American Outdoors Act!

Today, the Senate took its final vote on the Great American Outdoors Act and passed the bill 73 to 25. The outdoor community has been instrumental in getting the bill passed. You might remember that the outdoor community put so much pressure on the campaigns of two Republican Senators to pass these bills that the President tweeted back in March that he was looking to Congress to get the bill on his desk to sign. Then, as the Senate prepared to vote on the bill, the outdoor community wrote thousands of letters and made numerous calls to Congressional offices to build support for the bill. Thanks to everyone who took action – many of you multiple times – in recent weeks to get the bill through the Senate.

Next, the bill goes to the House, where lawmakers have to pass an identical version before it goes on to the President’s desk. With a few clicks, you can send a message thanking your Senators for passing the bill (or letting them know what you think about a “no” vote) and asking your Representative to follow suit.

Say Thanks

The Great American Outdoors Act means billions of dollars in funding for trails, parks, and public lands and waters across the country. It includes permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and funding for the maintenance backlog on National Parks, National Forest, and other public lands. In total, the bill means as much as $2.8 billion a year on public lands, outdoor recreation, maintenance and restoration, and new green spaces.

You may have followed the dizzying number of votes needed to move the bill forward over the last week. Thanks to all of you who made your voice heard with your Senators – it could not have happened without you.

We’ve said it before but it’s worth saying again: as important as it is to ask your lawmakers to take action on something, it may be even more important to let them know you paid attention to their votes afterwards. Our easy-action tool lets you send a quick thank you note to your Senators if they voted yes (it will automatically update to express disappointment if they voted no) and to remind your Representative to get moving on passing the bill in the House.