Every Kid Outdoors Act

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.

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.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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.