YES! The Outdoors for All act will pass the House! By investing in our community parks, playgrounds, trails and green spaces through the Outdoors For All Act, we will create thousands of jobs, improve flooding resilience, manage stormwater, while directing investments to underserved communities, and working towards every community having access to a quality park.
Here’s some background on the Outdoors for All Act, and where we are now. This Act would expand outdoor recreational opportunities in urban and low-income cities across the nation. Representative Barragán’s office offered the Outdoors for All Act as an amendment to the #INVESTAct, the House infrastructure bill, and yesterday the amendment was ruled in order. This means that the Outdoors for All Act will be voted on to be included in the House infrastructure bill and pass the floor today or tomorrow! Here is a fact sheet on the Outdoors for All Act.
We expect Outdoors for All to be voted en bloc (in a group of other non-controversial bills) and pass the House floor in the INVEST Act today or tomorrow. This is amazing news, and we are thrilled that the Outdoors for All Act will once again be heard in the House and likely pass! After the INVEST Act, including OFA, passes the House both chambers will have to conference the House and Senate infrastructure bills to make them into one bill to be sent to the President. While we know the House will pass its infrastructure bill this week, we are unsure of the timing of conference, but it likely will be within a few months. So with that, we would love your help in elevating the Outdoors for All Act passing the House, thanking Rep. Barragán for her leadership, and showing support for Outdoors for All remaining in the conferenced bill.
More broadly, Rep. Barragán and Sen. Padilla have been meeting with community members and working to incorporate changes that strengthen the bill prior to re-introduction in the House and Senate. After a great community stakeholder event last month, Rep. Barragán and Sen. Padilla received a lot of excellent feedback and continue to work to incorporate that input into the bill to expand equitable access to outdoor recreation. Some of community feedback was already incorporated in the Outdoors for All Act amendment language that will pass the House tomorrow, including lowering the population threshold and reducing barriers for tribal and indigenous populations to access local park grant funding. Rep. Barragán and Sen. Padilla are continuing to work with partners to strengthen the Outdoors for All prior to introducing the bill in both the House and Senate this summer. We look forward to continuing to work with you all on this piece of legislation and expanding equitable access to nature for all communities.
At this link, you will find Rep. Barragán’s Outdoors for All amendment that will be voted on in the House today or tomorrow. We would appreciate you all elevating this important moment across your networks (our hashtags are #OutdoorsForAll and #INVESTAct).
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- By investing in our community parks, playgrounds, trails and green spaces through the #OutdoorsForAll Act, we will create thousands of jobs, improve flooding resilience, manage stormwater, while directing investments to underserved communities, and working towards every community having access to a quality park.
- The #OutdoorsForAll Act will provide more equitable access to the outdoors, strengthen community health, and serve as a long-term infrastructure investment in vulnerable communities. Thanks to @RepBarragan for leading the way.
- Thank you @RepBarragan for making sure #OutdoorsForAll is part of the #INVESTAct. Local parks are critical infrastructure, providing communities with jobs, economic development, climate resiliency, health benefits, and outdoor recreation opportunities.