America’s Outdoor Recreation Act (AORA) was reintroduced Thursday, March 16, in the 118th Congress with strong bipartisan support.
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) and its members across the $862 billion outdoor recreation economy urge swift approval of this bill so that many more Americans can enjoy outdoor spaces and their associated benefits to health and wellness.
The RV Dealers Association picked up a report from ORR and posted it on its website and in its RV Executive Today newsletter.
“This groundbreaking legislation not only boosts local and national economies, it also gives more Americans – especially those in underserved areas – greater access to green spaces and public lands and waters while not costing taxpayers a dime to implement,” the report reads.
“This is a commonsense, no-cost bill that will help equalize and improve access to green spaces and wild outdoor places in every state in the country,” said Chris Perkins, senior director of the ORR. “We are seeing unprecedented interest in outdoor recreation, but many of the policies supporting outdoor recreation are outdated. This package will make it easier for Americans to access the outdoors and provide agencies with new tools to address long-standing outdoor recreation needs. We need solutions that enhance outdoor recreation opportunities while protecting America’s public lands and waters, and AORA is an historic step to update these policies.”
Outdoor recreation is an $862 billion industry, providing 4.5 million American jobs and boosting economies in communities large and small. Studies have shown that enjoying time outside helps benefit a person’s mental and physical health.
Details on what the act would do if passed are available here.