The lead sponsor of a House push to reauthorize expired portions of the 2020 Great American Outdoors Act said not to expect a vote on the measure this week, after the Senate left town for a two-week recess without passing their version of the bill.
Both the House and Senate made moves last week toward passing the America the Beautiful Act to extend and revamp the Legacy Restoration Fund, which addresses a lengthy and persistent backlog of repairs at the National Park Service and other public lands. The fund expired last year and its reauthorization has seen significant bipartisan backing.
But the Senate ultimately left town Wednesday night without taking up the bill, all but ensuring it cannot reach the White House by a July 4 deadline bill sponsors had been touting.
With that deadline “blown,” there are no plans for the House to vote on their version of the legislation this week, said Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.)
