The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved legislation Wednesday that would reauthorize and overhaul portions of the 2020 Great American Outdoors Act.
The panel cleared an amended version of “America the Beautiful Act,” S. 1547, by voice vote. The bill went from a simple reauthorization to a revamp of the Legacy Restoration Fund, which addresses a lengthy backlog of repairs at the National Park Service and other public lands.
Bill sponsors Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Angus King (I-Maine), as well as committee Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) and ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), described a lengthy negotiation process that got done “with minutes to spare” before Wednesday morning’s markup.
“This is a big step forward,” Daines said following the voice vote. “We’ve taken priorities from the House, from the Senate, the administration.”
