AHC Urges Horse Owners to Tell Congress to Pass Trail Bills
Photo Credit: Brittany Bevis
American Horse Council
As Congress returns for a final “lame duck” session following the November 6 election, lawmakers have an opportunity to pass widely supported, bipartisan legislation that promotes access to public lands for equine enthusiasts. The horse industry seeks to push two major trails bills across the finish line:
Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act (H.R. 6510/S. 3172) – The House Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously to pass H.R. 6510, the Restore Our Parks and Public Lands Act, underscoring the bi-partisan support behind the bill. The House bill currently has 209 cosponsors. On the other side of the Capitol, Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Mark Warner (D-VA) have joined 33 senate colleagues to give momentum to the Restore Our Parks Act of 2018 (S. 3172). The Restore Our Parks Act (H.R. 6510/ S. 3172) will fund National Park Service trails maintenance projects by diverting energy development revenues to a new public lands restoration account
Recreation Not Red Tape (RNR) Act – Since House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) introduced the RNR Act (H.R. 3400) in 2017, the chairman conducted a full committee hearing, resulting in passage of the legislation in April 2018. House leadership has the discretion to schedule a vote on H.R. 3400 before the end of the year. The legislation currently has 12 bipartisan co-sponsors. On the Senate side, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a companion bill, S. 1633, which has won bipartisan co-sponsorships from Sens. Donnelly (D-IN), Ernst (R-IA), Tester (D-MT) and King (I-ME). Although leadership has referred the bill to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, no hearings have been scheduled.
While the Restore Our Parks legislation has quickly gained significant support from lawmakers, the RNR Act has not gained as much traction. To put more horsepower into the bill, urge your lawmakers to co-sponsor the RNR Act. Please contact your lawmakers today, and urge them to pass these important bills before the end of the year.
