Compiled by SEMA Editors
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), H.R. 1957, a bill that is critically important to revitalizing America’s outdoor recreation industry. The GAOA would dedicate $9.5 billion over the next five years to address the maintenance backlog on federally owned lands by creating a national parks and public land legacy restoration fund. The bill would also appropriate $900 million annually to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which allocates funding to protect natural areas, water resources, cultural heritage sites and to provide recreation opportunities. The SEMA-supported legislation is critical to addressing the infrastructure needs facing our public lands and waters, such as improving trails, roads, docks, campgrounds and more. The U.S. Senate passed the GAOA in June, which now heads to President Trump’s desk for his signature.
The GAOA will benefit many SEMA members in the off-road market (four-wheel, ATVs and UTVs) in addition to companies producing and selling wheels/tires, suspension, power and other equipment to help tow RVs and boats to the nation’s parks and recreation areas. SEMA and 30 other national associations that comprise the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) advocated for Congress to pass the GAOA and commend members for passing it with such strong bipartisan support. The bill addresses infrastructure needs of our public lands, creates jobs, and will provide Americans with access to open spaces.
For more information, contact Eric Snyder at erics@sema.org.