Early this morning, the Senate passed H.R. 4680, the “National Park Service Centennial Act” (Chairman Rob Bishop, R-UT), legislation to equip the National Park Service (NPS) with tools to better manage and promote our national parks. The bipartisan bill passed the House earlier this week. House Committee on Natural Chairman Rob Bishop issued the following statement:  

“Congress has passed a good bill to prepare the National Park Service for its next 100 years with a foundation of better management and stewardship so that more Americans can access and enjoy these lands. Our goal with this Centennial legislation was to enact fiscally prudent reforms that benefit taxpayers, and that’s the product we sent to the president’s desk today. I commend the diverse stakeholder groups, the National Park Service leadership and colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their contributions to improve and advance this important legislation.”

August 25, 2016, marked the 100th anniversary of the NPS. H.R. 4680 provides the NPS with new tools and authorities it can use to maintain and improve the National Park System. Provisions in the bill help reduce the Service’s deferred maintenance backlog by generating new revenue to fund needed capital improvements. Other provisions will help leverage private philanthropic donations, offer enhanced visitor services and expand the Volunteers in Parks program.

Click HERE for a summary of H.R. 4680.