November 28, 2016

Congress successfully passed the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016 (H.R.4665). The bill passed the House on November 14 and the Senate on November 28. It will now be sent to President Obama for his signature.

Introduced by Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), H.R. 4665 requires the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior to partner with the Bureau of Economic Analysis to analyze and quantify the effect outdoor recreation has on the U.S. economy. Senators Jean Shaheen (D-NH) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) introduced a similar bill in October 2015 that ultimately did not pass.

The bill requires the first federally led comprehensive analysis of the U.S. outdoor recreational industry, and will cover all aspects of the outdoor recreation sector, including employment, sales, travel, and tourism. This report must be submitted no later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the bill.

Sources: Congress.gov, Congressman Don Beyer, Outdoor Industry Association