Landmark Bill will fund UPARR again: the Get Outdoors Act rides the coattails of the obesity pandemic

Parks & Recreation, June, 2004

Hopefully, this will be no joke. On April Fool's Day, U.S. Reps. Don Young (R-Alaska) and George Miller (D-Calif.) introduced legislation that would annually set aside $3.125 billion for capital investments ill public recreation, parks and other conservation activities. Part of the bill includes a $125 million annual allocation for the sporadically funded urban park renovation program, Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act (UPARR); and state and local park systems would receive $450 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)--with the rest of the proposed $900 million going toward the purchase of land for new forests, parks, wildlife refuges and other recreation areas.

In addition to the $125 million for UPARR and the $900 million to the LWCF, the proposal would also reinvest a portion of the revenue earned from offshore oil and gas leases and drilling--the primary funding source for these programs. President Bush's proposed fiscal year 2005 budget estimates outer-continental shelf revenues at about $5 billion.

Historically, UPARR was given federal dollars to help restore, rejuvenate and rebuild urban park facilities nationwide. A variety of programs have benefited from UPARR, and since its inception in 1978, UPARR has distributed more than $238 million to many projects. In contrast, LWCF helps fund new initiatives, by giving funds for the creation of parks and open spaces, protecting wilderness, wetlands and refuges, preserving wildlife and its habitat and enhancing recreational facilities.

The goal of the bipartisan Get Outdoors (GO) Act incorporates the vision behind UPARR and LWCF, but goes further to try and create a more active population by providing access to parks and recreation areas in urban and rural communities, preserve historic places, promote healthy lifestyles mad provide other opportunities such as fishing and wildlife viewing for Americans.

"The bill encourages more recreation activity, because studies have shown that adequate lighting, good trails, easy access and community-based recreation infrastructure all result in increases in physical activity," Young told a gathering of media and interest groups, including NRPA. "More physical activity will help decrease this nation's obesity epidemic. The GO Act proactively addresses this problem by providing a permanent source of annual funding for local governments, states and federal agencies to encourage physical activity and recreation in urban, suburban and rural areas."

The objective of the proposed GO, is that UPARR- and LWCF-eligible entities would receive a more predictable source of funding to aid in their capital improvement programs. As a result, the GO Act would create a steady stream of reassurance, allowing park and recreation departments nationwide to spend time focusing on other policymaking issues such as the problematic Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.

"You would have a predictable amount of money allocated for state and local governments," says NRPA Public Policy Director Barry Tindall. "That's the threshold importance in this bill."

Young and Miller directly linked the GO Act to Americans' increasingly sedentary lifestyles and resulting health challenges. Miller said that obesity is a public health crisis.

"Congress cannot, and should not, tell Americans what to eat, but we can fight the battle of the bulge by investing in local parks, recreation centers, soccer fields and hiking trails. If we are serious about addressing the long-term cost of obesity-related health problems, we have to recognize the importance of recreation opportunities for children, adults and families," he said.

The GO Act, or H.R. 4100, has been referred to the House Resources Committee, where early action is not anticipated. The bill is similar to the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 701) (CARA), which passed the House, 315-102, on May 11, 2000. But unfortunately, CARA did not even get to the Senate floor of the 107th Congress. During this time, the big phrase on Capitol Hill involved the environment. This time around, obesity and health and wellness are the big issues. The GO Act addresses some of CARA's topics, including procuring land for the benefit of wildlife preservation, but it stresses the importance of nutrition and physical activity.

"We're going to be aggressive supporters," Tindall said about the GO Act. Already NRPA's public policy staff is busy collecting co-sponsors for the bill, with a goal of 150 Congressmen during the 108th Congress, which ends this year. In mid-April, NRPA and other national advocacy organizations, met to develop strategies for gaining co-sponsorship, ranging from targeting those politicians whose individual states and/or districts have special needs for LWCF and UPARR funding, to finding congressmen whose states have lost funding for urban parks and recreation areas. NRPA is also trying to get a Senate version of the GO Act written.

In order for the GO Act to get out of committee, it needs support from NRPA members. Contact House Resources Committee Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.) and inform him of the act's significance. Pombo can be reached at (202) 225-2761 or e-mail him, resources.committee@mail.house.gov.