Good news! This morning on a voice vote, the House Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved that H.R. 9250, legislation to reauthorize the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF). The Committee approved a substitute bill, which means the text of the bill was changed to the same text as the Senate compromise bill. The new text is pasted below. Note that discussions between the House and Senate sponsors continue and there may be additional small changes made to the final bill.
In a show of bipartisan support for the bill, 12 cosponsors were added yesterday bringing the total number of cosponsors to 133.
What happens next? The Senate sponsors are working to get the America the Beautiful Act, S. 1547, on the calendar for a vote by the full Senate. It is being held up by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who chairs the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee and has placed a hold on the bill. The Senate sponsors are talking with Lee and efforts are underway to have Utah tourism and parks frontline leaders weigh in with him.
Support for the America the Beautiful Act, S. 1547 continues to grow in the Senate. Last week, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) became the 66th Senator to cosponsor. Kudos to Team West Virginia for their terrific outreach.
What can frontline tourism leaders do to support to help one this legislation over the finish line?
In the House, encourage your congressional representatives to cosponsor the bill, if they have not already done so.
In the Senate, sign your organization onto the coalition letter to all Senators urging support for the America the Beautiful Act. You can sign on through this Google doc: https://forms.gle/GRdAgpRDwzCPzu5aA
Or by letting me know.
Great piece from the New York Times on how World Cup visitors are getting out of the stadium, off the tour buses, and hitting the road to discover true American culture. Apparently, Bass Pro Shops, Buc-ee’s, Chipotle, and national parks are all big draws for World Cups international visitors.
America250 Commission announced today that it is expanding its America’s Block Party initiative to seven host cities. After their strong World Cup showing, Boston and Philadelphia have been added to the party roster. If there is one thing those cities have demonstrated through World Cup, they know how to throw a party. More details are in the America250 press release.
Today, North Carolina unveiled an innovative way to celebrate North Carolina’s rich history and America’s 250th birthday. The North Carolina History Explorer, an interactive heritage tourism kiosk, made its debut at the I-77 South Carolina Welcome Center. Identical kiosks will be installed at every welcome center across the state over the next few weeks, allowing both visitors and natives to learn about the Tar Heel State’s revolutionary history. The kiosk was developed by the American Battlefield Trust in partnership with Interactive Knowledge of Charlotte, N.C., the North Carolina Department of Commerce and America 250 NC, a program of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Detailed information on the kiosk initiative can be found in the American Battlefield Trust press release.
*Photo credit: Ribbon Cutting for the first North Carolina History Explorer at the I-77 South Welcome Center. Pictured (left to right): Wally Wazan (NC Dept. of Commerce), Luke McKnight (American Battlefield Trust), Eric Veal (Interactive Knowledge), Dan Brosz (America 250 NC), Bob Heussner (American Battlefield Trust), and Louie Comer (NC Welcome Center Manager). Photo by American Battlefield Trust.
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