EXPLORE Act passes House of Representatives

by American Sportfishing Association 15 Apr 23:54 UTC

Yesterday, Members of the House of Representatives came together in a bipartisan fashion to pass the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act (HR 6492).

With a unanimous vote, Congress showed its support for improving fishing access as well as upgrading facilities and infrastructure at federal lands, including national parks, national wildlife refuges, and national forests.

"The EXPLORE Act takes much-needed measures to improve access to fishing on America's federal lands and waters," said Mike Leonard, Vice President of Government Affairs at ASA. "By making outdoor recreation a priority, Congress has shown its support for America's 54.5 million anglers and the $148 billion sportfishing economy they support."

The EXPLORE Act includes many priorities for the sportfishing community, such as:

• Improves collection of recreation visitation data on federal lands and waters.
• Streamlines the permitting process for fishing guides and outfitters on public lands and waters.
• Supports inspection and decontamination of aquatic invasive species in federal waters.
• Improved access to fishing for active duty and retired members of the military and youth anglers.
• Supports economic development and infrastructure improvements in rural areas and gateway communities.

Roughly one out of six Americans go fishing each year, and many choose to do so on federally managed rivers, lakes, and beaches. ASA and our members in the sportfishing industry thank Chairman Westerman, Ranking Member Grijalva, and the 50 additional bipartisan cosponsors for their leadership on this important legislation.

Senators Manchin (WV) and Barrasso (WY) introduced a companion (S.873) to the EXPLORE Act, called the American Outdoor Recreation Act, in the Senate in March 2023. It passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee shortly thereafter but has not received a full vote in the Chamber.