Today, May 20th, 2022,Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02), a 24-year Army veteran, joined Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Rep. Bruce Westerman (AR-04), the Republican Leader of the House Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), the Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Sen. John Boozman (R-AR), and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) in a bipartisan and bicameral letter to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging them to implement the provisions of the Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act before Memorial Day.
“My Alexander Lofgren VIP Act was signed into law almost six months ago, and the Administration is still dragging its feet. The numerous mental, physical, and emotional health benefits our national parks and public lands can provide cannot be understated,” said Miller-Meeks. “Our veterans, active-duty, and Gold Star Families have already given so much to our country, they should not have to wait because of bureaucrats in Washington. Secretaries Haaland and Vilsack should move immediately to provide passes for these heroes to access all of the natural beauty our nation has to offer.”
Background:
On July 1st, 2021, Miller-Meeks and Gallego introduced the bipartisan Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act. On July 29th, 2021, the bill, which was renamed in honor of veteran Alexander Lofgren, unanimously passed the House of Representatives. In December of 2021, the Alexander Lofgren VIP Act was signed into law as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the Fiscal Year 2022.
The America the Beautiful Pass provides access to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks, national forests, and wildlife refuges. This includes some of the country's most iconic natural treasures, ranging from Acadia National Park to the Redwood National Forest.
The Alexander Lofgren VIP Act would allow all veterans, active-duty servicemembers, and Gold Star Families to visit all national parks and public lands free of charge. In 2020, the America the Beautiful Pass became free for veterans and Gold Star Families; however, this change for veterans has never been put into law and could be undone in future years.
The Alexander Lofgren VIP Act protects these passes by codifying them and making them lifetime passes instead of annual passes. Finally, the bill also creates annual passes for current servicemembers, which can be converted into lifetime passes once they leave the military.
Original source can be found here
