Rep. Kilmer Votes to Support the Great American Outdoors Act

Gentleman is recognized Thank you Mister Speaker and I thank the chairman and all who worked on this bill. As someone who grew up on the Olympic Peninsula, I learned how important protecting our parks and our public lands is to driving tourism and growing jobs and supporting rural economies. This is a big day. Permanently funding the land and Water Conservation Fund, providing dedicated funding to make much needed repairs at Olympic National Park and throughout our Park system. This is progress for ensuring that these natural assets can continue to provide amazing visitor experiences and serve as economic drivers for rural communities who need these jobs and who need these opportunities for future generations. This is a day to also celebrate the extraordinary coalition of environmental groups and outdoor economy groups and local civic leaders who got involved to move this bill forward. Today I am grateful for all who worked on this. I'm proud to be a supporter of this bill and I'm encouraging all of my colleagues to vote yes today and with that I yield back. Thank you Mister Speaker.