Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. STANSBURY. Mr. Speaker, I start by thanking the gentlewoman from New Mexico, my sister from the north, for yielding me the time, and say that I rise today to both celebrate and urge passage of the EXPLORE Act which we are here debating today on the House floor.

This bipartisan bill will not only improve access and opportunities for recreation across our public lands and waters across New Mexico and the United States, it will help to protect and promote opportunities for all people to access our lands and waters.

I am especially proud that this package includes my Promoting Accessibility on Federal Lands Act, which is a bill I was deeply proud to have joined forces across the aisle with Representative Ciscomani from Tucson to make the great outdoors accessible to everyone regardless of physical limitations.

This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture through all of the parks and public lands and waters that they manage to conduct a comprehensive assessment of accessibility options for our trails, our campsites, and our recreational facilities so that every single person can enjoy the great outdoors.

Almost half of New Mexico's lands are publicly managed. I ran for Congress as a native New Mexican largely because of my passion and love for protecting the precious lands and waters that make us who we are and to ensure that every single New Mexican has access to the great outdoors-- especially our veterans, which is part of why this bill is so important.

In New Mexico, we have one of the largest proportions of veterans and Active-Duty military in the United States--nearly 140,000 veterans in New Mexico alone.

As Ms. Leger Fernandez, my sister from the north said, it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we are maintaining access and ensuring that all of our veterans, our elders, people living with disabilities, and everyone in our communities can access the great outdoors. It is a place of restorative, resilient opportunity for everyone to be whole and to reconnect.

That is why I am proud to have had Vet Voice Foundation testify in support of this legislation who share a strong connection with the outdoors and believe that protecting our national public lands is not only an opportunity for recreation but truly a patriotic duty.

Mr. Speaker, America's public lands are for everyone regardless of culture, age, gender, or differing abilities, and this legislation will help to address disparities in accessibility and take critical steps to ensure that our lands and waters are accessible to everyone.

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