13 Huge Wins for Outdoor Recreation 13 Huge Wins for Outdoor Recreation Outdoor Industry Association Friday, March 23, 2018 “Three years ago, there was one office; two years ago, there were three offices; and now there are eight offices and a few operating commissions,” says Cailin O’Brien-Feeney, the Outdoor Industry Association’s state and local policy manager. “We’ll see a few more happen this year.” By serving as a leader for interest groups and growing local outdoor recreation economies, state offices of outdoor recreation are turning heads in the industry and beyond. Read more
WRPA 2018 Legislative Report Washington Recreation & Park Association Friday, March 16, 2018 For WRPA, the 2018 Session ended on a high, most notably with the final-week passage of the Fiscal Year 2018 Supplemental Capital Budget (ESSB 6095). The House approved it last Tuesday on a 96-2 vote, and the Senate made it their last Floor action of the Session, approving it 49-0. It includes a historic level of funding for the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Act (ALEA) and an important outdoor recreation proviso. Read more
Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition Meets March 22 Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition Meets March 22 Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority Thursday, March 15, 2018 The next meeting of the Big Tent will be Thursday March 22, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. in the board room of the headquarters of Seattle Southside Tourism, located at 3100 S 176th St, SeaTac, WA 98188. Read more
Proposed Changes to Road-Based Commerical Tour Requirements and Fees US Small Business Administration Wednesday, March 14, 2018 On March 12, 2018 the Office of Advocacy (Advocacy) filed a comment letter urging NPS to consider the impacts to small businesses in preparing its final fee rates and to consider cost-saving alternatives for small business. The proposed fee increase will have a detrimental effect on small business. Read more
RCO 2018 Legislative Report RCO 2018 Legislative Report Recreation & Conservation Office Tuesday, March 13, 2018 All in all, it was a successful session for RCO, especially with the ALEA funding increase. Very soon we will turn our attention to planning for 2019 with budget requests and maybe a bill or two. Thanks to you all who helped with legislative information requests, bill analysis, Outdoor Recreation Caucus meetings, and legislative meetings. I appreciate it so much and couldn’t do it without you! Here is a summary of budgets and bills related to RCO: Read more