Cosponsor the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Full Funding Act

We recently introduced the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Full Funding Act of 2020, H.R. 5797, and invite you to join as a cosponsor of this important outdoor recreation bill.

Cosponsors: Welch, Curtis, Craig, Simpson, Kuster, Stewart, Huffman, O’Halleran, Napolitano, Case, Kilmer, Lofgren

Supporting Organizations: Adventure Cycling Association, American Council of Snowmobile Associations, American Hiking Society, American Horse Council, American Motorcyclist Association, American Trails, Americans for Responsible Recreational Access, Back Country Horsemen of America, BlueRibbon Coalition, Conservation Legacy, The Corps Network, Equine Land Conservation Resource, International Association of Snowmobile Administrators, International Mountain Bicycling Association, International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, Motorcycle Industry Council, National Association of Recreation Resource Planners, National Association of State Park Directors, National Association of State Trail Administrators, National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council, National Park Hospitality Association, National Recreation and Park Association, National Wildlife Federation, Off-Road Business Association, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, People for Bikes, Professional Trail Builders Association, Rails to Trails Conservancy, Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association, Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association, Society for Outdoor, Recreation Professionals, SnowSports Industries America, Specialty Equipment Market Association, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America, Sports and Fitness Industry Association, Student Conservation Association, Tread Lightly!, United Four Wheel Drive Associations

Dear Colleague:

We recently introduced the Recreational Trails Program (RTP) Full Funding Act of 2020, H.R. 5797, and invite you to join as a cosponsor of this important outdoor recreation bill.

The RTP provides funding for recreational trail development and maintenance across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with more than 25,000 projects across the nation since its inception in 1991. Based on the “user-pay, user-benefit” model of the Highway Trust Fund, the RTP is funded from gas taxes paid by nonhighway recreational vehicles. The RTP is currently funded at $84 million annually but it is estimated that federal gas taxes paid by nonhighway recreational vehicles amounts to more than $250 million annually.

RTP funding is apportioned by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to the states to administer their own programs and recommend which projects be approved by FHWA. States are required to distribute their funds amongst projects statewide so that 30% of the funds are used for motorized trails, 30% for non-motorized, and 40% for mixed-use projects such as a trail used for bicycling in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter, or a trailhead parking lot that serves as a base for hiking trails as well as a boat launch).

The Recreational Trails Program Full Funding Act of 2020:

• Provides an increase in RTP funding to either $250 million or the latest nonhighway recreational fuel study as required by this legislation, whichever is most recent.
• Requires the FHWA to provide a revised estimate of the amount of nonhighway recreational gas taxes paid, and update that amount at least every five years.
• Establishes reporting of Financial Management Information System (FEMIS) Codes in order to provide additional transparency into projects funded and to ensure that the principles of the 30% motorized, 30% non-motorized, and 40% mixed-use are being met.
• Allows FHWA to keep up to $1.5 million annually to administer the program.
• Re-establishes the formula for distributing RTP funds whereby half of the total RTP funds are divided equally among the 50 states and D.C., and the other half is apportioned based on the estimate of nonhighway recreational fuel tax paid by that state’s users.

We hope you will join as a cosponsor of H.R. 5797. To see a listing of the projects funded in your state as well as a summary of the total funding, please click here.

To cosponsor, please contact Alex Piper [email protected] (Rep. Welch) or Jake Bornstein [email protected] (Rep. Curtis).

Sincerely,

Peter Welch, Member of Congress

John Curtis, Member of Congress