{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-introduces-bill-to-boost-tourism-at-national-parks-and-aid-local-economies", "Kaine Introduces Bill To Boost Tourism At National Parks And Aid Local Economies", "2013-11-20", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Kaine Introduces Bill To Boost Tourism At National Parks And Aid Local Economies\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, November 20, 2013\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014U.S. Senator Tim Kaine introduced the\u00a0Entrance Fee Suspension Act of 2013\u00a0today to encourage tourism at national parks and wildlife refuges and bolster local economies that were harmed by the 16-day government shutdown.\u00a0 The bill will assist businesses like Captain Steve\u2019s Bait and Tackle in Chincoteague and Carrot Tree Kitchens in Yorktown that lost revenue or were forced to close temporarily during the government shutdown because of national park closures. According to the National Parks Conservation Association, the shutdown cost local economies some $480 million in lost park visitor spending, or $30 million per day. Among affected sites in Virginia, the Blue Ridge Parkway missed out on an estimated 931,000 recreational visits and $22 million in visitor spending, while Shenandoah National Park missed out on 122,000 visits and $7.5 million in visitor spending.\r\nThis legislation aims to partially compensate for this lost business activity by suspending entrance fees at national parks and wildlife refuges for 16 days, the duration of the government shutdown, to encourage more tourists to visit. The 16-day period would occur during National Park Week and several days prior, beginning April 10 and ending April 25, 2014.\r\n\u201cThe government shutdown had a disproportionately negative impact in Virginia, particularly in communities where tourism is\u00a0a primary\u00a0industry like Chincoteague, Yorktown,\u00a0and the Shenandoah Valley,\" said Kaine. \"The small businesses that rely on tourist revenue did not receive back pay for being caught in the middle of Washington budget battles.\u00a0\u00a0This bill is a small achievable way that Congress can help these communities regain some of the business that was lost during the government shutdown and encourage more Americans to visit our beautiful public lands.\u201d\r\nIn addition to providing ample time for businesses to advertise free entrance to the national parks, the bill will reimburse the National Park Service and Fish & Wildlife Service for lost revenue during that period through an extension of customs fees, with any additional funds directed towards reducing the deficit.\r\nSenator Kaine\u2019s full statement, submitted for the record, is below:\r\nKen Burns, paraphrasing Wallace Stegner, called the national parks \u201cAmerica\u2019s best idea.\u201d\u00a0 This is true not just for the intrinsic value of these lands, but also for the economic impact on rural communities across the country.\u00a0 Countless small business owners rely on outdoor recreational visitors for their livelihood.\u00a0\r\nUnfortunately, last month\u2019s government shutdown caused the visitors to stop.\u00a0 For sixteen days this year \u2013 at the peak of the fall color season \u2013 restaurants and hotels were empty.\u00a0 Roadside stands had no passers-by.\u00a0 Canoes and kayaks, hiking maps, and bait-and-tackle sat unsold on store shelves.\u00a0 One of my favorite places in Virginia \u2013 Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge \u2013 saw not one but two major events cancelled: the reopening ceremony of the historic Assateague Lighthouse and the Chincoteague wild pony roundup.\u00a0 These events usually draw thousands of visitors.\u00a0 The pony roundup, in particular, also serves as a fundraiser for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.\u00a0 Unlike park rangers, the local businesses that rely on visitors got no backpay.\u00a0\r\nThat is why I\u2019m introducing this legislation to suspend entrance fees at national parks and wildlife refuges for a period of 16 days, equal to the duration of the shutdown.\u00a0 The fee suspension leads up to National Park Week in April 2014.\u00a0 This will encourage more visitors to turn out to the parks and give area establishments time to publicize the free days and to drum up more business.\u00a0 The bill is deficit-neutral, and considering the breadth of the national park presence across the nation, I hope it will garner bipartisan support.\r\nWe must negotiate a workable path forward on the federal budget so that the American people are never again caught up in the middle of battles in Washington.\u00a0 No act of Congress can reimburse the hard-working business men and women around the nation who got hit by the shutdown, but I believe this bill will nudge a few more vacationers out of town to take in the natural beauty of our country and support the local economies while they\u2019re at it.\u00a0 Given the attention that national parks got during the shutdown, I also believe the American people deserve a larger conversation about the importance of maintaining our natural resources for future generations.\u00a0 I hope this bill will spur that discussion.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-introduces-bill-to-boost-tourism-at-national-parks-and-aid-local-economies"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6125601939857006, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}