Open the Parks (H.J.Res. 70)
October 1, 2013
Mr. Speaker:
The little towns around Yosemite National Park depend on tourism for their economies and are still reeling from the Yosemite Rim Fire that brought tourism to a near standstill last month.
This morning, the National Park Service ordered all visitors out of the park due to the government shutdown, causing lodges and concessionaires to lay off employees and close. A local merchant tried to deliver $10,000 worth of perishable seafood to the park and was turned away. And unlike government employees, these folks don’t get their back pay when the issue is resolved.
The one-two punch of the Rim Fire and now the closure of Yosemite National Park will make this one of the most economically depressed summer seasons on record.
While the Senate obviously prefers a government shutdown to negotiating with Republicans over Obamacare, I hope they will at least take pity on the gateway communities of our national parks that depend on tourism for their livelihoods, and expeditiously pass this bill.
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House Joint Resolution 70 passed the House on October 2, 2013 and is awaiting action in the Senate.
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