H.R. 803: Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act

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H.R. 803: Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act

117th Congress · introduced 2021-02-04 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

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Official title

Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act

Plain summary

Protecting America's Wilderness and Public Lands Act This bill provides for the preservation, conservation, and recreational use of public lands, including in Arizona, California, Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia, Washington, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Colorado, the bill designates wilderness, potential wilderness, a recreation management area, wildlife conservation areas, a national historic landscape, and special management areas and establishes the Greater Thompson Divide Fugitive Coal Mine Methane Use Pilot Program, the Fugitive Methane Emission Leasing Program, and a recreation area. In California, the bill establishes a recreation area, partnerships, and a special management area; designates a trail, wilderness, potential wilderness, and wild, scenic, and recreational rivers; establishes a special conservation management area; establishes the San Gabriel National Recreation Area Public Advisory Council and the San Gabriel National Recreation Area Partnership; and adds specified areas to the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park. In Washington, the bill designates wilderness and wild, scenic, and recreational rivers. In Arizona and Oregon, the bill withdraws specified federal lands. In North Carolina and Virginia, the bill requires a study of designating an area as the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area. In Maine, the bill designates a recreational river. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, the bill establishes a heritage area. In Virginia, the bill adds certain lands to Rough Mountain and Rich Hole Wildernesses. The bill extends the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission until September 26, 2028. The bill establishes an outdoor recreation legacy partnership grant program. The bill establishes a National Heritage Area System.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

The strongest published arguments

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: CBO’s Estimate of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Effects of Rules Committee Print 117-2 for H.R. 803, The Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, with the Manager’s Amendment (2021-02-23); CBO cost estimate: Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Effects of Rules Committee Print 117-2 for H.R. 803, The Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act, with the Manager’s Amendment (2021-02-23)

Cosponsors on this site

Joe Neguse (D-CO), Jason Crow (D-CO)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] reported raising $1.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Recorded votes

• House roll call 41 (2021): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR803 (2021-02-26): Agreed to
• House roll call 42 (2021): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR803 (2021-02-26): Agreed to
• House roll call 43 (2021): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR803 (2021-02-26): Failed
• House roll call 44 (2021): On Motion to Recommit, HR803 (2021-02-26): Failed
• House roll call 45 (2021): On Passage, HR803 (2021-02-26): Passed

Sources

• Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House)
• Congress.gov
• Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117hr803.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/hr>

Record fed-us-cong117-hr803 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117