Legislative History
How the EXPLORE Act moved from introduction to law — bipartisan cosponsors, committee action, and presidential signature.
H.R. 6492 was introduced on November 29, 2023, by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR), with Ranking Member Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) as principal co-lead. The bill compiled dozens of individual bills into a single omnibus package with 51 bipartisan cosponsors — 27 Democrats and 24 Republicans — including Reps. Curtis (R-UT), Neguse (D-CO), Lamborn (R-CO), Barragan (D-CA), Peltola (D-AK), Dingell (D-MI), and Leger Fernandez (D-NM).
The Senate companion, the America’s Outdoor Recreation Act, was led by Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY).
Timeline
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| November 29, 2023 | H.R. 6492 introduced in the House |
| April 5, 2024 | Reported by House Natural Resources Committee (H. Rept. 118-441) |
| April 9, 2024 | House passed by voice vote |
| December 19, 2024 | Senate passed by unanimous consent |
| January 4, 2025 | Signed by President Biden as Public Law 118-234 |
The Act is codified principally at 16 U.S.C. Chapter 103 (138 Stat. 2836).
Structure
The law is organized into three titles with no dedicated funding:
- Title I — Outdoor Recreation and Infrastructure (Sections 111–157): Policy declarations, recreation inventories, partnerships, broadband, public-private agreements
- Title II — Access America (Sections 201–232): Accessibility, military and veterans, youth access
- Title III — Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation (Sections 301–355): Permit modernization, NEPA streamlining, volunteer authority, Good Neighbor Authority
Congressional precedent for sport-specific action
Congress has shown willingness to mandate sport-specific recreation infrastructure on federal land:
- Section 123 (Range Access) requires BLM to establish at least one qualifying recreational shooting range in every BLM district deemed suitable, within 5 years, free to the public
- Section 122 (Protecting America’s Rock Climbing) codifies climbing as an appropriate use of wilderness areas
- Section 121 (BOLT Act) supports biking on long-distance trails
These precedents support future legislative or administrative action for disc golf.