Lakes

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Congressman Bruce Westerman WRDA priorities advance to House floor

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WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a markup to advance the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024.

Congressman Bruce Westerman (AR-04) released the following statement: 

“The 2024 Water Resources Development Act is bipartisan, comprehensive policy compiled of locally driven initiatives to address the unique water infrastructure needs of communities nationwide. I was proud to secure key maintenance and development provisions to strengthen our supply chain, increase emergency readiness, and support outdoor water recreation in Arkansas. I commend Chairmen Graves and Rouzer and Ranking Members Larsen and Napolitano for their collaborative approach to this year’s WRDA, and I look forward to advancing this critical bill through the House Floor.”

BACKGROUND:

The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024 is biennial, bipartisan legislation that supports the viability, effectiveness, and conservation of waterways for commercial and recreational use.

Westerman secured the following policy priorities in the 2024 WRDA:

  • Phase in a new retention structure at outdoor recreation sites managed by the U.S. Corps of Engineers to ensure fees remain at local sites rather than held up by federal bureaucratic red tape.

  • Encourage restored access to recreational access at Lake Dardanelle for snag fishing.

  • Guarantee Arkansas has dredge access when needed most by ensuring the Dredge McFarland and its subsequent replacement stay in “ready reserve” status to assist in emergency events.

  • Extend the Independent External Peer Review Program to continue improving the quality and efficiency of project planning at the U.S. Corps of Engineers.

Click here for a summary of the bill.
Click here for the full bill text.

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Weekly Update from State Representative DeAnn Vaught

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Tourism in Arkansas is making a big comeback. While the pandemic severely impacted the industry in 2020, there are signs that tourism is rebounding and doing better than before the health emergency began.

The tourism tax collections for March 2021 exceeded collections from March 2019 by 14.6%. From mountain biking adventures to world-class art museums, Arkansas destinations play an essential role in our economy.

Before the pandemic, travel-supported jobs represented 6.6% of Arkansas’s total private industry employment. We also know that 8.4 jobs are created for every $1million spent on tourism in our state.

That is why every session, we consider legislation to improve the industry.

In the most recent session, we passed Act 777, An Act to Establish the Arkansas Cultural Institutions Trust Fund Act. This legislation directs the Division of Arkansas Heritage to promulgate rules for the distribution of grants to non-profit organizations that acquire or exhibit works of art or works of cultural or historical significance.

Act 840 allows the Division of Heritage to issue up to $8 million in historic rehabilitation income tax credits each year. The current maximum amount of credits given is $4 million.

We passed Act 652, which allows for dynamic pricing at state parks.

The division may increase or decrease approved rates charged for lodging, camping, events, services, and all other accommodations using a dynamic pricing strategy based on market forces such as seasonal variation in demand, occupancy, market analysis, and special event interest to maximize revenues from the use of state resources to promote the fiscal soundness and long-term sustainability.

The legislature also created the Arkansas Legislative Arts and Technology Boot Camp with Act 577. The camp will issue a final written report, including an inventory of Arkansas’s statewide arts and cultural assets, and identify funding needs to maintain a statewide database.

Arkansas is home to experiences and attractions found nowhere else. We encourage you to explore everything our state has to offer this summer.