Bipartisan Bill Promotes Outdoor Veteran Recovery Programs

U.S. Senator Steve Daines’ bipartisan bill that promotes outdoor veteran recovery programs and expands outdoor recreational opportunities for veterans on public lands was signed into law. The “Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act” will help create treatment and therapy opportunities for veterans on public lands and outdoor spaces.

Daines’ bipartisan bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a task force on outdoor recreation for veterans to report on and make recommendations regarding the use of public lands or other outdoor spaces for medical treatment and therapy for veterans.

“The Access to Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act will connect America’s veterans to the many health benefits that come with outdoor recreation. Our public lands and waters are an important venue to provide veterans with innovative opportunities to recover and heal.  This legislation will bring government stakeholders together around a unified mission to connect more veterans to the outdoors. This important bill wouldn’t have been possible without the leadership of those who introduced it and the coalition who supported it. Thanks to them, our veterans will have more opportunities outdoors,” said Jessica Turner, Executive Director, Outdoor Recreation Roundtable.