As the saying goes, “good things come to those who wait.” The FY 2018 spending bill was finally agreed upon by both the House and Senate and the President signed the legislation. We are now half way through the 12-month fiscal year, but good things have indeed come to all of us who value our local parks. Thanks in part to your advocacy, Congress showed the importance of park funding by increasing funding for programs vital to the industry. 

Here's a quick overview of some of NRPA’s priorities and their funding levels:

• Land and Water Conservation Fund State Assistance Program at $124 million, with $20 million for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Grant Program (up from $110 and $12 in FY 17). Including GOMESA money, we’re at $161 million, the highest funding level for State Assistance since 1981!

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program at $1.2 billion — up $20 million.

• Community Development Block Grants at $3.3 billion — up around $300 million.

• $2.9 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan fund, which states and localities use for water infrastructure projects.

• $63 million for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program to leverage federal dollars to provide financing for more than $6 billion in water infrastructure projects.

• The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grants are funded at $1.5 billion (up from $500 million in FY 17). This program funds multimodal transportation projects across the country. 

Our work here isn’t done, though. Now that FY 2018 funding is nearly across the finish line, Congress will almost immediately begin working on FY 2019 appropriations. While we can take a quick victory lap, we look forward to working with you in the coming weeks and months to ensure these funding levels remain for years to come.