Raúl Grijalva: “This month marks the end of a year of celebration. Over the past 12 months, hundreds of millions of people from our…”

“This month marks the end of a year of celebration. Over the past 12 months, hundreds of millions of people from our country and from around the world have joined together to celebrate one of the most valued and uniquely American ideas: our national park system. In our democratic society, the park system is uniquely one of the most democratic public institutions because, after all, all Americans own the park system and it is for all Americans, regardless. For many, this year was a time to reflect on what began 100 years ago with a single mission: to protect our unique American heritage for the enjoyment of future generations. Last year, national parks across this Nation saw a record 307 million visitors. People came to the parks to explore, to learn and reflect on the grand natural beauty and the diverse history of our Nation. Fifty years ago, Members of Congress understood the need to recognize these types of milestone accomplishments by passing legislation to reinvigorate not only the agency, but the American public. A decade before the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service, the House began pulling together a bill that demonstrated to the American people that they were willing to put their money where their mouth was. In honor of the National Park Service's 50th anniversary, Congress funded the Mission 66 program at over $900 million, the equivalent of $8 billion in 2016 dollars.…”