Joel Hefley: “the first title of this bill, H.R. 2941, is our attempt to deal with the backlog of housing needs in the National Park…”

“the first title of this bill, H.R. 2941, is our attempt to deal with the backlog of housing needs in the National Park Service. The extent of the National Park Service's housing needs is vague but has been estimated to be as high as $500 million. I wish it was possible to write a check for that amount, but in these times of trying to balance the budget, that is simply not possible. Instead, H.R. 2941 will provide the Park Service with the a number of creative authorities to encourage others besides the Federal Government to invest in employee housing. Several years ago Rocky Mountain National Park, in cooperation with the National Park Foundation, attempted to address its own housing needs by purchasing a nearby church camp that was on the market. The deal fell through because, according to the National Park Foundation and the park superintendent, the authorities were not available for them to close the deal. Randy Jones, the Rocky Mountain superintendent, claims he could solve most of his housing needs tomorrow if he only had the flexibility this bill would give him. We have worked with the Park Service, and they tell us the bill gives them what they need.”