The U.S. Senate unanimously approved final passage of legislation, authored by U.S. Senators Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), on Monday, Nov. 28, to require the federal government to measure the impact of the outdoor recreation on the economy. The bill now goes to President Barack Obama’s desk for his signature.

The Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2015, introduced by Gardner and Shaheen in October 2015, is bipartisan legislation that will help inform policymakers and business leaders about the jobs created – and consumer spending driven by – the outdoor recreation economy.

“Outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of our economy in Colorado, yet its true economic impact from the federal government’s perspective remains unknown,” said Gardner in a news release. “This legislation will educate policymakers on the outdoor recreation industry’s contribution to our economy, including the number of jobs its responsible for and the amount of consumer spending it generates. It’s a commonsense, bipartisan bill,  and I look forward to President Obama signing it into law.”

“The outdoors are an integral part of our lives in Colorado, and the outdoor industry is a powerful economic engine that contributes $13.2 billion to the state’s economy and supports 125,000 Colorado jobs,” said Harry Kazazian, CEO of Boulder-based Exxel Outdoors. “Thanks to the leadership of Sen. Gardner, the outdoor recreation economy will now be counted as part of U.S. Gross Domestic Product and recognized as the powerful economic driver that we in the industry know it is.”

Until recently, the federal government did not measure the economic impact of outdoor recreation, despite independent estimates that this sector generates $646 billion in consumer spending each year and supports 6.1 million jobs. In April, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced that the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation will work with the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis to assess the economic contributions of the outdoor recreation industry. The Gardner-Shaheen bill ensures this work will continue in the future by requiring it in statute. The bill also requires the Commerce Department to give a comprehensive analysis to Congress capturing the outdoor recreation sector’s contribution to the economy.

The House companion bill, H.R. 4665, was introduced by Representatives Don Beyer (D-Va.), Dave Reichert (R-Wash.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.). The bill passed the House of Representatives earlier this month.