American people deserve the opportunity to participate in land-use decisions regardless of whether they are made in Congress or by the President." His new bill, he insists, would ensure "that new national monuments are created openly with consideration of public input." Supporters are reacting to President Barack Obama's actions to expand the California Coastal National Monument, something he did after the House had passed legislation, the California Coastal National Monument Expansion Act of 2013, to the same effect on July 22, 2013. Opponents of the bill, such as the Center for American Progress argue that the President's power to declare national monuments without lengthy review is needed because Congress is too slow at pass land conservation bills. According to senior-fellow Matt Lee-Ashley, "there is a widening gap between American families who want more parks and open spaces to get outdoors and a Congress that slashed conservation budgets, shuttered parks and blocked nearly every community-led effort to protect lands for future generations," all of which requires the President to be able to take more immediate action. Opponents point to a set of 10 land conservation bills that have been reintroduced in Congress after Congress without becoming law, collectively introduced 52 times in 30 years. Media reaction Several media outlets, including MSNBC and the International Business Times, incorrectly reported that the bill would limit a president to only one newly declared national monument per four-year term. In fact, the bill says in Section 2(a)(3) that the limit is that "no more than one declaration shall be made in a State during any presidential four-year term of office without an express Act of Congress." The Congressional Research Service concurs, saying in its summary that the bill would prohibit "the President from making more than one such declaration in a state during any presidential four-year term of office" (emphasis added). See also List of bills in the 113th United States Congress List of National Monuments of the United States National Monument (United States) Notes/References External links Library of Congress - Thomas H.R. 1459 beta.congress.gov H.R. 1459 GovTrack.us H.R. 1459 OpenCongress.org H.R. 1459 WashingtonWatch.com H.R. 1459 Congressional Budget Office's report on H.R. 1459 House Report 113-221 about the bill Proposed legislation of the 113th United States Congress