Making National Parks Safer Act | ChamberLight

REPORTED· 119TH CONGRESS

Senate BillS 290Emergency communications systemsGovernment studies and investigations

Making National Parks Safer Act

INTRO JAN 29· LAST ACTION FEB 4

READING

4MIN

COSPONSORS

3BIPARTISAN

READER REACTIONS0 TOTAL

NO VOTES YET · BE THE FIRST

Reported, not passed

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

STEP 3 / 8

Introduced

In Committee

Reported

Passed Senate

Passed House

Conference

To President

Became Law

WHAT THE BILL DOES

AI-written

Many national parks are vast and often have remote areas where current emergency communication systems may be outdated or unreliable, making it difficult to pinpoint a caller's exact location or share information quickly. This bill aims to bring national park emergency systems into the modern age by moving towards "Next Generation 9-1-1" technology, which can handle more than just voice calls, like text messages, photos, and more precise location data.

If this bill becomes law, it could significantly improve safety for millions of visitors and employees by enabling faster and more coordinated responses to accidents, medical emergencies, or other incidents in parks. It establishes a roadmap to address potential gaps in emergency services within these cherished natural spaces. If it doesn't pass, emergency response in parks might continue to rely on older, less efficient systems, potentially leading to slower or less effective help for those in need.

KEY PROVISIONS

4AI-extracted

PROVISION 01

Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an assessment of existing emergency communications centers in national parks.

This initial step is crucial for understanding the current state of emergency communications and identifying specific needs across the National Park System.

PROVISION 02

Requires the assessment to identify the implementation status of Next Generation 9-1-1 systems and estimate costs for purchasing, maintaining, and operating these systems.

This provides vital financial information that Congress and the public need to understand the scale and cost of upgrading emergency infrastructure.

PROVISION 03

Mandates the Secretary to develop a plan to install Next Generation 9-1-1 systems in national parks, based on the assessment results.

This turns the assessment into a concrete strategy, outlining how the National Park Service intends to upgrade its critical emergency communications.

PROVISION 04

Requires the Secretary to consult with State and local emergency operations officials and relevant federal agencies when developing the plan.

This ensures that new systems within national parks will be compatible and can effectively communicate with existing regional emergency services, promoting seamless coordination.

SPONSORSHIP

1 + 3

COSPONSOR BREAKDOWNBIPARTISAN · 100%

DEM 1 REP 1 IND 1

ACTION TIMELINE

4 EVENTS

FEB 4

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

COMMITTEE

DEC 9

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.

COMMITTEE

JAN 29

Introduced in Senate

INTROREFERRAL

JAN 29

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text: CR S481-482)

INTROREFERRAL

BILL INFO

TypeSenate Bill

NumberS 290

Congress119th

StatusReported

IntroducedJan 29, 2025

Last actionFeb 4, 2026

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REPORTED· 119TH CONGRESS · ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED JAN 29, 2025

Senate BillS 290Emergency communications systemsGovernment studies and investigations

Making National Parks Safer Act

INTRODUCED JAN 29, 2025· LAST ACTION FEB 4, 2026

PASSAGE CHANCES

—%

READING

4 min

COSPONSORS

COMPLEXITY

Moderate

Call my reps

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

STEP 3 OF 8

Introduced

In Committee

Reported

Passed Senate

Passed House

Conference

To President

Became Law

Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed Senate
Passed House
Conference
To President
Became Law

WHAT THE BILL DOES

AI-written

KEY PROVISIONS

AI-extracted

high

Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an assessment of existing emergency communications centers in national parks.

This initial step is crucial for understanding the current state of emergency communications and identifying specific needs across the National Park System.

high

Requires the assessment to identify the implementation status of Next Generation 9-1-1 systems and estimate costs for purchasing, maintaining, and operating these systems.

This provides vital financial information that Congress and the public need to understand the scale and cost of upgrading emergency infrastructure.

high

Mandates the Secretary to develop a plan to install Next Generation 9-1-1 systems in national parks, based on the assessment results.

This turns the assessment into a concrete strategy, outlining how the National Park Service intends to upgrade its critical emergency communications.

med

Requires the Secretary to consult with State and local emergency operations officials and relevant federal agencies when developing the plan.

This ensures that new systems within national parks will be compatible and can effectively communicate with existing regional emergency services, promoting seamless coordination.

DEADLINES & DATES

AI-extracted

An AI model extracted this from the bill’s official record and can make mistakes. Check the official text ↗ (opens in new tab)

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act

Complete an assessment of emergency communications centers in units of the National Park System.

On completion of the assessment (within 1 year of enactment)

Submit a report on the assessment to appropriate committees of Congress and make it available on the Department of the Interior's website.

Not later than 1 year after the date on which the assessment report is submitted

Develop a plan to install Next Generation 9-1-1 systems in units of the National Park System.

GLOSSARY

AI-written

Emergency Communications Center: A facility, often called a 9-1-1 call center or public safety answering point (PSAP), that receives emergency calls, processes the information, and dispatches help like police, fire, or paramedics.
Next Generation 9-1-1 System (NG9-1-1): An advanced emergency call system designed to handle not just voice calls but also text messages, photos, videos, and more accurate location data, improving communication for both callers and emergency responders.
Interoperability: The ability of different emergency communication systems and agencies to easily talk to each other and share information, even if they use different equipment or are in different areas.
Units of the National Park System: Refers to all the individual national parks, monuments, historical sites, and other areas managed by the National Park Service.
Secretary of the Interior: The head of the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service and manages federal lands and natural resources.
Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP): Another name for an emergency communications center where 9-1-1 calls are answered and emergency services are dispatched.

ACTION TIMELINE

4 EVENTS

FEB 4

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

COMMITTEE

DEC 9, 25

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.

COMMITTEE

JAN 29, 25

Introduced in Senate

INTROREFERRAL

JAN 29, 25

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text: CR S481-482)

INTROREFERRAL

READER REACTIONS

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Committee Referrals

Energy and Natural Resources CommitteeReferred

Feb 4, 2026

senate

Related Hearings

Business meeting to consider S.90, to prohibit the use of funds by the Secretary of the Interior to finalize and implement certain travel management plans in the State of Utah, S.91, to improve Federal activities relating to wildfires, S.290, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to upgrade existing emergency communications centers in units of the National Park System to Next Generation 9-1-1 systems, S.291, to establish an interest-bearing account for the non-Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, S.365, to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for additional entities to be eligible to complete the maintenance work on Bolts Ditch and the Bolts Ditch Headgate within the Holy Cross Wilderness, Colorado, S.446, to prohibit Big Cypress National Preserve from being designated as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, S.700 and H.R.837, bills to require the Secretary of Agriculture to convey the Pleasant Valley Ranger District Administrative Site to Gila County, Arizona, S.730, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of establishing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the African Burial Ground National Monument, S.790, to redesignate the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the "Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center", S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, S.815, to designate the outdoor amphitheater at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Virginia, as the "Rick Boucher Amphitheater", S.1319, to withdraw certain Federal land in the Pecos Watershed area of the State of New Mexico from mineral entry, S.1321, to amend the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to provide for the transfer of the Moab site to Grand County, Utah, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1353, to extend the authority for modifications to the Second Division Memorial in the District of Columbia, S.1413, to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act, S.1476, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate certain segments of the Gila River system in the State of New Mexico as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of New Mexico, S.1516, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Cahokia Mounds, Emerald Mounds, and Pulcher Mounds in the State of Illinois, S.1518 and H.R.1550, bills to redesignate Saratoga National Historical Park as Saratoga National Battlefield Park, S.1777, to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park, to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park as the "Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center", S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.2102, to establish the Ralph David Abernathy, Sr., National Historic Site, and S.2881, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California.

Energy and Natural Resources Committee (senate)Feb 4, 2026

Video

Hearings to examine S.290, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to upgrade existing emergency communications centers in units of the National Park System to Next Generation 9-1-1 systems, S.332, to require a study on Holocaust education efforts of States, local educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools, S.446, to prohibit Big Cypress National Preserve from being designated as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, S.573, to designate a mountain in the State of Alaska as Denali, S.601, to remove restrictions from a parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky, S.730, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of establishing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the African Burial Ground National Monument, S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, H.R.186, and S.858, bills to authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on the National Mall to honor the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients, S.1088, to provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, S.1131, to establish the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve in the State of Georgia, S.1135, to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, S.1280, to designate six creeks in North Carolina in honor of the lives lost in a plane crash in Carteret County, North Carolina, on February 13, 2022, S.1353, to extend the authority for modifications to the Second Division Memorial in the District of Columbia, S.1377, to ensure the maintenance of a herd of horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, S.1518, to redesignate the Saratoga National Historical Park as the "Saratoga National Battlefield Park", S.1777, to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park, to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park as the "Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center", S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.1926, to encourage reduction of disposable plastic products in units of the National Park System, S.2270, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate the portion of the Myakka River in Sarasota County, Florida, as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, S.2308, to amend the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to collect a surcharge from international visitors to units of the National Park System, S.2369, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to remove or permanently conceal the name of Francis Newlands on the grounds of the memorial fountain located at Chevy Chase Circle in the District of Columbia, S.2385, to codify Executive Order 14253 relating to restoring truth and sanity to American history, S.2546, to provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, S.2708, to enhance the preservation, maintenance, and management of national historic trails and national scenic trails, S.2970, to authorize the use of off-highway vehicles in certain areas of the Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, and H.R.249, to redesignate certain facilities at Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in honor of Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr.

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Making National Parks Safer Act

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

WHAT THE BILL DOES

KEY PROVISIONS

SPONSORSHIP

ACTION TIMELINE

BILL INFO

READER REACTIONS

Discussion

Making National Parks Safer Act

LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS

WHAT THE BILL DOES

KEY PROVISIONS

DEADLINES & DATES

GLOSSARY

ACTION TIMELINE

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