HJRES138-119

In Committee

Expressing support for the designation of the second Saturday of January as "National Desert Day".

119th Congress Introduced Jan 8, 2026

Summary

What This Bill Does

This joint resolution supports National Desert Day. It requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on people in the United States to observe the second Saturday of January with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities. The measure is symbolic, but it creates a national attention point for desert ecosystems, public lands, Indigenous and local desert communities, outdoor recreation, and conservation education.

Who Benefits and How

Desert conservation organizations benefit from a national observance that can focus attention on arid-land ecosystems. Public lands educators benefit from a recurring date for programs about desert biodiversity, water scarcity, and land stewardship. Desert gateway communities benefit from visibility tied to recreation, heritage, and conservation tourism. Tribal communities connected to desert landscapes benefit when education includes cultural and historical significance.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The President must respond to the request for a National Desert Day proclamation if the measure is followed. White House proclamation staff must draft and coordinate any annual or one-time recognition. Public lands agencies may face pressure to support programming without new dedicated funds. Local organizers must cover event costs because the resolution provides recognition rather than appropriations.

Key Provisions

  • Provides support for designating the second Saturday of January as National Desert Day.
  • Requests a presidential proclamation for appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
  • Strengthens public education about desert ecosystems and conservation.
  • Uses commemoration without creating a new conservation program or funding stream.

Evidence Chain:

This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.

At a Glance

What This Bill Does

Expresses support for designating the second Saturday of January as National Desert Day and requests a presidential proclamation.

Key Policy Areas

Public Lands, Conservation, Commemoration

Primary Purpose

Expresses support for designating the second Saturday of January as National Desert Day and requests a presidential proclamation.

Policy Domains

Public Lands Conservation Commemoration

Resolution provisions

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Desert conservation organizations
  • Public lands educators
  • Desert gateway communities
  • Tribal communities
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: ih

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • President of the United States
  • White House proclamation staff
  • Public lands agencies
  • Local organizers
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: ih

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Legislative Progress

In Committee
Introduced Committee Passed
Jan 8, 2026

Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

Jan 8, 2026

Introduced in House

Stakeholder Effects

cui bono?

How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.

Environment
1 mention across 1 clause
?1 uncertain

Desert conservation organizations

Education
1 mention across 1 clause
?1 uncertain

Public lands educators

Government
1 mention across 1 clause
?1 uncertain

White House proclamation staff

1/1
sections analyzed
Full impact breakdown

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Public Lands Conservation Commemoration
Actor Mappings
"president"
→ President of the United States

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology