HR3179-119

Reported

To rename the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge located in the State of Texas as the "Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge".

119th Congress Introduced May 5, 2025

Summary

What This Bill Does

This bill renames the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas as the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge. The findings cite the June 17, 2024 murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, note that two alleged Tren de Aragua members were charged, and reference Executive Order 14229, which used the same new name for the area. The operative section gives the refuge the new legal name and provides that every reference in law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record is deemed to refer to the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge.

Who Benefits and How

Jocelyn Nungaray's family benefits from formal congressional recognition tied to the wildlife refuge near Houston. Houston-area memorial supporters benefit because the bill gives the memorial name a durable statutory footing. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service benefits from clear legal naming authority for signage, maps, refuge materials, and public communications. Visitors to the Texas wildlife refuge benefit from clearer public explanation of why the refuge name changed. Federal records offices benefit from a rule that automatically treats old references as references to the new refuge name.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must update refuge signage, maps, websites, visitor materials, and records to use the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge name. Department of the Interior records staff must adjust documents and references. Federal map and regulation publishers must apply the deemed-reference rule when updating materials. Local partners that coordinate with the refuge must update public-facing references. The bill does not impose a private compliance penalty or create new land-management restrictions.

Key Provisions

  • Provides findings about Jocelyn Nungaray, the criminal charges, and the prior Executive Order renaming action.
  • Establishes Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge as the statutory name for the former Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.
  • Requires references in law, maps, regulations, documents, papers, and records to be treated as references to the new name.
  • Directs Federal refuge records and public materials to use the new legal name.
  • Provides a commemorative naming change without changing refuge boundaries or land-management authorities.

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

Renames the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas as the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge and treats all legal, map, regulation, document, paper, and record references to the old name as references to the new name.

Key Policy Areas

Public Lands, Wildlife Refuge, Commemoration

Primary Purpose

Renames the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas as the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge and treats all legal, map, regulation, document, paper, and record references to the old name as references to the new name.

Policy Domains

Public Lands Wildlife Refuge Commemoration

House resolution provisions

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Jocelyn Nungaray family
  • Houston-area memorial supporters
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Texas wildlife refuge visitors
  • Federal records offices
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rh

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
  • Department of the Interior records staff
  • Federal map publishers
  • Federal regulation publishers
  • Local refuge partners
Model: codex-gpt-5 | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: rh

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Legislative Progress

Reported
Introduced Committee Passed
Jul 10, 2025

Additional sponsors: Ms. Van Duyne, Mr. Self, and Mr. Williams …

Jul 10, 2025

Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed

Jul 10, 2025

Placed on the House Calendar, Calendar No. 36.

Jul 10, 2025

Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-192.

Jun 25, 2025

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Jun 25, 2025

Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.

Jun 25, 2025

Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Discharged

May 20, 2025

Subcommittee Hearings Held

May 13, 2025

Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.

May 5, 2025

Introduced in House

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Public Lands Wildlife Refuge Commemoration
Actor Mappings
"fws"
→ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
"interior"
→ Department of the Interior

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