Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Big Bend National Park Boundary Adjustment Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire about 6,100 acres shown on a November 2022 National Park Service map and add the land to Big Bend National Park. Acquisition may happen only by donation or exchange.
The bill bars condemnation and eminent domain. Once land or interests in land are acquired, the Secretary must revise the park boundary and administer the added acreage as part of Big Bend National Park under existing park laws and regulations.
Who Benefits and How
Big Bend National Park, the National Park Service, park visitors, conservation organizations, local tourism businesses, and nearby communities benefit from voluntary expansion and protection of additional land connected to the park. Private landowners benefit from explicit protection against condemnation or eminent domain.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Secretary of the Interior and National Park Service must manage map records, negotiate donation or exchange transactions, revise the park boundary, and administer acquired acreage. Federal land managers must take on stewardship, maintenance, and regulatory responsibility for any land added to the park.
Key Provisions
- Defines the Big Bend boundary-adjustment map and park.
- Authorizes acquisition of about 6,100 acres by donation or exchange.
- Prohibits condemnation and eminent domain.
- Requires the Secretary to revise the park boundary after acquisition.
- Requires acquired land to be administered as part of Big Bend National Park.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorizes a voluntary Big Bend National Park boundary adjustment by allowing the Secretary of the Interior to acquire about 6,100 acres by donation or exchange and barring condemnation or eminent domain.
Key Policy Areas
Public Lands, Conservation, Parks and Recreation
Primary Purpose
Authorizes a voluntary Big Bend National Park boundary adjustment by allowing the Secretary of the Interior to acquire about 6,100 acres by donation or exchange and barring condemnation or eminent domain.
Policy Domains
Whole bill
Identified Gains
- Big Bend National Park
- National Park Service
- Park visitors
- Conservation organizations
- Local tourism businesses
- Private landowners
Identified Costs
- Secretary of the Interior
- National Park Service
- Federal land managers
- Interior Department realty staff
Sponsors
John Cornyn
R-TX | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
Passed SenateReceived in the House.
Held at the desk.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous …
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice …
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous …
Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (text: CR S3460)
Introduced in Senate
Passed Senate (inferred from es version)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Private landowners within mapped boundary area
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
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