To increase the number of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Customs and Border Protection officers and support staff and to require reports that identify staffing, infrastructure, and equipment needed to enhance security at ports of entry.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires the federal government to complete the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail as a continuous hiking route by November 2028. The trail spans approximately 3,100 miles from Montana to New Mexico, but currently has gaps where land has not been acquired. The bill creates a dedicated team from the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to coordinate trail completion.
Who Benefits and How
Outdoor recreation enthusiasts and hikers benefit from a completed continuous trail system. Rural communities along the trail corridor may see increased tourism revenue. Nonprofit trail organizations (like the Continental Divide Trail Coalition) gain formal partnership opportunities with federal agencies. Landowners who wish to sell easements or land have a willing buyer in the federal government.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management must allocate staff to the new Trail Completion Team and submit annual progress reports to Congress. Federal agencies face planning and coordination requirements with tight deadlines. Taxpayers fund land acquisitions and trail development, though specific appropriations are not mandated.
Key Provisions
- Establishes November 10, 2028 deadline for trail completion as a contiguous route
- Creates joint Forest Service-BLM Trail Completion Team within 1 year
- Requires comprehensive development plan within 3 years identifying gaps and acquisition strategies
- Mandates annual progress reports to Congress until the plan is fully implemented
- Limits land acquisition to willing sellers only (no eminent domain)
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
Mandates completion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail as a contiguous route by November 2028 through coordinated federal land acquisition and inter-agency collaboration
Key Policy Areas
Public Lands, Recreation, Conservation
Primary Purpose
Mandates completion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail as a contiguous route by November 2028 through coordinated federal land acquisition and inter-agency collaboration
Policy Domains
Continental Divide Trail Completion Act
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Outdoor recreation enthusiasts
- Rural communities along trail corridor
- Nonprofit trail organizations
- Willing land sellers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Forest Service
- Bureau of Land Management
- Federal taxpayers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Peters, with an amendment and an amendment …
Mr. Peters (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Lankford, …
Mr. Peters (for himself and Mr. Cornyn) introduced the following …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
CBP Officers, Congress/Congressional oversight, Customs and Border Protection
Customs and Border Protection faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: CBP Officers, Congress/Congressional oversight
Negative-direction: Government Accountability Office
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_team"
- → Joint Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Trail Completion Team
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service
- "the_secretaries"
- → Secretary of Agriculture and Secretary of the Interior
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Has the meaning given the term community ditch in New Mexico Stat. 73-2-27
A community land grant issued under the laws or customs of the Government of Spain or Mexico that is recognized under chapter 49 of New Mexico Stat.
A review conducted in accordance with the process described in the guide entitled Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Optimal Location Review Guide dated November 2017
Each of the Secretary (of Agriculture) and the Secretary of the Interior
The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service
The joint Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Trail completion team established under section 3(b)
The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail established by section 5(a)(5) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(a)(5))
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