Chesapeake National Recreation Area Act of 2025
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
The bill defines definitions section establishing key terms: Advisory Commission, Bay (Chesapeake Bay including tidal tributaries), Bay Program, Chesapeake Gateways, Map, National Recreation Area, Secretary (of Interior), establishes the Chesapeake National Recreation Area in Maryland and Virginia as a National Park System unit, contingent on sufficient land acquisition, and creates land acquisition authority for the Chesapeake National Recreation Area by donation, purchase from willing sellers, exchange, or federal transfer. It relies on compliance mandates, definition changes, procurement rules, and exemptions. The main policy areas are Trade, Agriculture, Finance, and Defense.
Who Benefits and How
Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails Network sites could gain revenue opportunities, Commercial and recreational fishing interests would be affected, and Chesapeake Bay communities in Maryland and Virginia could gain revenue opportunities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
National Park Service would take on compliance duties and Federal government could face higher costs.
Key Provisions
- Defines definitions section establishing key terms: Advisory Commission, Bay (Chesapeake Bay including tidal tributaries), Bay Program, Chesapeake Gateways, Map, National Recreation Area, Secretary (of Interior)...
- Establishes the Chesapeake National Recreation Area in Maryland and Virginia as a National Park System unit, contingent on sufficient land acquisition.
- Creates land acquisition authority for the Chesapeake National Recreation Area by donation, purchase from willing sellers, exchange, or federal transfer.
- Requires administration of the National Recreation Area under NPS laws, with headquarters potentially at Chesapeake Bay Office.
- Provides coordination of Chesapeake Gateways with the National Recreation Area; permanent authorization of appropriations for Chesapeake Gateways (replacing prior sunset); preservation of existing eligibility criteria.
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
The bill defines definitions section establishing key terms: Advisory Commission, Bay (Chesapeake Bay including tidal tributaries), Bay Program, Chesapeake Gateways, Map, National Recreation Area, Secretary (of Interior), establishes the Chesapeake National Recreation Area in Maryland and Virginia as a National Park System unit, contingent on sufficient land acquisition, and creates land acquisition authority for the Chesapeake National Recreation Area by donation, purchase from willing sellers, exchange, or federal transfer.
Key Policy Areas
Trade, Agriculture, Finance, Defense
Primary Purpose
The bill defines definitions section establishing key terms: Advisory Commission, Bay (Chesapeake Bay including tidal tributaries), Bay Program, Chesapeake Gateways, Map, National Recreation Area, Secretary (of Interior), establishes the Chesapeake National Recreation Area in Maryland and Virginia as a National Park System unit, contingent on sufficient land acquisition, and creates land acquisition authority for the Chesapeake National Recreation Area by donation, purchase from willing sellers, exchange, or federal transfer.
Policy Domains
Section 2 - Definitions
Identified Gains
- Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails Network sites
- Commercial and recreational fishing interests
- Chesapeake Bay communities in Maryland and Virginia
- Willing landowners in Chesapeake Bay area
- Shellfish aquaculture operators
Identified Costs
- National Park Service
- Federal government
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Van Hollen (for himself, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Kaine, and …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and …
Introduced in Senate
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Federal government, Maryland and Virginia stakeholders (environmental, fishing, agricultural, tribal), Maryland and Virginia state governments
National Park Service faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Maryland and Virginia stakeholders (environmental, fishing, agricultural, tribal), Maryland and Virginia state governments
Negative-direction: Federal government
Annapolis and Fort Monroe area businesses, Chesapeake Bay communities in Maryland and Virginia, Chesapeake Gateways and Watertrails Network sites
Commercial and recreational fishing interests, Commercial fishing interests on the Bay, Shellfish aquaculture operators
Private landowners (no condemnation protection), Willing landowners in Chesapeake Bay area
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Chesapeake National Recreation Area Advisory Commission established under section 9(a)
The Chesapeake Bay, including its tidal tributaries, in Maryland and Virginia
The Chesapeake National Recreation Area established by section 3(a)
Secretary of the Interior
Member under age 22 representing interests of children and young adults
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