Making National Parks Safer Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill directs the National Park Service to inventory and assess emergency communications centers located in park units, report the results to Congress, and then develop a plan for installing Next Generation 9-1-1 systems. The practical effect is to turn park emergency dispatch into a formal infrastructure planning project rather than leaving each park to manage aging 9-1-1 capacity on its own.
Who Benefits and How
National Park visitors benefit because better emergency communications can reduce response delays during accidents, rescues, fires, and severe weather in park units. National Park Service emergency communications centers benefit from a federal assessment that identifies equipment gaps and upgrade needs. Park rangers benefit when dispatch systems can transmit modern location, text, and data information rather than relying only on legacy voice calls. Congressional natural resources committees benefit from a report and installation plan they can use to oversee costs and implementation.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Interior Secretary must complete the assessment and then produce a park-by-park installation plan. National Park Service communications staff must collect center-level technology, staffing, interoperability, and cost information. Emergency communications vendors may face procurement and technical requirements tied to Next Generation 9-1-1 deployment. Federal taxpayers would ultimately bear the cost of any system upgrades Congress funds after receiving the plan.
Key Provisions
- Requires a one-year assessment of emergency communications centers in National Park System units.
- Directs the Interior Secretary to report assessment results to the Senate and House natural resources committees.
- Requires a follow-on plan to install Next Generation 9-1-1 systems in park units.
- Uses definitions for emergency communications centers, Next Generation 9-1-1, and covered park units to scope the mandate.
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
Requires the Interior Secretary to assess National Park System emergency communications centers and create a plan for installing Next Generation 9-1-1 systems in park units.
Key Policy Areas
Public Lands, Emergency Communications
Primary Purpose
Requires the Interior Secretary to assess National Park System emergency communications centers and create a plan for installing Next Generation 9-1-1 systems in park units.
Policy Domains
Bill provisions
Identified Gains
- National Park visitors
- National Park Service emergency centers
- Park rangers
- Congressional natural resources committees
Identified Costs
- Interior Secretary
- National Park Service communications staff
- Emergency communications vendors
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported …
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. …
Mr. Barrasso (for himself, Mr. King, Mr. Hickenlooper, and Mrs. …
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.
Interior Secretary, National Park Service communications staff, National Park Service emergency centers
Positive-direction: National Park Service emergency centers
Negative-direction: Interior Secretary, National Park Service communications staff
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "secretary"
- → Secretary 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