Last progress September 4, 2025 (3 months ago)
Introduced on September 4, 2025 by Timothy Michael Kaine
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
This bill strengthens how national historic and scenic trails are cared for and used. It puts partnerships at the center, making it easier for volunteers and nonprofit trail groups to help with day-to-day operations while the federal government keeps overall authority. It also tells agencies to set visitor limits by specific trail segments (not the whole trail at once) so crowded spots can be managed better . Towns near the trails matter here too: the government must pick ways to measure the trails’ economic impact on these “gateway communities” within three years and update that at least every five years .
The bill boosts planning, funding, and local input. It allows long-term agreements (up to 20 years) so official nonprofit trail partners can share or handle operations, with clear limits so they don’t gain land-use powers the law doesn’t give them . Agencies must fold each trail’s master plan into park and forest plans and can set up a simple system to collect and pass along permits and fees across different lands the trail crosses . Trails can use Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars, and there’s funding authorized in 2026–2031 for visitor management work, impact studies, reports, and building or buying needed facilities and land . Trail partners can also propose priority lists for protecting key lands, and in some cases receive surplus federal equipment for trail work, with guardrails on how it’s used . If someone threatens federal trail property rights, partners can formally ask the government to act, with timelines for responses, while keeping legal roles clear .
Key points