Sponsors (4)
The bill advances preservation and public education by establishing federal recognition, support, and a study for the historic site and museum, but it increases potential federal spending and creates access conditions and short-term uncertainty for local, state, and private owners.
Students, schools, nonprofits, urban communities, and the general public gain clearer access to a new National Park Service unit and enhanced interpretive/educational programs about the 982 WWII refugees and the Churchill Museum.
State and local governments, site stewards, and nearby communities gain stronger preservation protections through federal stewardship and eligibility for technical and financial assistance to restore and protect historic resources.
Taxpayers and policymakers benefit from a mandated special resource study (within 3 years) that will provide Congress with clear cost estimates and federal/nonfederal options to inform future decisions.
Taxpayers could bear new costs — for the mandated study and for potential future federal acquisition, creation, restoration, staffing, and ongoing management of a park or NPS unit.
Private landowners who accept federal restoration assistance may need to allow reasonable public access, which can limit private uses of their property.
Local owners (including colleges) face planning uncertainty during the study period because future federal interest or options could affect property decisions even though current administration is unchanged.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates Fort Ontario Holocaust Refugee Shelter National Historical Park if land is secured, designates America’s National Churchill Museum as a National Historic Landmark, and requires a federal study on Churchill’s NPS suitability.
Introduced December 16, 2025 by Joshua David Hawley · Last progress December 17, 2025
Creates a new National Park unit in New York by establishing the Fort Ontario Holocaust Refugee Shelter National Historical Park once the Secretary of the Interior certifies sufficient land has been acquired, and designates America’s National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri as a National Historic Landmark while directing a federal study on whether the Churchill site should become a National Park Service unit. The bill authorizes the Interior Department to manage the new park under standard NPS law, acquire land under limited conditions, enter cooperative agreements, provide technical and financial assistance to the Churchill site, and complete required planning and a resource study within set timelines after funds become available.