Sponsors (2)
The bill abolishes the César E. Chávez National Monument and redirects its unobligated funds to reduce forensic DNA backlogs—trading federal protection, programming, and local preservation support for increased funding authority to address criminal-justice forensic needs.
Taxpayers and crime victims: Unobligated federal funds tied to the abolished César E. Chávez National Monument are redirected to reduce forensic DNA backlogs, shifting existing federal dollars toward faster case processing and potentially quicker resolutions.
Department of Justice and local law enforcement: Provides the Attorney General/DOJ additional funding authority to support DNA analysis and reduce forensic backlogs, enabling expanded federal support for forensic capacity.
Visitors, local communities, and tribal residents: The bill abolishes the César E. Chávez National Monument, removing federal protection, programming, and public access to the site.
Taxpayers and local governments: Repurposing the monument's unobligated funds reduces federal support for historic preservation and may shift preservation, maintenance, and programming costs to local governments or private entities.
Interior Department staff and site users: Eliminates the Interior Department's ability to use prior appropriations for the monument's operation or maintenance, potentially requiring staff reductions or ending site services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Abolishes the César E. Chávez National Monument and redirects its unobligated funds (except amounts needed to implement abolishment) to the DNA backlog elimination program.
Introduced March 25, 2026 by John Cornyn · Last progress March 25, 2026
Abolishes the César E. Chávez National Monument and bars the Department of the Interior from using any remaining unobligated funds that had been set aside to operate or maintain the Monument, except for amounts needed to carry out the abolishment. Any such unobligated funds are to be transferred and made available for the Department of Justice program that addresses DNA analysis backlogs under the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000.