Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act

Last action on Dec 17, 2025Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be ...

Summary

The Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act would direct the Department of the Interior to preserve a genetically diverse population of wild horses in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. The bill would establish a minimum population of 150 horses and require the department to develop a management plan that protects the horses while preventing negative impacts to other park resources.

Under this bill, the Interior Department would be prohibited from removing horses from the park except in specific circumstances: to maintain genetic diversity, during emergencies, or to protect public health and safety. The department would also be required to monitor the horse population annually and publish findings about the horses' population size, structure, and health.

This bill has passed committee review and is eligible for a floor vote in the Senate. If enacted, it would establish legal protections for the wild horse herd at this North Dakota national park and create ongoing monitoring requirements for federal land managers.

Lifecycle of the Bill

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.

Dec 9, 2025

HearingSenateMeeting

Dec 9, 2025 · 15:00

Hearings to examine S.290, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to upgrade existing emergency communications centers in units of the National Park System to Next Generation 9-1-1 systems, S.332, to require a study on Holocaust education efforts of States, local educational agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools, S.446, to prohibit Big Cypress National Preserve from being designated as wilderness or as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System, S.573, to designate a mountain in the State of Alaska as Denali, S.601, to remove restrictions from a parcel of land in Paducah, Kentucky, S.730, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of establishing the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the African Burial Ground National Monument, S.791, to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site in the State of Maryland as an affiliated area of the National Park System, H.R.186, and S.858, bills to authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on the National Mall to honor the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients, S.1088, to provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, S.1131, to establish the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve in the State of Georgia, S.1135, to amend the National Trails System Act to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study on the feasibility of designating the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, S.1280, to designate six creeks in North Carolina in honor of the lives lost in a plane crash in Carteret County, North Carolina, on February 13, 2022, S.1353, to extend the authority for modifications to the Second Division Memorial in the District of Columbia, S.1377, to ensure the maintenance of a herd of horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, S.1518, to redesignate the Saratoga National Historical Park as the "Saratoga National Battlefield Park", S.1777, to amend the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 to expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park, to redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park as the "Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center", S.1870, to adjust the boundary of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to include the Rim of the Valley Corridor, S.1926, to encourage reduction of disposable plastic products in units of the National Park System, S.2270, to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate the portion of the Myakka River in Sarasota County, Florida, as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, S.2308, to amend the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to collect a surcharge from international visitors to units of the National Park System, S.2369, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to remove or permanently conceal the name of Francis Newlands on the grounds of the memorial fountain located at Chevy Chase Circle in the District of Columbia, S.2385, to codify Executive Order 14253 relating to restoring truth and sanity to American history, S.2546, to provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, S.2708, to enhance the preservation, maintenance, and management of national historic trails and national scenic trails, S.2970, to authorize the use of off-highway vehicles in certain areas of the Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, and H.R.249, to redesignate certain facilities at Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park in honor of Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr.

Committee

National Parks

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Summary

The Senate National Parks Subcommittee held a hearing on December 9, 2025, to examine approximately 30 bills related to the National Park System, historic sites, memorials, and public lands. The bills covered diverse topics including emergency communications upgrades at national parks, Holocaust education studies, boundary adjustments for various parks, establishment of new historic sites, and designation of wild and scenic rivers. Notable bills examined included S.2308, the PATRIOT Parks Act, which would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to collect surcharges from international visitors to national park units; S.1131, to establish the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve in Georgia; and S.1777, to expand Joshua Tree National Park and rename a visitor center. The hearing also addressed memorials and commemorative works, including bills related to Medal of Honor recipients, World War II women's contributions, and Justice Thurgood Marshall. Witness testimony was made available at the start of the hearing, though specific witness names and testimony details are not yet publicly documented. The hearing represents the subcommittee's review of pending legislation before determining whether to advance any bills for further consideration.

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Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

Dec 17, 2025

HearingSenateMeeting

Dec 17, 2025 · 14:30

Business meeting to consider S.291, to establish an interest-bearing account for the non-Federal contributions to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, S.858, to authorize the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on the National Mall to honor the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients, S.1341, to amend the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to add certain land to the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, S.1363, to provide for greater cooperation and coordination between the Federal Government and the governing bodies and community users of land grant-mercedes in New Mexico relating to historical or traditional uses of certain land grant-mercedes on Federal public land, S.1377, to ensure the maintenance of a herd of horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, S.1470, to require the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to prioritize the completion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, S.1787, to establish the Dolores River National Conservation Area and the Dolores River Special Management Area in the State of Colorado, to protect private water rights in the State, S.1860, to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to Brian Head Town, Utah, certain National Forest System land, S.2015, to direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to encourage and expand the use of prescribed fire on land managed by the Department of the Interior or the Forest Service, with an emphasis on units of the National Forest System in the western and southeastern United States, to acknowledge and support the long-standing use of cultural burning by Indian Tribes and Indigenous practitioners, S.2016, to exchange non-Federal land held by the Chugach Alaska Corporation for certain Federal Land in the Chugach Region, S.2033, to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on existing programs, rules, and authorities that enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across land ownership boundaries on Federal and non-Federal land, S.2262, to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to clarify the nature of public investment for purposes of certain rulemaking, S.2273, to amend the Act of July 10, 1890, to modify certain provisions relating to the disposal of public land in the State of Wyoming for educational purposes, S.2546, to provide for an extension of the legislative authority of the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs, S.2881, to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California.

Committee

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

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Summary

On December 17, 2025, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a business meeting to consider 15 bills covering a range of public lands and conservation issues. The bills addressed topics including establishing an interest-bearing account for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, authorizing a National Medal of Honor Museum on the National Mall, amending the Colorado Wilderness Act to add land to Sarvis Creek Wilderness, and promoting cooperation on New Mexico land grant-mercedes. Additional bills addressed wild horse maintenance in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, completion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, establishment of the Dolores River National Conservation Area in Colorado, land conveyance to Brian Head Town in Utah, and expansion of prescribed fire use on federal lands with acknowledgment of Indigenous cultural burning practices. The committee also considered bills on wildfire mitigation studies, federal land policy clarification, public land disposal in Wyoming, extension of authority for the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation, and transfer of federal land administrative jurisdiction in California. As a business meeting rather than a hearing, no witness testimony was taken. Business meetings are where committees vote on whether to advance bills to the full Senate. The consideration of these bills does not guarantee they will advance; the committee must vote to report them before they can proceed to the Senate floor for further consideration.

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Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act

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Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

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Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wild Horses Protection Act

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Lifecycle of the Bill

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Bill Information

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Legislative Subjects (5)

Committees (1)

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

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