The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Senate bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to extend National Park leases without competitive bidding
Last action · September 17, 2026: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 638.Sponsors: Thomas Tillis and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to extend qualifying National Park System leases without if the lessee has held the lease for at least five years and complies with all terms. The Secretary must revise the relevant within 90 days of enactment.
Current leaseholders in national parks who have maintained compliance for five years may secure lease extensions without going through public bidding processes, provided the Secretary determines it serves park administration.
- S. 2498 was introduced in the Senate during the 119th Congress and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
National Park System lessees
Lessees meeting the five-year tenure and compliance requirements may receive lease extensions without going through a competitive bidding process.
National Park Service
The agency must evaluate lease extension requests based on park administration interests and revise its federal regulations within 90 days.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for a lease extension without competitive bidding?
What is required of federal agencies after this bill passes?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently on floor. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Passed.
Procedural history
6 actions- Sep 17, 2026SenatePlaced on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 638.
- Sep 17, 2026SenateCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Lee with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- Jul 29, 2026SenateCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Jul 21, 2026SenateCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held.
- Jul 29, 2025SenateCommitteeRead twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Jul 29, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
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Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
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Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance45How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz10Current news / social attention level
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