S. 871: White Sands National Park Establishment Act

116th Congress · introduced 2019-03-26 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2019-03-26 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

White Sands National Park Establishment Act

Plain summary

White Sands National Park Establishment Act This bill establishes the White Sands National Park in New Mexico as a unit of the National Park System in order to protect, preserve, and restore the park's resources and recreational values and to enhance visitor experiences. The bill abolishes the White Sands National Monument and incorporates the lands and interests that comprise the monument in and as a part of the park. The Department of the Interior shall not nominate the park for inclusion on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) unless each county in which the park is located concurs in the nomination. Before submitting such a nomination, Interior must notify the Department of the Army of its intention to nominate the park for inclusion on the list. Interior must complete an official boundary survey of the park. The bill modifies the boundaries of the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and the Public Land Order 833 (relating to the withdrawal of certain public lands in New Mexico for use by the Army for military purposes and the revoking of certain executive orders and public land orders) to exclude the land transferred to Interior and to include the land transferred to the Army. The Army shall administer the land transferred to it as a part of the missile range.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

White Sands National Park Establishment Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] reported raising $1.7 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s871.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>

Record fed-us-cong116-s871 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116