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H.R. 4878: National Discovery Trails Act

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H.R. 4878: National Discovery Trails Act

117th Congress · introduced 2021-07-30 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Subcommittee Hearings Held.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2021-07-30 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-11] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Subcommittee Hearings Held. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. 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

National Discovery Trails Act

Plain summary

National Discovery Trails Act This bill amends the National Trails System Act to include national discovery trails as part of the national trails system. Such trails (1) shall be extended, continuous, interstate trails located to provide for outstanding outdoor recreation and travel and to connect representative examples of America's trails and communities; (2) shall provide for the conservation and enjoyment of significant natural, cultural, and historic resources and be so located as to represent metropolitan, urban, rural, and back country regions of the Nation; and (3) may be designated on federal lands and, with the owner's consent, on nonfederal lands. The 6,000-mile American Discovery Trail extending from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware, to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, splitting into northern and southern routes near Cincinnati, Ohio, and rejoining at Denver, Colorado, is designated as a national discovery trail. The bill sets forth requirements for designation of a trail as a national discovery trail. The appropriate federal department for each national discovery trail shall (1) administer the trail in cooperation with at least one competent trailwide volunteer-based organization; and (2) submit a comprehensive plan for the trail's protection, management, development, and use.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), 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

National Discovery Trails Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-11] · 64 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Don Bacon (R-NE), Mark Takano (D-CA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jason Crow (D-CO), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Judy Chu (D-CA), Mike Levin (D-CA), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Scott H. Peters (D-CA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Dina Titus (D-NV), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Robin L. Kelly (D-IL), Frank J. Mrvan (D-IN), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA) and 4 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-11] reported raising $721,776 (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 (2)
Appropriation
Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
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

Record fed-us-cong117-hr4878 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117