King, Barrasso Bill Improving National Park Safety Passes out of Committee, Heads to Senate Floor

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and John Barrasso (R-WY) today announced that their bill to improve national park safety has passed out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously. Their Making National Parks Safer Act would equip National Park Service (NPS) 911 call centers with Next Generation 911 (NG911) technology, strengthening emergency response capabilities, supporting dispatch center operations, and enabling responders to receive text messages, images, and videos in addition to phone calls. The bill now heads to the Senate Floor for further consideration and potential passage.

The National Park Service operates 41 call centers nationwide. Call centers operate on outdated systems and have little interoperability and emergency redundancy capabilities with the other law enforcement agencies.

"People travel from across the globe to experience the natural beauty of America's public lands - from Maine to Montana and across the nation," said Senator King, Co-Chair of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee. "However, vital emergency response infrastructure is critical to ensure a safe visitor experience for those enjoying our public lands and National Parks. The bipartisan Making National Parks Safer Act will help upgrade National Park Service call centers and give visitors a little more peace of mind when they're relaxing and looking at our gorgeous natural treasures."

"Wyoming is blessed with the most beautiful national parks in the nation. Folks travel from all over the world to enjoy them-especially Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons," said Senator Barrasso. "It is vital that visitors have access to the latest emergency response technology. Today's committee vote brings thisbipartisan bill one step closer to delivering increased speed and accuracy for emergency responders. This will ensure visitors can continue to enjoy the great American outdoors without worry."

Specifically, The Making National Parks Safer Act would;

• Directs the National Park Service to assess the current implementation status of NG911 systems at existing emergency communications centers and estimate costs to install and maintain NG911 systems.
• Provides a report on the results of the assessment and identify certain jurisdictional, technological, and legal issues that may affect implementation of NG911 systems.
• Requires the National Park Service to develop a plan to install NG911 systems at existing centers, after consultation with relevant stakeholders and authorities.

King and Barrasso are joined on the legislation by U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and John Hickenlooper (D-CO).

As a lifelong advocate for conservation and Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Senator King is among the Senate's most prominent voices advocating for conservation. Senator King helped lead the passage the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) into law; the legislation that included the Legacy Restoration Fund (LRF). Because of his work, in 2020, Senator King was awarded the inaugural National Park Foundation (NPF) "Hero" Award. Since the creation of the LRF, Senator King has pushed park leaders to discuss funding maintenance efforts, maintaining a sufficient NPS workforce, and managing growing park visitation. Recently, Senator King pressed a Department of the Interior.

Senator King's work on the National Parks Subcommittee is the culmination of more than four decades of work on land conservation efforts in Maine, including helping to establish the Land for Maine's Future program in 1987 and supporting extensive conservation projects during his time as Governor. Under King's leadership in his eight years as Maine governor, he put more Maine land under conservation than in the state's 175 year history.

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