Barrasso, King, Daines Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Address Housing Needs at National Park Service

WASHINGTON, DC— Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), and Senators King and Daines, chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on National Parks respectively, introduced S. 5125, the Land Manager Housing and Workforce Improvement Act to address housing and workforce challenges impacting the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and other land management agencies.

Among other things, this legislation authorizes:

• the National Park Service (NPS) to engage philanthropic partners to address workforce housing needs through matching grants and other cooperative efforts;
• the Secretary of the Interior to use income from rent for the development, construction, rehabilitation, and management of workforce housing; and,
• the secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to hire local candidates to fill vacant positions at NPS and Forest Service units if government housing is not available.

“Wyoming is home to the most beautiful national parks in the country. We are blessed to host millions of visitors from across the country and around the world each year. To continue to do so, employees of the National Park Service and the Forest Service need access to affordable and adequate housing on or near the lands where they work. Our bipartisan bill will help address the growing demand for housing by making it possible for these agencies to partner with the private sector to find solutions to the housing shortage,” said Senator Barrasso.

“Every corner of Maine and the country is being impacted by the housing crisis — and our National Parks are no exception,” said Senator King, Chairman of the National Parks Subcommittee. “The lack of safe, quality housing that doesn’t break the bank has made it difficult for park employees, and those who are called to preserve our public lands, to live in the communities they serve. The bipartisan Land Manager Housing and Workforce Improvement Act is a commonsense step, that allows the National Parks Service and Forest Service use new approaches and public-private partnerships to combat the housing shortage. While this bill won’t solve the shortage on its own, it is a key part of a wider strategy to support our Parks and Forest Service employees. Safe, quality, and affordable housing is critical to ensuring that our parks stay staffed and open, and that visitors fully appreciate ‘America’s Best Idea.’”

“This legislation will provide much-needed housing relief to Montanans who are living paycheck to paycheck and bearing the brunt of the Biden-Harris administration’s sky-high inflation,” said Senator Daines. “By prioritizing National Park Service workforce housing and supporting local gateway communities, we are one step closer towards addressing the housing shortage both in Montana and across the U.S.”

Click here to read the bill text.